UW-Madison

[antecedent]

I haven't heard back from all my schools yet, but I love the UW-Madison program so I'll likely be accepting.

Who else is moving to Wisconsin in the fall? I'm moving from the West Coast of Canada (though I am American) and I'm nervous about 1) finding a place to live and 2) the weather.

[litjust]

Hey!

I'll be coming to Madison in the fall from the southeast (although I am originally from California). I am also nervous about finding a place, especially since I don't know the area. I am not sure how soon I should start looking for a place.

[Christa]

Me too although I'm an international student and will be coming from Asia (a 22 hour flight ). I'm worried about finding a place as well. I applied to school housing and I hope they take me in because otherwise I'd have to find a place in mid August

Oh and the weather The thought of Madion's temperature in the winter is horrifying I come from a very warm country and I've never been exposed to such extreme weather.

[swils]

Hey! I'll be starting my MA program in the fall as well. I've been looking obsessivly at Craigslist to get a feel of what apartments are going to be like. Padmapper is another good site to check out, because it shows you (on a map) exactly where the places are located. From what I have heard so far, it sounds like Madison is a pretty safe city, with not a lot of areas that ought to be avoided. Places right around the University and down State Street tend to be more dominated by the undergrads (louder, parties, etc.) I'm currently looking at places to the east of the Capitol.

I just visited Madison the weekend before last, and I liked it a lot. It's on a strip of land between two big lakes - very pretty. For a city of its size, it seems to have tons of good places to eat. I don't know, it just felt like a nice place to live. I'm about a 5 hour drive away, so I'll probably be visiting to look at apartments before I move out there for good.

Regarding the weather - yeah, it's going to be cold. I'm from Minnesota, which is slightly colder, but I could see Madison being a bit of a shock if you're moving from somewhere warmer int he country. I just looked it up, and one site said the average Jan. temperature is 17 degrees F, but trust that it will drop below zero sometimes. I guess my advice would be to layer up. Leggings under pants helps if you're going to be outside, invest in some boots, and don't be afraid to buy a parka. You'll see some crazy midwest people wearing shorts when it's 39 degrees, but we don't expect that from everybody. : ) What you'll learn really fast is that there are a lot of "cute" winter clothes that were clearly designed by someone in LA, and they just won't cut it during some weeks. On the bright side, though... snow is really atmospheric leading up to Christmas, and after that you really only have to deal with it for a couple of months. The midwest also has lovely springs, beautiful autumns, and hot summers. We don't live in igloos the whole year, fortunately.

[bjlowe]

HI! I'm from Wisconsin and I did my undergrad at UW. Here are some good websites to check out for apartments downtown. Unfortunately, the prices are really high for Madison, considering it is comparatively a small-ish city.

jsmproperties.com

cdliving.com

madisonproperty.com

I lived with JSM before and have used the other two many times. Of course you can use craigslist if you are looking for a sublet. But I would recommend either of these for finding an apartment on your own.

Good luck! And enjoy UW It's really a great school!

[swils]

Thanks for the sites! I'm always wary about going through an actual property management company until I've had people actually recommend it. You hear some horror stories....

If you check out this thread again, bjlowe, would you have any recommendations for neighborhoods to stay out of, possibly?

[bjlowe]

Personally, I don't care for anything that is 'east side.' this includes East Washington street and others east of the state Capitol. There's nothing necessarily wrong with it, but I get sketched out.

I lived downtown all 4 years I lived there as I didn't have a car. I assume you will too, but if not, definitely stay away from areas near the South side bus stop (the main south transfer point) that area is scary.

University Ave/Johnson St/Broom st/Gorham st/are the main downtown drags. I personally like Shorewood Hills/ Old University area. And the busses in Madison are pretty good so don't be worried if you find somewhere a little farther from campus

[YellowSubmarine]

Hi! Former UW undergrad/future grad student here. Just throwing in my two cents about renting in Madison.

Personally, I've had bad experiences with JSM and wouldn't rent through them again (didn't give us back our security deposit, slow with maintenance issues, etc), and their properties are a little pricey.

You can find a lot of places just browsing through Craigslist (although you have to sort through the summer sublets). I'd also recommend padmapper.com, and then cdliving- they seem to cover a fair amount of what's available.

