Residence Halls (dorms)

• The University Residence Halls are divided into smaller units called "houses" where 50 to 80 residents live and form a community. The tradition of the "house" as the nucleus of the community is a unique feature of the Residence Halls. Since the earliest days of on-campus housing, student peer advisors called House Fellows have lived among the students, fostering a sense of community and self-government. Most students share a double room with one other student. All students share same-gender bathroom facilities conveniently located on each residence hall floor.

• Since there are almost 20 different options to choose from, here are some facts pertinent to dorms among us Indonesians that can hopefully shed some light on your decision-making process:

  • Bradley has been quite popular! Probably because it is one of the dorms exclusively reserved for freshmen on campus. It's nice because Bradley is a learning community , which, for all intents and purposes, means they have tons of events going on to keep you engaged in your community and make sure you're actually making friends with your floormates. Weekly programs ranging from baking to movie screenings to crafting Thanksgiving cards are for you to enjoy. They charge a couple hundred bucks more, though.

  • Chadbourne is probably the most international dorm on campus, alongside Adams. And by international, we mean East Asian, i.e. Chinese and Koreans, by virtue of the international student population's makeup on campus, significantly predominated by said demographics. Chadbourne is arguably the most strategically located dorm on campus, right at the corner of University and Park (go check that map one more time if you need a reference). And just like Bradley, it also has its own learning community, meaning you'll be getting more perks by being a Chad resident.

  • We mentioned Adams earlier; it actually has an international learning community, which means that its special programs are catered to international-related interests, such as language floor (one building story dedicated to students learning a certain foreign language) and international-themed university courses reserved for Adams residents.

  • Dejope is one of the newer dorms and it's pretty darn awesome. It has one of campus' most extensive dining halls, nice conference rooms, and a walk-in University Health Services clinic.

  • But if you're still having trouble deciding on your future dorm, here are the general, most basic guidelines that you ought to know:

    • At UW-Madison campus, there are two areas of residence halls: Lakeshore and Southeast. Stereotypically, students living in Lakeshore are the quiet and reserved ones; they're the hardworking crowd in college demography. On the other hand, Southeasterners are known for their rather too positive attitude towards parties; students start keeping their doors open and blasting loud dance music as early as Thursday nights. These might have something to do with the location: Lakeshore dorms are, well, situated by the lake – so they are generally quiet and peaceful – while Southeast dorms are closer to the campus center and downtown, and therefore tend to be louder.

    • The description above is by no means an endorsement to one side over the other: each has its own appeals and drawbacks. It's your call to weigh the sorts of experiences you want to attain by choosing to live in a campus dorm.

• Website: http://www.housing.wisc.edu/

University Apartments

• The University Apartments community serves graduate students, student families, academic staff, and faculty at UW-Madison. It is comprised of three distinct "neighborhoods": Eagle Heights, University Houses, and Harvey Street Apartments. Each neighborhood has its own architecture and style, but all are served by the same staff, and have access to services and programs. When applying to live in University Apartments, you may apply to one or more of the neighborhoods, depending on your eligibility for each area.

• Website: https://www.housing.wisc.edu/apartments/

Off-Campus Housing

• The Visitor & Information Programs (VIP) is the centralized Campus Area Housing Office for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They provide listings of apartments, houses, efficiencies, rooms and co-ops for students and the university community, submitted by tenants, sublessors, owners and managers. Many of the units advertised are located in the heart of downtown Madison and are in close proximity to campus and the state Capitol. VIP also offers additional housing-related information and links to a variety of additional housing services.

• Note:

  • For those who are looking for off-campus housing, many people have suggested that it may be better to choose housing after arriving at Madison. Although the earlier you begin your housing search, the more options you will have, many apartments usually require a minimum lease of one year, so you might want to be 110% sure of your ultimate choice. In addition, there are several things that should be put into consideration, such as location, transportation, furnishing, and roommates. Therefore, finding the right type of housing for your style of living is important. If you're worried about not getting a place to live, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will try our best to help you.

• Website: http://campusareahousing.wisc.edu