Welcome Weekend for Prospective Graduate Students
March 23rd and 24th, 2012

Each spring, SACM hosts a Welcome Weekend for visiting prospective graduate students. They get the chance to meet current grad students, talk to faculty, and see the campus.

The weekend runs all day Friday and Saturday. If you can, it's best to get into Madison Thursday the 22nd and fly out on Sunday the 25th. If you can't stay for everything, that's OK! The Friday sessions are more about the Computer Sciences department, and Saturday is more about living in the city of Madison. We can get you to or from the Madison airport, regardless of when you arrive or depart. You can save some money during your visit by staying with a current graduate student, read on below.

Registration

If you'll be attending, please fill out our registration form so we can plan for you! We hope to see you on March 23rd!

Schedule

Schedule for Welcome Weekend 2012

Information and Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get to campus by car, by plane, or by foot?
Directions and maps
Where should I fly?
Most of the major airlines have a flight into Madison (MSN) every few hours from all of their hubs. It is possible to fly direct into Madison from at least 10 major US cities. To save a bit of money, you may want to check prices to fly into Chicago and take the Van Galder bus or fly into Milwaukee and take the Badger Bus.
How do I get to campus from the airport?
You can take a taxi, the city bus, or let us know when you're coming on the registration form so that we can arrange for a current CS grad student to pick you up.
What are some other sources of information about UW-Madison?
Try the UW-Madison main page, the Department of Computer Sciences web page, and Information for Visitors.
Are there any travel reimbursement funds available?
Yes, for students who are admitted with guaranteed financial support. It is very important that you follow these reimbursement guidelines We may not be able to reimburse you if you do not follow the guidelines.
What should I wear?
People wear a range of attire, but I would suggest casual dress: slacks, skirt, or jeans with a nice shirt or blouse, and comfortable walking shoes. Also, if you're interested in using the university's athletic facilities, you might want to bring exercise clothes (or a bathing suit if you want to swim). Weather in Madison in late March tends to be 30 to 50 degrees +/- another 10. So plan for any conditions.
Can I talk with specific faculty during visit weekend?
A number of faculty will be available in their offices Friday afternoon for the sole purpose of meeting and talking with prospective students and you can request to meet with faculty in specific areas on the registration form. You will also have the opportunity to interact with faculty at many of the meals during the visit weekend.
I can't make visit weekend. Can I visit another time?
Certainly! However there won't be as many social events planned, of course. Please complete the registration form and select the appropriate option to indicate you would like to visit another time. Your registration will be forwarded to Angela Thorp (thorp@cs.wisc.edu) who will help coordinate your alternate visit time.
Can I stay with a graduate student when I visit?
If you would like to stay with a graduate student during your visit to Wisconsin, please indicate so on the registration form. We will use that information to match you up with a grad student. Please remember that if you are hosted by a graduate student, you will likely end up sleeping on a sofa, mattress, or floor. Important: We won't finalize the matches until the week before.
What hotels are close to campus?
There are hotels which can accommodate for you at a special discounted rate. A hotel room may be a better choice if you would like some peace, quiet and privacy during your stay at Madison. There is a list of suggestions on the CS website. You might also consider:
Madison Inn Ask for University conference rate; 10-15 minute walk from CS 601 Langdon Street (608) 257-4391
Wisconsin Center Guest House 10-15 minute walk from CS 610 Langdon Street (608) 256-2621
UW-Madison CALS Housing - Short-term housing 10-15 minute walk from CS Humphrey and Jorns Halls (650 Babcock Drive) (608) 262-2270
Where can I find more information about living in Madison??
You'll have plenty of time to talk to us about this during your visit, but if you want to read up on it before you get here we've got some links for you. Graduate students live all over the place, and have a wide range of living expenses. Living close to campus has the advantage that you're at the center of life, and the disadvantage that the houses are not as nice and the rents are high. If you are willing to live further from campus and commute you can pay much less for a nicer place. There's almost no parking close to the department, but there are very good bus connections to many areas away from campus. So it all depends what is important to you. You should also look at the Campus Information Assistance and Orientation especially their Most Frequently Asked Question About Finding Housing in Madison.
Where can I find more information about life in Madison?
Try these sites:
Where can I find information about off-campus apartment rentals and housing?
The Campus Area Housing Listing Service is an excellent resource.
Where can I find information about women in Computer Science at UW-Madison?
UW-Madison Computer Science has an ACM organization for women in Computer Science, called WACM. WACM will be hosting a breakfast for current and prospective women of the department on Saturday morning (see the schedule for location and timing). You can also check out the website, or email Allie Terrell (aterrell@cs.wisc.edu) for specific questions.
Where can I find information about alternative funding?
We'll have a good deal of information about this at welcome weekend.
Where can I find information about LGBT issues at UW and the Madison area?
The Ten Percent Society and LGBT Campus Center are good resources. You can also email Erik Paulson (epaulson@cs.wisc.edu) or talk to him during welcome weekend.
You didn't answer my question!
Angela Thorp (thorp@cs.wisc.edu) is the graduate coordinator. Direct questions about the CS department to her. For questions about welcome weekend, you can contact any of the grad student welcome weekend organizers: Irene Rae (irene@cs.wisc.edu), Rob Atlas (ratlas@cs.wisc.edu), or Alper Sarikaya (sarikaya@cs.wisc.edu).