Milwaukee, WI: Wisconsin is home to the Packers, cheese, and beautiful greenery. Tucked into the natural beauty of this state are many excellent colleges and universities. One is Marquette University, located in Milwaukee. I had the opportunity to visit Marquette and enjoyed what it has to offer.

Even coming from a big city like Chicago, I felt at home on Marquette’s campus. My tour guide soothed all my worries about college: safety, student-to-teacher ratios, and how I was supposed to get around.

Marquette’s main attraction for me is the Pre-Physical Therapy program. It is a six-year program to become a certificated doctor of physical therapy. For students who want a rigorous program and have their heart set on physical therapy, this school can make their dream come true.

I loved how straightforward it was to get around campus. According to our tour guide, “To walk from one end of the campus to another takes less than fifteen minutes.” Considering that most students won’t want to be outside longer than necessary in the cold Wisconsin winters, this makes the commute to class bearable.

More than 8,000 undergraduate students attended Marquette in 2016. The university has 40 majors to choose from, 66 doctoral and master’s degrees, and 18 graduate certificates, so there is something for everyone. There are pre-professional programs in dentistry, law, and medicine, and undergraduate programs for working adults.

Although Marquette is a smaller university, students have easy access to the things they need. If they need a 24-hour place to study other than their dorm, they have access to two libraries and a few other places on campus. One of the main differences between Marquette and other universities is the dorms. While juniors and seniors have the option of living in alternative housing, freshmen and sophomores must live on campus.

Students sometimes need to study late into the night. To ensure they get back to their dorm safely, Marquette has its own LIMO system, run by students, that operates from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. Another safety perk is the fact that Marquette now has its own police, and according to Michael, this has improved safety on campus.

Although safety is important, so is passing classes. If students find themselves struggling, they can have free tutoring for any class.

Marquette has many positives, however, there were a few things I didn’t love. The dorms are small, and some have no air conditioning, but all the furniture is stackable. If students decide to have two roommates, they will be placed in a suite with a private bathroom. Marquette is a Jesuit college, so religious preference is something to consider, but according to the tour guide, “Although this is a Jesuit school you will find students gathered in front of the Joan of Arc Chapel praying as a community.”

Touring the school and asking questions of students helped reassure me in my decision to apply to Marquette.

To find out more, visit marquette.edu.