<p>Hi all,
I recently began my college search and after i came upon UW Madison, i realized that that is where i want to go. Currently my top pick is Madison but i'm not sure my grades are good enough to get in. I just finished my first semester of junior year and my cumulative weighted GPA is a 3.81 and my unweighted is only a 3.31. I have no 4.0 classes other than my electives and pool leadership so all of my classes are either accelerated(4.5 gpa for an A) or AP(5.0 gpa for an A). I try really hard and the reason my GPA is lower is because my transitin from JR High to highschool wasnt very fluent and it was still tough transition into my sophmore year which also wasn't helpful, however i am doing much better this year. But I have a 32 on my ACT and i'm taking some private lessons to improve that to even higher. Because my school is so big and alot of people do well in it, the class rankings aren't in my favor i am in the 70-79 decile. I have many extracurriculars like swimming and water polo, debate, worlds fair, T.E.A.M.S, EDUfund, Give a thon, and Model U.N. So let me know what you think. Im really lost right now.</p>
<p>It’s worth applying. Your ACT is great, and your grades don’t completely sabotage you like mine did (34 ACT 2.98 UW here, heh).</p>
<p>Were you accepted to UW-Madison? And are you currently attending it tight now?</p>
<p>Your gpa is disappointing. UW only uses unweighted gpa’s. A rise in grades next semester and senior year will be needed. Taking the most rigorous courses but not getting many A’s in them shows they may be too tough for you, or you are not doing the work needed to get the A’s. Having a lot of extrcurriculars is no substitute for doing well in the academics. It may be that you are devoting too much time to them and not enough to your school work. To succeed in college you need good study habits and the foundation of knowledge you gain from your HS classes. </p>
<p>My evaluation may seem harsh, but realistic. Reconsider your priorities. EC’s are good, but not at the expense of grades. Do you value involvement or scholarship most? The colleges that meet your intellectual abilities want the academic proof you can do their work. Your school may give extra points for taking their most difficult courses- but would you get A’s in the regular ones? Not necessarily. Prove you can do the work.</p>
<p>＠dspivak</p>
<p>I got deferred. Still waiting on an answer.</p>
<p>wis75- I think your response is a bit harsh. I agree the GPA of the OP is not great but I disagree that taking AP’s and getting B+'s is a bad thing. I think you are better off challenging yourself with a good mix of AP classes and if you don’t get straight A’s you still show you are up for a challenge and are willing to try and balance things. It would be easier to just take a mix of honors and non-honors classes and get all A’s but that will not prepare you for college. And besides, getting a occasional B or B+ will prepare you that in college you will not get all A’s like you did in high school…better to experience in high school than be hit with that reality when you get to college! IF Wisconsin does not recognize this in admissions they are out of touch.</p>
<p>Any gpa less than a 3.5 (unweighted) represents more B’s than A’s- that is not the same as mostly A’s, occasional B’s. Better to be honest than sugarcoat the truth, making answers useless. Fact- not every student gets accepted. Odds decrease as gpa decreases. Reality is harsh.</p>
<p>Are you in state or out of state? My daughter got into UW-Madison with a 3.4 GPA and a 34 ACT, and we’re Wisconsin residents.</p>