Undergraduate Admissions

Hometown: Normal, Illinois

Undergraduate Majors: Psychology and Women’s Studies

Graduate Degree: Counseling Psychology and Counselor Education

Hobbies and Interests: Spending time with friends and family, dancing, bargain hunting, watching any sort of comedy (stand-up, improv, TV sketch shows, etc.), and exploring Madison.

Favorite Thing about Working at UW–Madison: Working in the Red Gym. It's a unique historical landmark right next to the Memorial Union and on the shore of Lake Mendota.

Favorite Place on Campus: The Library Mall food carts — fast, cheap, and delicious!

Favorite Place in Madison: Sitting on the Capitol Square, watching the people circle and shop at the Dane County Farmers Market. People-watching at it’s best.

Favorite Restaurant on State Street: Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream. It’s been family-owned and operated for 45 years!

Favorite UW Tradition: I love watching the UW Marching Band. I was in the marching band in high school and we never put on a show like that.

Best Advice for Transfer Students: Spend time exploring the different options for getting involved. You'll certainly meet people in your courses, but joining student groups is the best way to connect with diverse groups of people.

Fun Fact: I've been told by family and friends that I'm quite good at doing impressions of others. With enough practice I can usually imitate a person’s mannerisms and/or accent. I'm getting particularly good at an Australian accent since my brother-in-law is from Australia.

Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin

Undergraduate Majors: Classics and Secondary Education

Years at Wisconsin: 10

Hobbies and Interests: Reading, hiking, and camping.

Favorite Thing about Working at UW–Madison: The energy and beauty of campus.

Favorite Place in Madison: The UW Arboretum. It’s a bit of country in the middle of the city.

Favorite Restaurant on State Street: Himal Chuli. It’s a tiny Nepalese restaurant. Very interesting atmosphere, with tapestries, Dalai Lama photographs, and statues.

Best Advice for Applicants: Read everything we send you very carefully. We frequently ask that you respond back in some way. A speedy response from you will move your application process along much more quickly.

Hometown: Green Bay, Wisconsin

Undergraduate Major: Biology

Hobbies and Interests: Family, the outdoors, camping, board/card games, reading, taking walks, and bike rides.

Favorite Author: Jonathan Safran Foer. He is a young American novelist who blends comedy and tragedy in storylines revolving around the Holocaust and 9/11. I highly recommend Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

Favorite Things about Working at UW–Madison: I enjoy working with students, while being able to take in all the beautiful sites on campus on a daily basis.

Favorite Place on Campus: Picnic Point, a mile-long peninsula along Lake Mendota’s south shore. It is a great escape from city life during any season.

Favorite Madison Cuisine: Most people are aware that Madison offers a wide variety of ethnic cuisines. I discovered that I really like Indian food, which I had never been exposed to before coming to Madison. Two excellent Indian restaurants, Maharaja and Maharini, offer reasonably priced lunch buffets that feature almost every dish on the dinner menu.

Favorite Storefront on State Street: Jamba Juice.

Favorite UW Tradition: The Fifth Quarter, an event that takes place after each Badger football game. During the Fifth Quarter, the marching band plays. The UW–Madison has the best marching band, and anytime I get to hear them is a treat.

Best Advice for Applicants: Plan ahead and carefully read everything sent to you. Our office provides many helpful resources, so feel free to utilize them.

Hometown: Los Angeles, California

Undergraduate Major: Psychology

Graduate Degree: Educational Policy Studies

Hobbies and Interests: Traveling, photography, cooking, politics, live music, and spending time with my friends and family.

Favorite Things about Working at UW–Madison: Working in the Red Gym and the fact that employees get a free bus pass.

Favorite Place on Campus: I love the way Bascom Hill looks in just about any season.

Favorite Place in Madison: The Capitol Square. The Capitol building looks so impressive from any angle, and there’s always something good happening on the Square, whether it’s the Dane County Farmers Market or Concerts on the Square.

Favorite Shopfronts on State Street: I can always find a good card in the Pipefitter. As far as food goes, my heart belongs to Buraka.

Favorite UW Tradition: Spending summer afternoons on the Memorial Union Terrace with my friends.

Best Advice for Applicants: There is a lot to know about UW–Madison. I recommend coming to Madison, touring the campus, and researching the program you’re interested in. These are the best ways to ensure that you’ll be comfortable and happy here.

Best Advice for New Students: Get involved! It can be hard to go to a university as large as the UW. Participating in student organizations can help the UW feel more accessible and will help you to build a network of people who can support you in your academic endeavors.

Fun Fact: I’ve been to 22 U.S. states and 2 territories. My goal is to make my way to all 50 in the next couple of years.

Hometown: Appleton, Wisconsin

Undergraduate Majors: Political Science and International Studies

Graduate Degree: Student Personnel Administration

Hobbies and Interests: Sailing, windsurfing, biking, making pottery, camping with friends, reading The Economist, and traveling to far-away places.

Favorite Place on Campus: The Lakeshore Path. It runs from the Memorial Union all the way to Picnic Point along Lake Mendota. As a student, if I needed to take a break from studying, I would walk along the path to relax.

Favorite Place in Madison: The Hoofer Sailing Club in the Memorial Union. When I was an undergraduate, I taught sailing and windsurfing lessons at Hoofers as my part-time job. Now that I work at the university, I still go down to Hoofers to sail on occasion.

