The best way to start your college experience at UW-Madison on the right foot is to pick a good dorm. You want to end up in the right dorm for your personality and mode of living. The studious introvert who lands in the Animal House party dorm is going to have a frustrating first year. The aspiring Van Wilder who ends up in a substance-free dorm far from central campus might self-combust from boredom.
The best dorms at UW Madison depend on you. If you want to be in the middle of the action, Sellery and Witte in the Southeast neighborhood are tops. If you prefer more peace and quiet and want to live by the lake, Dejope and Waters in Lakeside are great choices.
Table of Contents
- UW Madison: Lakeshore vs. Southeast
- Best Dorms at UW Madison: Southeast Neighborhood
- Best Dorms at UW Madison: Lakeshore Neighborhood
- The Bottom Line on the Best Dorms at UW Madison
If you’re attending the University of Wisconsin—Madison in the fall, first off, congratulations! Getting in is no small feat these days. The school consistently ranks among the top public universities in the country. Once you get on campus, you’ll realize why it’s so popular and sought-after. Madison is the consummate college town. Everything you could possibly want to do as a college student, you can do at UW-Madison. (OK, maybe not catch rays on the beach like at the University of Miami or UC Santa Barbara, or float in the lazy river like at LSU, but pretty much everything else.)
These next four years — or perhaps five or six — are going to be the time of your life. UW-Madison is huge and has something for everyone, and that includes freshman dorms. This guide will help you figure out the best dorms at UW-Madison based on what you’re looking for.
UW Madison: Lakeshore vs. Southeast
UW-Madison has two areas it calls “neighborhoods” where dorms are clustered: Southeast and Lakeshore. The first step to picking a dorm at UW-Madison is figuring out which neighborhood you want to live in.
Southeast Living
The Southeast neighborhood is in the heart of campus and integrated with downtown Madison. The dorms are mostly high-rises, as are many of the surrounding buildings. It’s busy, hectic, and sometimes loud, but there is always something going on, whether it’s a block party, a street fair, or people just strolling around at all hours.
When you live in a Southeast dorm, you’re close to everything: your classes, bars, restaurants, Greek houses, Camp Randall stadium, the basketball arena, and more. The downside is that the dorms themselves aren’t quite as nice as the ones in Lakeshore.
Southeast is ideal for social butterflies and extroverted students who want to hit the ground running in the social scene. If you’re most concerned with making friends fast and always having something to do on evenings and weekends, and you’re not as focused on having the plushest dorm room with the best amenities, look at the Southeast neighborhood first.
Lakeshore Living
The Lakeshore neighborhood runs along the shore of Lake Mendota at the far north end of campus. Few places in Madison are more picturesque. Compared to Southeast, the Lakeshore neighborhood is quieter and more serene, but it’s by no means dull. After all, it’s still home to thousands of 18 and 19-year-olds.
The dorms in Lakeshore as a whole are a step up in terms of quality from those in the Southeast neighborhood. That’s partly because they’re a little newer, a little smaller, and a little more stocked with amenities. But it also has to do with the fact that the neighborhood tends to attract quieter, less rowdy students.
Lakeshore is a good choice if you prefer more peaceful living. It doesn’t put you in the middle of all the action, and the walk to class is a bit longer — particularly if you’re an engineering student — but if you generally prefer to unwind rather than turn up after a long day, start your dorm search here.
Best Dorms at UW Madison: Southeast Neighborhood
Sellery Hall
- Community: Southeast
- Room style: Mostly doubles and triples. Also singles, quads, and hextuples.
- Bathroom style: Hall
- Sink in room: No
- Air Conditioning: Some rooms/floors
- Carpet in room: Some rooms/floors
- Cost per semester: $3,800 (double room)
Sellery Hall is a high-rise dorm in the heart of campus. Home to mostly first-year students, it’s 11 floors of fun and hijinks. The double rooms are fairly large at 16’4″ by 12″, and rooms in the eighth floor and higher have air conditioning.
Badgers who live in Sellery their first year tend to develop a deep affinity for the dorm, more because of its vibrant social atmosphere than its opulent furnishings. As far as those go, Sellery is as “college dorm” as it gets: corridor-style rooms, hall bathrooms, cinderblock walls. But its popularity is unrivaled among UW-Madison’s freshman dorms.
Important: While the highest percentage of rooms in Sellery are doubles, followed by triples, there are a smattering of quads and even hextuples. Yes, some rooms in Sellery have six people, and no, they aren’t suites with multiple rooms — in case you need some fodder for your nightmares tonight. If you value your sanity, request a double or at most a triple. You barely even save any money with a quad or hextuple. They’re only about $350 to $500 less per semester.
Witte Hall
- Community: Southeast
- Room style: Mostly doubles with a few quads
- Bathroom style: Hall
- Sink in room: No
- Air Conditioning: Yes
- Carpet in room: Yes
- Cost per semester: $3,900 (double room)
Witte Hall is a massive residence hall in the Southeast neighborhood often referred to as Sellery’s twin. While it’s true the two dorms have similar interior layouts and both attract a social crowd, there are some differences.
Unlike Sellery, Witte has air conditioning in all its rooms, not just the top floor. That might not matter for most of the school year, but it can make a difference in August and early September. Also, Witte features only double rooms and quads, and the number of quads is tiny. There are no triples or hextuples. And once again, we strongly recommend going with a double over a quad. The headache of sharing a small space with three other people isn’t worth the few hundred dollars a semester you’ll save.