As far as where to live... I live on the East side (in the WIlly st area) and love it. I can't imagine living anywhere else. I've found that a lot of grad students live in the Willy St area, and then also on the other side of E. Washington near Tenny Park and James Madison Park. Other areas that seem to be popular for grad students are the Vilas area (south of Regent st), and then the west side (anywhere between University ave by the hospital - called Old University - and then all the way to the Hilldale Mall area). I've always felt pretty safe in Madison, but I guess the places I'd avoid looking for housing are further south (anywhere much past the Hospitals on Park st), or very far east.

I think there are a couple threads around here comparing the areas; the forums at city-data.com are also a great way to read up on what the different areas of Madison are like, and where you think you'd be happiest.

[swils]

I think I'm leaning toward the near-east side of the Capitol, myself. From reading different descriptions of neighborhoods, I feel like I would enjoy it. Since I want to live alone, I'd rather live somewhere right on the isthmus , in the thick of things, to somewhat avoid total hermitude.

I'm just nervous about renting. Every time I find a place that looks promising, I google the property management company and see awful reviews. Maybe that's just how it is, or maybe people only write reviews if they've had a bad experience - I'm not sure. Any more suggestions for good buildings/management companies would be awesome!

[MerlotMonday]

I'm visiting UW-Madison next week. It is my top choice program. I'd love to know about queer culture in Madison, public transportation, and how long the winters are.

[anath]

I too would like to know about any and all of the things that Merlot Monday just mentioned. Also, does anyone know anything about campus housing and/or have pictures? The housing office has been weirdly aggressive about not giving me photos of the apartment interiors. 

[onlyonemorgan]

Anyone else going to be in Madison this weekend? 

[BuckyandTerraceChairs]

Hi there all!

I'm leaving Madison to go to grad school. Grew up here, went to undergrad here, have been outta school for 5, going on 6 years. 

Madison Apartment renting 101 (it's not exactly an introductory-level course, plan accordingly): 
 

 

The rental market is really tight. The city is at a 2% vacancy rate, the 53703 downtown zip code is at a 1.2% vacancy rate. Newly built apartments, usually frequented by undergrads close to campus starts at $700+ a month. Where I live on the east isthmus (google Burnie's Rock Shop), about a mile out from campus and on the direct bus routes, rents in buildings built 1890s-1930s are more like $400-550 per person a month.

 

Start trying to rent a place now. If you wait until summer, good luck. Most places are rented up by June. Standard is a security deposit of one months rent. Also, read the lease terms. They stuff a lot of things into the lease and addendums. pay attention to fees. 

Try to find a place with heat included. Several years ago after renting places with heat included for many years, I got a 2 bedroom, ground floor flat, built around 1915 without the heat included. Rent was $445 a person. We put plastic on the windows, insulation on the radiator pipes and still had electric/heating bills of $250-$300 a month with the heat set no higher than 68 degrees. It really busted the budget. 

If you've got a potential place in mind you can go to mge.com and type in the address to get the high, low and average bill information for the property. You can also sign up for a plan that will average out bills accross 12 months to help shoulder  those winter peak bills.   

Try to find a place on/close to the bus lines. Busses tend to run every 20-30 minutes. Parking on campus is impossible. Think hard if you really need to bring a car. Parking tickets are ubiquitous, budget accordingly ($30-80 a month on average..) off-street parking ranges from $50-$120 a month. on street parking permits are available from the city in most cases, but demand is high and there's nightly alternate-side parking rules for some neighborhoods around campus.

Buy a bike. You'll use it constantly. Not a moped. Only the annoying undergrads have mopeds. It's also considered pretty gauche for the environment. 

Since the campus is so large, students from certain programs tend to live in different neighborhoods, based upon the proximity to where their classes are. The liberal arts students tend to live on the east isthmus, the engineering/science students live in the vilas/greenbush neighborhood, the med students along old university avenue, etc. ask existing students where they live, folks tend to cluster.   

The closer to campus you are, the more likely you're going to have a large rental/management company. I had a lot of success renting from CMI, a mid-sized company, i was with them for 3 years during my undergrad.

