<p>I'm a sophomore in high school. My weighted GPA for this year is like, 3.1. I know it's awful. I'm trying as hard as I can and I'm studying my ass off for finals. My grades are improving, but there's not enough time left in the year for it to really improve my GPA, but of course I'll try.</p>
<p>Here are my extracurriculars:</p>
<p>2 years of volleyball and lacrosse (for school. I play on doing it all 4 years)
2 years of a Cappella (all 4 years)
Model UN delegate (just joined this year and I want to continue)
BBYO (Jewish youth group. I've done it since 8th grade and I currently hold a board position and continue to do so until I graduate).
Club volleyball freshman year</p>
<p>I didn't have any honors classes freshman year, I'm in honors chem and honors Spanish III now, and I'm taking AP Spanish next year.</p>
<p>I haven't taken the SAT or ACT yet, but I plan on doing so next year. Of course I'm aiming for a high score, but I'm thinking I'd land at about 1900 on the SAT and 28 on the ACT. Then again, who knows. I've only taken the PSAT, and I got a 150 on that, but I also didn't study. I plan on studying next year because higher scores can get me into the National Honor Society.</p>
<p>I know GPA is of course the most important thing. I'm working hard and I plan to have a higher one next year.</p>
<p>I also go to a small, all-girls private school, if that helps. Both of my uncles went to UW-Madison.</p>
<p>Can I get in here?</p>
<p>P.S. I live in Ohio, so I'm not in-state. Money isn't an issue for my family ($300,000 per year, but it depends), but I know UW-Madison won't let me pay my way into admission.</p>
<p>First of all- your extracurriculars never replace good grades. It looks like they replaced study time since you didn’t get great grades. </p>
<p>Next- improving grades mean a lot. You need stellar grades your junior year to prove you can do the work. There will be plenty of students with the most rigorous courses and top grades, plus extracurricular activities. Some students mature and treat academics more seriously- show this with your grades. </p>
<p>The nature of US HS’s is that the best students have time to do the academic work and have time for other activities. If you can’t handle the work you may struggle at UW. UW wants students to succeed. There is also more competition so students of even several years ago may not be competitive this year. More capable students than space available. They need to limit the number of freshmen to ensure room in the typical first year classes taken.</p>
<p>Top test scores with average grades implies a student is not doing the work s/he is capable of. This could mean poor study habits which can be disastrous at the college level. Some students find HS too easy and don’t develop needed study habits. No matter where you end up for college you will need to know how to study. Use your HS years remaining to learn these. It is not always time spent but how it is spent. I’m sure you can find out how to improve these through your HS. Another point- the more you learn now the better your foundation/knowledge base will be for future learning. The students with A’s likely start ahead of the rest because they don’t need to learn as much as those who didn’t learn material in previous experiences.</p>