Chapel Hill vs Wisconsin-Madison

[2008izmyne]

Sorry about creating a new thread just for me.

I'm in at U Wisconsin-Madison and UNC Chapel Hill. Could any Americans help me out in comparing places in terms of standard/costs of living, things to do, need for a car/public transport, lifestyle, etc

Btw, I'm from the tropical world but have spent winters in Scandinavia, so I'll survive Madison if I have to, but if I can have as great a time in UNC, why not, right? I guess that's my main thing...Anyone who has lived in both places could be a great help, as would any one who has something to say.

[Leavinmyheartinsf]

I visited both schools and did not like Madison AT ALL! It seems like there is very little to do there but drink, which I don't and it was more expensive to live there than I hoped. Plus it's fricken cold, but I have lived in CA my whole life. i am currently trying to decide between Chapel Hill and State College, PA, so good luck with this one. Personally, if my choices were between Wisconsin and UNC, I would be headed for UNC.

[euphonious]

I just wanted to pop in on this conversation. I live in Madison, Wisconsin. I just visited the Triangle area to look at Duke. Madison is an awesome city, and honestly although the winters are chilly, there's tons to do. The undergrads do a lot of drinking, but the city has more people than just those 40,000 kids. The Union Terrace in the summer is the hangout for the whole city, we all hang out there, drink some beer, watch the sunset over the lake and listen to great free music.

The restaurant selection is wonderful. I didn't visit Chapel Hill, but I did visit Durham. And 9th street has nothing on State Street. And it's Madison is just bigger.

Madison is very friendly, environmentally conscious and ridiculously liberal. There are ample outdoor opportunities in the city (3 lakes!) and just outside.

I chose UChicago over Duke, and if I was choosing between UW Madison and Chapel Hill and the weather wasn't a factor, I'd choose UW.

Good luck!