The "student market" is dominated by Madison Property Management, Steve Brown, CHT and JSM. Each has their nuances, good and bad elements. Don't expect special treatment.  Mid-sized companies include palisades, mullins, patrick properties, tallards. again, good and bad elements of all. the farther out you get, the more mom and pop places you may find. craigslist is best for most apartment listings.  

 

The republican swing of the statehouse brought a rewrite of tenant protection law. Document everything about your apartment when you move in. absolutely turn in your move-in form & take pictures of the place before you move all your stuff in. request everything (maintenance, things to get fixed, items that are broken) in writing. it's a whole new rodeo, and it will help you get your security deposit back.

 

Move out is typically on Aug. 14. Move in is not until August 15 or 16th. Don't expect differently. Plan accordingly. Much of the downtown is homeless during this period. it's known as "Hippie Christmas" for the piles of decently good stuff pitched out on curbs. Have your belongings secured. The town is all scavengers, good and bad. Do not put anything you value on the curb and walk away. It will not be there in 2 minutes. If you need a coffee table, chances are you'll find one. Don't take anything padded for fear of bedbugs, etc. 

 

Hope this all helps. 

Also, I'm looking to keep my legal residence here while I go to school. My roommate would like to stay one more year, I plan on returning in December of 2014. We'd like to add a third person to the lease, preferably female. It's a three bedroom place, functions with 2 people plus an office. If you're looking for a nice place for the next two years with heat included with an office in addition to your bedroom, rent of $540 a month, near Burnie's Rock Shop. Please respond/shoot me a message (can you do that on here?). 

Cheers!
(& welcome to Madison)

[BuckyandTerraceChairs]

I too would like to know about any and all of the things that Merlot Monday just mentioned. Also, does anyone know anything about campus housing and/or have pictures? The housing office has been weirdly aggressive about not giving me photos of the apartment interiors. 

The housing office is useless. There really isn't grad students that live in campus-owned housing. Craigslist & individual websites are your best options to find interior pics of apartments.

[BuckyandTerraceChairs]

I'm visiting UW-Madison next week. It is my top choice program. I'd love to know about queer culture in Madison, public transportation, and how long the winters are.

It's mid-march. We still have snow. it's still in the 20s. Winter-like weather usually starts around/slightly after Halloween, clears up for good by April 1st. Buy a really warm winter coat and good boots, you'll be climbing over snow banks and jumping slush puddles. Most students ride their bikes well into December and finals, usually December is light on snow. 

[BuckyandTerraceChairs]

I think I'm leaning toward the near-east side of the Capitol, myself. From reading different descriptions of neighborhoods, I feel like I would enjoy it. Since I want to live alone, I'd rather live somewhere right on the isthmus , in the thick of things, to somewhat avoid total hermitude.

I'm just nervous about renting. Every time I find a place that looks promising, I google the property management company and see awful reviews. Maybe that's just how it is, or maybe people only write reviews if they've had a bad experience - I'm not sure. Any more suggestions for good buildings/management companies would be awesome!

Every company has bad reviews (and not without merit..) You really have to go look at places and ask a lot of questions about the unit to the leasing agent. It's a market driven by profit and thrives on the transient nature of tenants. Find out if the leasing agent is the same person as your property management rep. If they say to you "oh, we'll fix that before you move in" the only way to actually make sure that will happen is to have it agreed to, in writing, at the lease signing. otherwise, it's a crap shoot. 

City of Madison tenant information from building inspection:

http://www.cityofmadison.com/dpced/bi/landlord-tenant-resources/45/

Property condition info/report a problem:

http://www.cityofmadison.com/dpced/bi/property-standards-conditions/24/

You can also call them (http://www.cityofmadison.com/dpced/bi/contact/) and ask about a particular property. Find out if there's any open violations, and what the violation history has been in the past for that unit. That should give you a good sense of how responsive the landlord has been.

The large management properties (MPM, Wisconsin Management) are management companies.. meaning they'll fix a place to the extent that the owner authorizes. So if the owner who lives god-knows-where cares about the place, they'll spend money. If the owner doesn't want to authorize spending any more than neccessary, you'll see that. 

[BuckyandTerraceChairs]

Personally, I don't care for anything that is 'east side.' this includes East Washington street and others east of the state Capitol. There's nothing necessarily wrong with it, but I get sketched out.

