Finals Week in Madison...

So as finals are coming up, Madison is gearing up for coffee, late nights, and study sessions. In all honesty, the academic scene at Madison is extremely different from DePaul. So of course, finals week (and I include the week before finals in the "finals week" category), is entirely different. Study groups, special exam reviews, and study reviews are basically non-existent at DePaul. Class sizes at DePaul are AT THE MOST 50 kids, so the average class size is below 20 kids--individual attention is readily available. There is 10x less studying at DePaul than at Madison. Not to mention that DePaul's finals before break are BEFORE Thanksgiving break (they are on quarters). All in all, DePaul doesn't experience half as many all-nighters as in Madison (testament to this is that even during finals week, DePaul's ONE library is open till 1:00--an extended period from the usual 11:00 closing time). All in all, finals at Madison are much more stressful and time consuming.

Christmas Time!

The thing I probably miss the most about Chicago is the city during Christmas time--the lights, the shopping, the food, ect. are all amazing in the city this time of year. Ice skating at Millennium Park is one of best things to do during the holiday season (the skating park stays open until March-ish though). Lights on Michigan Ave. are amazing! While the shopping deals are amazing, its always so crowded no matter what time you go. The food of course is great all year round in Chicago (making it one of the fattest cities in America), but during the holidays the restaurants bring out their best dishes. While Madison is beautiful during the holiday season, nothing replaces Chicago food, lights, and shopping!

Winter Madison Style

Coming from Chicago, I absolutely know horrible winter weather. However, all my friends up here kept telling me to prepare for the worst--that it was going to be unlike any other winter I had ever experienced and it was going to last forever. I know that snow has only been on the ground for about a week, and the worst parts of winter are in January and February. I can say however, that Madison winter is starting out much calmer than Chicago's. In Chicago the wind is blowing like crazy 24/7, with absolutely NO relief. In Madison though, I noticed I only get serious wind problems when walking down University. Over break, while I was back in the Chicago suburbs, we got around 6-7in of snow--a lot compared to what WI got. I've just got to guess that Chicago has the worse winters--so I guess this winter won't be so bad compared to my last winter in Chicago!