Smith Hall
- Community: Southeast
- Room style: Mostly doubles with a few singles, triples, and hextuples
- Bathroom style: Shared by 3-4 rooms
- Sink in room: No
- Air Conditioning: Yes
- Carpet in room: Yes
- Cost per semester: $3,800 (double room)
Open in 2006, Smith arguably has the nicest rooms and best amenities of the Southeast freshman dorms. It’s not quite as popular as Sellery or Witte because it has a reputation for being quieter and less social. But if you want a less frenetic environment without having to live out in Lakeshore, Smith might be for you.
Smith’s amenities include classrooms, a soundproof music room, a Starbucks, and high ceilings both in the common areas and in rooms.
Chadbourn Hall
- Community: Southeast
- Room style: Mostly doubles with some triples and quads
- Bathroom style: Hall
- Sink in room: No
- Air Conditioning: Yes
- Carpet in room: Yes
- Cost per semester: $3,925 (double room)
Chadbourn Hall has updated amenities including carpeted and air-conditioned rooms on every floor. It also has one of the most convenient locations on campus. One of UW-Madison’s most popular dining markets is attached, and several bus stops are within a short walk of the building.
Because Chadbourn tends to attract students across multiple class years, not just first-years, as well as students from diverse backgrounds and majors, it has a more subdued social scene than the freshman frenzy found in Sellery and Witte. But it fosters a tight camaraderie every year, and friends made in Chadbourne tend to remain close throughout their college years and beyond.
Best Dorms at UW Madison: Lakeshore Neighborhood
Dejope Hall
- Community: Lakeshore
- Room style: Mostly doubles with some triples and quads
- Bathroom style: Shared by 5-6 rooms
- Sink in room: No
- Air Conditioning: Yes
- Carpet in room: Yes
- Cost per semester: $3,925 (double room)
Dejope is one of the newest residence halls on UW-Madison’s campus, opened in 2012. It has been described by residents as “hotel-like” and “a palace.” Its layout is actually pretty standard for a freshman dorm: mostly doubles arranged into clusters of five to six rooms that share a common bathroom. Its sleek interior architecture and modern comforts like air conditioning and carpet are what make it feel so upscale.
If you like getting away from the hustle and bustle and taking in the scenery, Dejope has one of the best locations on campus, right on the shore of Lake Mendota. Socialize with friends on the terrace overlooking the lake, or when it’s chilly out at night — which is like 80% of the school year in Madison — gather around the fire pit between the dorm and the lake.
Waters Hall
- Community: Lakeshore
- Room style: Doubles
- Bathroom style: Hall
- Sink in room: No
- Air Conditioning: No
- Carpet in room: Yes
- Cost per semester: $3,600 (double room)
Waters is another Lakeshore dorm offering breathtaking views and tranquil scenery. It doesn’t have quite the amenities of Dejope — the rooms aren’t air conditioned, for one thing — but it is less of a haul to central campus and most academic buildings, which some students consider a more-than-fair trade-off.
Residents’ favorite features of Waters Hall are its large double rooms, lake views, and quiet but social atmosphere. Tight friendships form in the hallways and common areas of Waters.
Adams Hall
- Community: Lakeshore
- Room style: Singles, doubles, and triples
- Bathroom style: Hall
- Sink in room: No
- Air Conditioning: No
- Carpet in room: No
- Cost per semester: $3,500 (double room)
If you love the outdoors, Adams offers an ideal location for running, biking, pickup sports, and more. The dorm backs up to Lake Mendota and is a short walk to Observatory Hill.
Its rooms aren’t big, nor are they plush — neither air conditioning nor carpet is offered — but Adams has one big advantage over most freshman dorms at UW-Madison: a high percentage of single rooms. If you value your personal space and don’t want to play roommate roulette, this is the dorm you should try to get into.
Bradley Hall
- Community: Lakeshore
- Room style: Doubles
- Bathroom style: Hall
- Sink in room: No
- Air Conditioning: No
- Carpet in room: Yes
- Cost per semester: $3,600 (double room)
Bradley’s claim to fame is that it’s reserved entirely for freshmen. So, all your neighbors and hallmates will be in the same boat as you. No upperclassmen who already know each other and know their way around campus. Bradley doesn’t have the plushest amenities — the double rooms are on the smaller side at 15’10” by 10’7″, and they aren’t air conditioned — but it manages to engender loyalty. About 60% of students who live in Bradley their first year choose to live there again their second year. On a campus where almost everyone moves off campus starting sophomore year, that’s almost unheard of.
The Bottom Line on the Best Dorms at UW Madison
UW-Madison is an amazing place to go to college. There’s a reason Badgers are so loyal to their alma mater. But getting in the wrong dorm for your personality and living style can create a rocky start to your time in Madison. You only get four years there (psst: we won’t judge you if it ends up being more!), so don’t waste any of that time in a living situation that makes you miserable. Fortunately, UW-Madison has something for everyone.
The best dorms at UW Madison depend on your own needs and wants, so study this guide carefully and ask a lot of questions when you’re on campus. Connect with current students on social media ahead of time and ask them about their freshman dorm experience. The more armed you are with knowledge going into the process, the better decision you’ll make. On Wisconsin!
