For the third year in a row, the University of Wisconsin finds itself ranked 19th among all universities in the entire universe by Jiao Tong University in Shanghai in its Academic Ranking of World Universities.

This ranking is higher than our preseason ranking for football. Pretty neat! Our university is also the top ranked Big Ten school, with the University of Michigan coming in at 23rd, the University of Illinois at 25th (FIB), the University of Minnesota at 29th, Northwestern University at 30th and other schools somewhere in the top 100. Hey, that’s also pretty neat!

Basically we’re a dynasty when it comes to finishing in 19th place. We’re like the ’91-’93 Chicago Bulls or better yet the ’95-’98 Bulls. But why just settle for 19th? Why not try to take down 18, or even 17? I do like the consistency, but let’s change it up. Let’s go balls deep. In 2010, we were ranked as high as 17th and in 2006 even 16th. We’ve been there before, so we definitely can do it again.

Although ultimately the rankings are based on the awards and recognitions, such as Fields Medals for mathematics and Nobel Peace Prizes, won by alumni and staff of the universities, what the student body is currently doing at the university still matters. It means the more work we put in now, the better chance we have of inching closer to the number one spot in the future. Because all of the Wisconsin alums doing great things now were once students at this great university.

But UW is known for way more than its scholarly distinction, and that is what sets our school apart from all of the other outstanding academic universities found high up on the list.

This year, the Bleacher Report ranked Madison as the top football town in the nation, thanks to the tremendous school spirit that begins and ends with the greatest student section in the world, the “Sea of Red.” Recently, the Princeton Review ranked UW as the number eight party school in the land. In the past, we have been ranked number one, but after the death of the Mifflin Street Block Party, it will take some time and partying before we can reclaim that title.

If my calculations are correct, Madison’s status as the number one football town and UW’s standing as the number eight party school, coupled with the fact that UW is ranked 19th academically in the world, could possibly make our school number one in the all-around category. And that is without even factoring in the campus. Minus some bomb shelter-esque buildings from the 1960s, I believe Madison boasts one of the most beautiful college campuses in the nation, as it sits nestled between two beautiful lakes and is home to the State Capitol Building, which looks pretty dope boy fresh when lit up at night.

So let’s celebrate our school and student body, not for just being sound academically, but socially as well. It all starts with us – let’s keep the ball rolling, study our faces off, party our faces off and make this the best year to date to be a Badger. And let’s win the damn Rose Bowl!

Hayes Cascia ([email protected]) is a junior with an undecided major.