The University of Wisconsin - Madison

Now if you're from the state of Wisconsin, then the UW is an excellent bargain for what you get (as the taxpayers cover most of your tuition). Think of it as the Acura of universities in this case (not as pricey as a Bimmer/Benz while being a viable alternative, but also not quite as "chic" for lack of a better word).

It was funny during the first few weeks of school how different people had completely different perspectives about being here. I was surrounded by a lot of in-state kids who'd rationalized that they'd gotten into some sort of Harvard substitute (I shake my head at that; I like my school, don't get me wrong, but c'mon), yet I was also in the presence of some very very very bitter out-of-state kids who'd ended up at their safety. How bitter? In my freshman English composition class, I peer reviewed the essay of a trust fund boarding school girl from the Upper East Side of NYC. The topic was "embarrassing events in your life and how you learned to overcome them". She wrote about all of her friends heading off to Harvard/Yale/Princeton/Brown/Dartmouth/Cornell/Columbia/Penn while she was stuck at a state school in the middle of nowhere (ostensibly due to dyslexia).

I'm happy with the school so far. The profs are friendly. The TAs are helpful (for the most part).
Socially, I've noticed that people can be somewhat cliquish (almost to the point that it still feels like HS). People seem to segregate themselves a bit by background (hometown, social class, college major, race, religion, greek/non-greek).

The school and surrounding city aren't too diverse. The locals are friendly, though. Is Wisconsin a safety school? For some people, yes. BUT, it's a very good one on in my opinion.