<p>Out of state applicant from a well-regarded public high school in the Chicago suburbs.
Applied to the college of Arts & Sciences (or whatever the UW equivalent is) as an undecided major.
31 ACT.
GPA = 4.6/5.0 weighted, 4.1/5.0 unweighted.
No class rank (our school does not rank).
AP scholar.
Illinois State Scholar.
Captain of the football team, peer leader, ESL tutor, extensive community involvement.
And, for what it's worth, one of his letters of recommendation is from a current UW-Madison professor.</p>
<p>I may have this all wrong, but it is my understanding that an unweighted GPA has max value of 4.0. If you have all A’s (and A- 's in a system that uses these) then your UW GPA is 4.0/4.0. No extra for honors or AP. Turn everything into straight A/B/C/D and calculate. And maybe in some cases you are supposed to omit grades for gym and other non-academic classes? Not so sure about this, though.</p>
<p>His school uses a 5-point scale, so a “perfect” unweighted GPA would be 5.0. His unweighted GPA is 4.1. On a traditional 4-point scale, this would be a 3.1.</p>
<p>While the 31 ACT is strong, the 3.1/4.0 scale equivalent unweighted GPA is on the weaker end. The AP Scholar status shows he can handle more rigorous classes, so that’s a positive, along with the well-rounded ECs. It could come down to the strength of his essays.</p>
<p>In 2011 the enrolling freshman class had 93% above 3.25 UW GPA, 82% above 3.5, 57% above 3.75. Assume 2012 is similar. Many people I know here in Madison complain that their kids and many of kids’ friends can’t get into UW, that it’s so tough these days. These numbers seem so high. I almost can’t believe it.</p>
<p>Anyway, the 31 ACT is in top 25%, so that is very good.</p>
<p>Are you sure of the 3.1? Is the top part of the 5 pt scale not just extra for honor/AP/ and maybe A+? I am not familiar with any of the other grading scales than UW 4.0. If you convert all +/- grades to straight letter grades and give 4 for an A, 3 for a B, etc., does it work out to 3.1?</p>
<p>I would venture to say your son’s got a 50/50 chance, maybe 60/40. OOS tuition is a plus in that UW-Madison needs the money. The letter of rec could end up helping because he will definitely be on the fence due to the GPA.</p>
<p>These threads are often more meaningful when the student him/herself is the one posting the question. I never realized how much this was true until a friend of mine who worked in a top-20 school admissions dept mentioned how they feel when they sense the parent is doing the legwork for the student.</p>
<p>I cannot answer your question–although I’d be surprised if he was denied admission–but want to encourage your son to apply to at least 6 or 7 other colleges and/or universities. Consider, for example, state university honors colleges such as the University of Alabama Honors College (where his 31 ACT score may earn a substantial scholarship award).</p>
<p>P.S. Nothing wrong with a parent posting for advice & opinions (especially since they’ll probably be paying the tuition, fees & housing costs.</p>
<p>@jnm123: My opinion, be careful with assuming the OOS tuition is a positive differentiator. Remember, Wisc MUST accept a large number (60-65%) in state, so while OOS tuition bill is big, it means any OOS applicant is competing ONLY with other OOS students for a spot. I believe that’s why you’ll see accepted in state GPA and ACT scores less than OOS GPA and ACT scores.</p>
<p>A low gpa with high test scores usually means lack of effort and not a good sign for admissions- poor study habits likely. A low cumulative gpa but with improving grades, especially junior year is much better than steady grades or falling grades. Some students may need to prove they can do good college work elsewhere before admitted as a UW transfer. Your son may find he should have paid more attention to grades, or if he does go to UW he may find he really needs to to the work. Perhaps he has been bored with HS and will work harder once engaged by college work.</p>
<p>Grades are low for out-of-state, but the trending could work in the applicant’s favor if they strongly advance in junior and the first half of senior year. If that is the case, then you might want to consider holding off until the final application deadline. An outstanding essay will help as well. But if you look through the many, many “chance me” posts on this forum, applicants or parents never seem to consider the academic challenge Wisconsin will pose once you gain admittance. What dominates a student’s time at Wisconsin is the academic load and the performance expectations. Its a tough school and students spend more time studying here than elsewhere. While an average or just-above average student at a competitive high school will do better at many private colleges or universities, that student is going to run into trouble at UW. You won’t see marketing stats from UW touting the high percentage of entering freshman students who earn their degree, as if that confers some kind of academic superiority. Its a different, more competitive academic model: you do the work, you excel in the classroom and you earn the degree. If you don’t put in the work, if you cut classes, if you fail to do the reading and otherwise cut corners, you will end up dropping classes, falling behind and many simply drop out, or transfer to easier schools. I see a 3.1 in high school, any high school, I’m thinking its trouble at UW. But keep the faith, a lot of these capable boys grow up rapidly in college and end up achieving to their potential - late bloomers. Good luck.</p>
<p>I can tell you from experience that its better to go to an average college and have an ‘A’ average then go to a school like UW and screw up. I hope that you get in, but it will be based on your ACT score, if you have a ‘B’ average in your HS then you will probably have a lower GPA at UW.</p>
<p>bohlig, you are correct about the academic challenges at UW-Madison. Math/science majors, unless they’re savants, will have their head handed to them if they don’t stay totally on top of the materiel. And the humanities majors aren’t a cakewalk either–absolutely tons of reading & interpretation of such. A 3.1 GPA in HS is slacker-ish, a 3.1at UW-Madison not too bad. And don’t forget the siren songs of all the activities available, the partying atmosphere, etc.</p>
<p>I agree with the tough academics. Applicants with low GPAs may want to consider ‘Can I handle the rigorous academics and study discipline needed along with the distractions at UW considering that over 90% of UW students have a higher H.S. GPA than I do?’ in addition to the usual ‘What is the chance of admission?’</p>
<p>Parent of freshman, late-blooming boy here, just adding that high school performance is not necessarily a straight predictor of success (preliminary though it is, for my son) at UW. He was lucky to get in to UW, with a shade under a 3.5 unweighted, and 29 ACT, upward trend and rigorous classes. UW academics are demanding, and my son reports he is working harder than ever. But, he has matured and is taking classes he cares about, and that makes all the difference in his motivation and work ethic. So, a bright kid who rises to the occasion can succeed at UW, at least in the humanities. And I have no illusions that my son is avoiding the party life at UW.</p>