International Admission Counselors
Our international admission counselors work with international students throughout the admission process—collecting application materials, reviewing applications and making admission decisions, sending the I–20 form, and determining if previous course credits are transferable. Learn more about our international counselors below and please feel free to contact us with your specific questions. You can send an e-mail to international@admissions.wisc.edu or phone 608-262-3961.
International Counselor Profiles
Emilie Dickson
Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin
Alma Mater: Grinnell College
Undergraduate Majors: Political Science and Russian and East European Studies
Graduate Degree: M.S.Ed. in Higher Education Management
Hobbies and Interests: Baking and cooking foods from different countries.
Favorite Places on Campus: Picnic Point, because of the beautiful landscape and picnicking opportunities and the Southeast Recreational Facility (SERF) for its pool.
Favorite Place in Madison: The Dane County Farmers’ Market. Also, paddling in a canoe or kayak on one of Madison’s lakes.
Favorite Restaurants and Storefronts on State Street: On State Street, you can enjoy East African, Mexican, Afghani, and Nepalese cuisines. I also recommend the Lands’ End Outlet Store, because it offers discounts on good, warm winter clothes.
Something Interesting about Madison That It Took You a While to Learn about and That Only an Insider Would Know? Madison has a lot of great bicycle paths that were built on top of old railroad beds. You can bike from the UW campus to towns 20-30 miles away. The city buses also have special bike carriers built onto their fronts.
Favorite UW Traditions: Eating Babcock ice cream while listening to bands at the Memorial Union Terrace.
Favorite Books/Author: Old Soviet spy novels. Right now I am reading a lot of John le Carre, because I enjoy the mystery and adventure of his plots, as well as his character development.
Something Compelling about You That People Often Don’t Know about: I took an aviation class in high school and thought seriously about becoming a pilot. Then I decided that I would be an aerospace engineer instead. However, after doing an internship at an engineering company, I discovered that I am not at all mechanically inclined. Maybe someday I will still become a pilot; you never know where life will take you.
Best Advice for Applicants: Be yourself. Remember that you are applying to the university and not to a specific program, so give us a balanced, complete view of your academic history.
Best Advice for New Students: Become involved!
Joseph Halaas
Hometown: River Falls, Wisconsin
Alma Mater: Denison University
Undergraduate Major: French
Graduate Degree: M.A. in French Studies
Hobbies and Interests: Spending as much time as I can with my nephews.
Favorite Place on Campus: Bascom Hill—it’s a historic part of campus that offers a great view of Madison and the Capitol.
Favorite Place in Madison: At a Mad Rollin’ Dolls match. Mad Rollin’ Dolls is a flat-track roller derby league in Madison. My favorite team is the Reservoir Dolls.
Favorite Restaurant: The Old-Fashioned on the Capitol Square, which has some of the best cheese curds around and fantastic cheeseburgers (you can even get a burger with an egg!).
Favorite UW Tradition: An evening at the Memorial Union Terrace. Sitting with friends and running into people you know makes you feel like you are a part of the university.
Favorite Books/Author: Le sang des autres by Simone de Beauvoir.
Something Compelling about You That People Often Don’t Know about: I was a member of an improv troupe, and Steve Carell was a member of the same one (though not at the same time)!
Best Advice for Applicants: UW–Madison is a large campus, so take the time to investigate the many opportunities it offers.
Best Advice for New Students: Use the libraries. There are over 40 and the librarians are all very willing to help.