Favorite Restaurant on State Street: Buraka.They serve really affordable Ethiopian food and the owner, Marcus, is always quick to greet me when I walk in the door.

Favorite UW Tradition: Touching Abe Lincoln's boot when I reach the top of Bascom Hill. It’s a tradition we carry out to honor the man who is responsible for giving us this beautiful campus.

Best Advice for Applicants: Spend time going through our admissions Web site. There is a lot of great advice out there like what general education courses to take before you can transfer and what to include in your personal statements when you apply.

Best Advice for Transfer Students: If you intend to transfer to UW – Madison, plan ahead. Research what materials you will need to submit with your application, talk to the counselor at your present school about your decision, and take rigorous courses. The more you prepare ahead of time, the better off you will be.

Fun Fact: I’ve lived in Kenya and Italy, but I've never been to Canada or Mexico.

Hometown: Edgerton, Wisconsin

Undergraduate Major: Speech Communication

Hobbies and Interests: Spending time with family and friends, reading, shopping, and traveling.

Favorite Author: Nicholas Sparks. I can never put his books down. The Guardian is by far my favorite; it kept me on the edge of my seat.

Favorite Things about Working at UW–Madison: The energy of the students, the beauty of the campus, and being close to both State Street and the Capitol.

Favorite Place on Campus: The Lakeshore Path, which runs along Lake Mendota. It’s a nice place to go to relax.

Favorite Place in Madison: Olbrich Botanical Gardens, which contains 16 acres of outdoor display gardens.

Favorite UW Tradition: Attending musical events at the Memorial Union Terrace.

Best Advice for Transfer Applicants: Visit campus during one of the Transfer Visit Days. These days are designed specifically for transfer students and give a feel for everything the UW–Madison has to offer.

Best Advice for New Students: Get involved on campus. There are over 700 student organizations. Joining one is a great way to meet people and get connected to the campus community.

Fun Facts about Me: I’ve driven on Lake Superior, on the ice road to Madeline Island.

Hometown: Black River Falls, Wisconsin

Undergraduate Majors: Psychology and Spanish

Hobbies and Interests: Traveling around Wisconsin, running, watching movies, and playing Sheepshead (a German card game).

Favorite Thing about Working at UW–Madison: Staying connected with my alma mater and being able to work with so many other alumni.

Favorite Place on Campus: I love the whole lakeshore area, but my favorite spot is the bench on Observatory Drive that overlooks Lake Mendota. The view is amazing, no matter the season.

Favorite Place in Madison: The Capitol Square in the evening, when the Capitol building is illuminated, especially in the summer after Concerts on the Square.

Favorite Restaurant on State Street: I’m proud to say I achieved my goal of dining at every restaurant on State Street before I graduated! But my favorite would have to be the Mediterranean Cafe.

Best Advice for Applicants: Have specific goals and prepare yourself for success by planning ahead.

Fun Fact: I grew up on a rural Wisconsin dairy farm. As such, I’m a big fan of the Babcock Dairy products made right here on campus.

Hometown: Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

Undergraduate Majors: Spanish and Ibero-American Studies

Years at Wisconsin: 13

Hobbies and Interests: Gardening, photography, languages, travel, and my daughter’s volleyball matches and violin recitals.

Favorite Thing about Working at UW–Madison: I can’t name just one. I love seeing the beauty of campus each day, the relaxed pace of summer on campus, and then the energy and excitement that returns with the students in the fall.

Favorite UW Traditions: Babcock Hall ice cream, live music on the Union Terrace, and the UW Band Spring Concert.

Best Advice for Applicants: Be sure to use the personal statement to let us know anything about your academic background that we can’t glean from your academic record. We don’t need to read an essay you wrote for a class, but we do need to know about any extenuating circumstances pertaining to your application

Best Advice for Transfer Students: No matter how shy and reserved you may be, push yourself to reach out and take full advantage of all the university has to offer you. Introduce yourself to your classmates, look for organizations and activities of interest to you, seek out services and resources such as academic advising and the Writing Center, and by all means, visit your instructors during their office hours. Your instructors offer their office hours because they want to get to know you and help you to succeed.

Fun Fact: True to college tradition, I moved 12 times during my undergraduate years. And I used to live and work in Spain.

Hometown: Poynette, Wisconsin

Undergraduate Major: Mathematics

Years at Wisconsin: 1

Hobbies and Interests: Sports, cards, board games, art, and photography.

Favorite Thing about Working at UW–Madison: The energy on campus and the pride that people take in this university and community.

Favorite Place on Campus: Inside the Kohl Center, watching Bo Ryan’s Badgers play basketball.

Favorite Place in Madison: The Wisconsin State Capitol and the Capitol Square. The observation deck has great views of downtown Madison and the surrounding lakes.

Favorite Restaurant State Street: Tutto Pasta. It has great outdoor seating and 40 types of homemade pasta.

Favorite UW Tradition: Relaxing on the Union Terrace.

Best Advice for Applicants: Plan ahead and do some research. Familiarize yourself with UW–Madison’s general education and degree requirements, many of which can be fulfilled with transfer courses from another institution.

Best Advice for Transfer Students: Be proactive and seek help when you need it. UW–Madison can be as big or as small as you want it to be. Your actions will shape your experience here.

Fun Fact: I’m a roller coaster enthusiast, and I’m trying to collect license plates from each of the 50 states.