Madison Area Technical College — Local services in Madison

If I could rank MATC as 0.5, I probably would. I started attending the college in 2011. The program I entered into was Graphic Design. The teachers were mostly good, in that program. There were occasional teachers who were quite absent minded towards their students and overly focused on sharing their opinions about things versus creating an open environment/atmosphere for students to ask questions and receive/give constructive criticism and make sure the students needs were met in helpful manners. This contributed to the tension and anxiety (and depression) amongst the students. The GD program could really use some help in terms of teacher-student dynamics and relationships. My English teacher and Speech teachers were absolutely awful. They were too by the book, so-to-speak, and traditional in addition to regimented in their teaching techniques. If the GD program would've allowed for students to take courses more closely related to the GD program for the general education courses (like something related to Social Media, for instance) that would've been far better. I failed Speech, twice, due to the intense standards of both the teachers I had (one online and one in-person). There were some teachers who had current real world experience and that tended to be a plus side in the GD program. In terms of how well the academic counselors handle situations, I'd say that area needs some real improvement. I was unable to get my Photography credits transferred over (from a university) because they did not have anyone available to properly assess the credits. I was going to have to re-take photography (2 units) after having completed 3 units, having previously spent close to a thousand dollars on one class. I passed that class with a B. The photography department at MATC is almost nonexistent, from what I understand. I didn't want to waste my time (or money) re-taking a class I had already invested in and passed. In terms of dealing with difficult teachers, the MATC counselors are supportive, but unable to do very much about the situations. Not to mention, some of them are also teachers. That can be problematic. I filed an incident report near the end of the 2019 Winter Semester to two associate deans who were too busy to help me with my situation, which led me to failing Speech for a second time and being suspended from receiving financial aid and suspended from MATC. This isn't the first or second time I've encountered difficulties at this school. The professionalism is seriously lacking. Unless you're looking to transfer to a university or receive a certificate, I'd say that it'd be in your best interest to spend more money going to college, elsewhere, to receive your Associate's Degree. Too many wires seem to get crossed, at this college, which can result in a tangled mess. After numerous obstacles and not nearly the support I've needed, I finally threw in the towel at this school and decided that it was no longer worth my personal investment/effort/time. Take this advice from someone who has been attending MATC, on again and off again, for 8 years. I've experienced a lot of things at this college and my overall impression is...

Madison college: 4 stars Madison college's Nursing program: 0 stars

My overall college experience before the nursing program was somewhat positive - teachers are engaging, knowledgeable and really go above and beyond. Dealing with the administrative side of things however, is a complete nightmare of being sent in circles with every person you talk to just as clueless as the last. Their website really isn't much better than the administrative staff - really a lot to be desired.

My college experience on the nursing side of things (which is "completely separate from the rest of Madison college") has been a hell ride since day one. All their experienced teachers are retiring (once Michael Redding is gone, the place will fall apart), and they're being replaced with incompetent instructors who couldn't get a job as a nurse so now they just attempt teaching it. It's cut-throat for the students while teachers can fail you for whatever they please - for example missing a day to go to urgent care and presenting a doctor's note while the teacher missed a whole week, or emailing instead of calling about said absence when the teacher used the same method of contact in their week of absence. In fact I've heard of students failing because they got COVID, were told to stay home and then subsequently failed (Despite having an online option that everyone used at the start of the pandemic). Oh and the administrative side? There isn't one. Sonja Noble is great, but overloaded taking care of essentially all the nursing students' questions and advising needs. Otherwise, the whole operation is a "good old boy's club" that you cant contest anything with because it will get you nowhere fast.

My advice: if you're going to Madison College for anything besides nursing - go for it, it's an affordable way of getting your degree with great teachers, and only a slight headache of dealing with cluelessness. However, if you are going for your associate's degree in nursing - save your money for a school that teaches more than...

An advisor told me it would take me 7 YEARS to complete a 2 year ADN program (Associates Degree in Nursing). And then after those 7 years the likelyhood of me transferring anywhere for my RN, was slim to none... I was shocked and told her it would take me 7 years to become an O.D. (Optometrist). I then got a second opinion, who laughed in my face when I told her what this advisor told me. She said it would take me 3-4 years.

If you have questions- prepare for a 40 minute wait, just to speak to a human, but then another 15-20 to get trasferred to the department you are looking for.

Looking online for your answers? F-O-R-G-E-T I-T!!! I graduated with a degree from here once. I am going back to school for a new major. I would never suggest this joke of an institute to anyone. They are severely unorganized, uneducated (especially in retention and advising), and nothing is consistent when it comes to answers to questions, policies etc.

It took me 6 months to get enrolled with Madison College... after this whole mess. I looked into forgetting the campus entirely, and shooting for UW (which by the way all advisors told me verbadum- there is no way for you to get in, you're not smart enough).. it took me 2 weeks to be admitted, accepted and enrolled.

Save yourself. Money hungry before...