Seeing is Believing

Infographic by Carla Delgado, Pentagram Design

Through East Campus Mall to Library Mall. Hang a left and climb Bascom Hill to the Lincoln statue.

It’s a familiar route for any given Badger trudging from one class to another. But for prospective high school students and other campus visitors, it’s a path that might have a big impact.

Last year alone, 31,676 high schoolers explored campus along this route, and that’s just a fraction of the 72,010 total visitors UW–Madison saw in 2014, according to Campus and Visitor Relations (CAVR).

For those thinking of attending the UW, touring the campus provides the chance to experience the campus rather than simply see pictures of it online, Jessica McCarty ’05, assistant director of CAVR, says. For a prospective student, imagining what it’s like to be a part of campus can make the difference. “Oftentimes you’ll see students’ eyes light up when they see how big a lecture hall is, or the smaller lectures and the classrooms,” she says. “It’s a nice way to just get a feel for the atmosphere for yourself.”

For the more than 40,000 other visitors, coming to campus is a chance to be a part of the Wisconsin Idea, and sharing the campus with the community is a top priority, says Helena Manning, campus relations manager. From summer camps and alumni trips, and from tours of museums to the UW Space Place, Manning says she’s proud that the UW has so much to offer. “It’s so much fun to see these fourth graders or seniors or juniors or these alumni groups come to campus and go through these venues,” she says. “Eyes are wide and bright, and we should be so proud that we have so many venues to share with everyone.”

In any weather, on any given day, it’s likely that some group is walking that same, all-too-familiar Badger route.

Published in the Fall 2015 issue