I lived downtown all 4 years I lived there as I didn't have a car. I assume you will too, but if not, definitely stay away from areas near the South side bus stop (the main south transfer point) that area is scary.

University Ave/Johnson St/Broom st/Gorham st/are the main downtown drags. I personally like Shorewood Hills/ Old University area. And the busses in Madison are pretty good so don't be worried if you find somewhere a little farther from campus

I totally disagree with this post about the east side. Shorewood Hills & Old University are tony, somewhat separated areas. There's not much around, other than housing. The east side was always built as affordable, middle class/working class neighborhoods with some money-driven estates. Also, the east side is where you'll find the most exciting (James Beard nominated) restaurants and bars, it's where the fun, hip, social folks live.  

Also, it depends what program you're in where most folks live.

[BuckyandTerraceChairs]

I'm visiting UW-Madison next week. It is my top choice program. I'd love to know about queer culture in Madison, public transportation, and how long the winters are.

The Queer culture here (home of openly-gay US Senator Tammy Baldwin and Congressman Mark Pocan) is loud and proud. There's out sports leagues, social clubs, you name it. 

Check out:

http://www.ourlivesmadison.com/

http://madison.gaycities.com/

http://gaytravel.about.com/od/gaynightlifeoverviews/qt/Mad_Gay_Bars.htm

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bowling-Out-Loud-Madison-WI-Gay-glbtq-Bowling-League/124415546925

for a sample of Queer Culture.

[zhilin]

I am from China, and I am gonna be Madison at the middle of July, to take the ITA. I am to begin with my chemistry graduate study

[i.am.me]

Is there a Meet and Greet 2013 thread? I'd love to know how others are doing who are going to  UW-Madison in the fall, especially in regard to securing housing Which I am peronally struggling with haha

[yellow.wallpaper]

The housing office is useless. There really isn't grad students that live in campus-owned housing. Craigslist & individual websites are your best options to find interior pics of apartments.

What do you mean by this

 

Is there a Meet and Greet 2013 thread? I'd love to know how others are doing who are going to  UW-Madison in the fall, especially in regard to securing housing Which I am peronally struggling with haha

 

I know what you mean. I don't really know how much I can trust University housing. They said they would let me know thirty days before the date I can move in. What if they deny my application and it's June and I have nowhere to live?

 

I do have "priority", but still... 

[i.am.me]

hahaha I am supposed to have "incoming priority" too...but alas no news.

[kg789]

I'm also wondering if there is a 2013 thread! I'm going to be starting at UW-Madison in the fall and would appreciate any and all advice on apartment searching.

 

On another note, I'm from South Carolina and typically only see snow once or twice a year (if we get snow at all), any advice on buying coats/snowboots/other winter clothing? I was able to visit a few months ago and felt fine walking around for a little over an hour with a coat borrowed from a friend, but I don't currently have a heavy winter coat of my own and am hoping to find a good one sooner rather than later.

[yellow.wallpaper]

I'm also wondering if there is a 2013 thread! I'm going to be starting at UW-Madison in the fall and would appreciate any and all advice on apartment searching.

 

On another note, I'm from South Carolina and typically only see snow once or twice a year (if we get snow at all), any advice on buying coats/snowboots/other winter clothing? I was able to visit a few months ago and felt fine walking around for a little over an hour with a coat borrowed from a friend, but I don't currently have a heavy winter coat of my own and am hoping to find a good one sooner rather than later.

I downloaded the "The Guide for Graduate Students" from the website and it has helped a lot on knowing where to shop. They have a lot of thrift shops, winter equipment stores and so on!

 

I also have no idea on apartment searching either! 

[kg789]

I downloaded the "The Guide for Graduate Students" from the website and it has helped a lot on knowing where to shop. They have a lot of thrift shops, winter equipment stores and so on!

 

I also have no idea on apartment searching either! 

Thank you so much, that guide looks so helpful so far!

 

I'm glad there's other people still looking through housing options! I spent most of this afternoon/evening sifting through apartment options, but have not found anything solid yet. I'm so worried because I most likely won't actually be able to visit any apartments before moving in due to distance. Do you know if it's recommended to find a single apartment or to have roommates as a grad student? And if roommates are recommended, where would someone search for said roommates?