Chance me for UW (In-state)

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Washington
1

Hey guys!

These are my stats:

GPA - 3.6/4 uw, 4.24 weighted – i have a huge upward trend
New SAT: 1560/1600
ACT: 35 C
SAT Subjects: Bio (770), USH (800), Math2 (760)
Took 8 AP classes, and the rest were honors with 1 or 2 regular classes.

Clubs:
– President, cofounder of Media Club for 2 years, Founder and VP of Quill and Scroll for 2 years
– Volunteer Coordinator of MUN during senior year, was a member all 4 years
– Member of HOSA (4years), Envirostories (2years), and Math Club (3 years), NHS for 2 years, Relay4Life (all 4 years)
– JV Badminton for 2 years

Internships/Volunteering:
– Junior Health Scholar at Swedish Hospital, Seattle (volunteering for 400+ hours, earned a certificate from UCLA Public Health School)
– Paid internship at Fred Hutch Cancer Center during summer after junior year (paid)
– Worked at a Neural Engineering Lab at University of Washington for 9 weeks (paid)
– 6 month internship at Waste Management in Seattle (non-paid)
– Microsoft YouthForce yearlong internship (paid)
– Volunteered for 100+ hours at different non-profits

Jobs/Other ECs:
– Learned Classical Dance for 12 years on a scholarship
– Taught dance to beginners and intermediates for 4 years
– Worked at KUMON as a grader for about 2 years
– Started a organic, vegan skincare line

I already wrote my essay and it’s pretty good, as are my recommendations! I know that my GPA isn’t great but I can’t do much now

My family income is just very low so most of my ECs had to be paid work so I could help support my family. I applied to a lot of opportunities but I had to ultimetly reject them because I couldn’t afford it or bcuz I could be working instead. I definetly need Financial Aid, but I know in-state tuition would be much less.

Is UW considered a safety or match for me? I know that it is weird bcuz of my unequal stats (low Gpa/high SAT).

2

Good question. Washington’s 2015 Common Data Set reports the unweighted GPA of enrolled freshmen as follows:

3.75 to 4.00: 64.24%
3.50 to 3.74: 27.16%
3.25 to 3.49: 6.52%
3.00 to 3.24: 1.52%
Under 3.00: 0.56%

It also reports that GPA is “very important” and standardized test scores are “important” in admission decisions.

So, your GPA is pretty good but probably around 25th percentile of the enrolled class. However, your 1560/1600 and 35 are outstanding, and your upward grade trend (not to mention your excellent ECs and instate status) should help you in the “holistic” review of your application.

Based solely on UW’s GPA emphasis, I would say “low match” instead of “safety.” You should consider applying to the Honors Program:

http://depts.washington.edu/uwhonors/apply/freshman/faq/

Good luck!