I’m going to get to the point, I am a sophomore in high school and I want to know if these schools are within reason or if I need to change something. As it stands I hope to be a mechanical engineer, I know I am not the best candidate, but I am not the worst.
GPA (UW)
freshman: 3.12
sophomore: 3.2
Not many AP or honor classes but am taking 4 years of all the core classes have a good core gpa.
1 year jv football and 1 year varsity tennis. 1 year solar wise and 1 year conservation club and over 200+ hrs community service.
Interesting things:
-Eagle Scout
-High School Scolarship/Tuition
-Won’t need financial assistance…at all.
I would normally spend a lot more time into a thread like this but I am in a hurry, I hope you understand. Thanks for your time in reading this article, feel free to comment with any ideas or suggestions you might have.
You are not a candidate at all if without any score. 
I haven’t taken the act yet but a 26 would be reasonable for me.
Your GPA and estimated test scores are low for engineering at these schools. Where is your home state?
You need at least a 31 on ACT math, and a high score on SAT 2 (Math2 + Science) tests for the better (Purdue, UMich) engineering schools. Try to get a 33+ ACT to compensate for your low GPA and improve your grades - a lot - in junior year (consider getting a tutor if you can afford one). I would say MSU is a good, maybe Wisconsin because you are in-state, Minn no idea, UMich/Purdue unlikely - GPA average is 3.9+ and ACT 32+ for engineering. Apply early admission to all for best chance. You should also have completed Calculus BC by the end of your senior year.
You won’t be admitted to UW-Madison with those grades and scores. Maybe consider some of the less competitive UW system campuses. Read the 25%-75% window of freshman statistics (GPA unweighted, ACT scores, SAT scores) for recent admission cycles, published by the major Big Ten universities at their respective websites – including Madison – and you will have an idea of what it takes to be admitted.
This is an excerpt from UW-Madison’s admissions page:
GPA and Class Rank
Applicants are expected to achieve a high level of performance in the course work they pursue and an increasingly strong academic record. We ask for your GPA and class rank. We also realize that many schools consider GPA on different scales and some do not report GPA or class rank at all. We consider both GPA and rank in the context of your school. We typically see unweighted, academic GPAs between a 3.7 and a 4.0, and a class rank in the 84-97 percentile.
Test Scores
Scores from either the ACT or the SAT are required and must be sent directly from the testing agency. Please note that the writing portion of the ACT is no longer required. Our test code is 4656 for the ACT and 1846 for the SAT. Do not send your results rush (SAT) or priority (ACT); we receive all scores electronically on a daily basis so there is not an advantage to rush or priority delivery. We consider the highest composite score obtained in a single test administration as your “official” score, although we will look at all scores reported in an effort to get a true sense of your achievement. Admitted students will typically score between 27-31 on the ACT and 1800-2070 on the SAT, although there is no minimum required score.