<p>I've gotten a C average throughout grade 9 and grade 10.. for grade 11 i am expecting a gpa of around 3.6-3.7 out of 4. I speak 5 languages and have basic knowledge of two others. Have volunteered in a learning centre, helping students with math and english. participated in clubs such as student union, youth rotary, badminton club. captained a cricket club. What things do you recommend I do while i am still in junior year. I also have to take my SAT so what score in that standardized test would i need? and yes i will get started on getting more involved in EC.. any suggestions though?</p>
<p>So your overall GPA would be in the ballpark of about 2.7. With an improving grade trend, you should aim for 2000 at the minimum on the SAT to offset that. It’ll be tough.</p>
<p>Don’t get your heart set on UW. Kids with 3.9’s have been rejected this year.</p>
<p>Try the ACT too if there’s a place to take it in your area. While the SAT alone will work you may do better on the ACT and it’s the predominant test at UW.</p>
<p>@Cody2010 - thanks for the honest reply. Is there any alternative path I could take? for example go to another university, get a 4.0 gpa… and transfer after the first year. Is that possible?</p>
<p>@annoyingdad - so is the ACT a bit easier than the SAT? what’s the difference between the two besides SAT being predominant in most east coast colleges?</p>
<p>Improving grades will help you. Get great test scores to show your aptitude. You can apply to UW but also apply to other schools. Get high grades at your college freshman year and a transfer would be likely. Many midwest states use the ACT, including Wisconsin. Look at the test websites for more info.</p>
<p>@wis75 - thanks for replying, and will make sure I do that. btw… will transferring to another college make me lose any credits? also I understand that midwest states use the ACT, but what is the real difference between SAT and ACT? will taking the ACT be more beneficial for me for applying to a university like madison?</p>
<p>Mostly based on what I read here, the ACT and SAT are just a little different. Some do better on one or the other, many score at equivalent levels. The opinion seems to be the ACT is a little more knowledge based, the SAT a little more aptitude/reasoning based. The ACT seems to be a little more time constrained, especially the science section.</p>
<p>For the most part credits should transfer if you stick to mainstream gen ed and major classes. Check this out:</p>
<p>[Transfer</a> Applicants: Credit - Office of Admissions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison](<a href=“http://www.admissions.wisc.edu/transfer/credit.php]Transfer”>http://www.admissions.wisc.edu/transfer/credit.php)</p>
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<p>You can read the test descriptions at their sites to see how they differ in format details, probably the biggest of which is that the ACT includes a science section which has no real analog on the SAT. The science section primarily tests your ability to interpret data and read charts and graphs but sometimes requires some knowledge of science basics (like the difference between mitosis and meiosis). More significant, perhaps, is the way the tests feel. First, the ACT tends to ask fairly straightforward questions which shade more toward the content side of your education whereas the SAT tends to ask more carefully worded questions which shade toward your ability to solve puzzles and to keep in mind all the implications of the question (for example: remembering the negative square root of a solution, the second meaning of a word like “admission”, and that the question asked for the answer/s which do not fit). Second, most people feel the ACT relies more on time-pressure than the SAT. It is more common not to complete a section of the ACT in the time allotted, so efficiency is at more of a premium.</p>
<p>However, despite the differences, the correlation between results is very high, which is why schools feel they can use either with equal utility when making admissions decisions. So, generally speaking, using one rather than the other will not give you an edge. However you might find that you, as an individual, perform better on one test than the other, in which case you would find advantage in submitting the relatively better score.</p>
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<p>Of course. I was rejected myself this year, so I’ve looked into some of this. You would probably get accepted to every UW Campus (assuming you do okay on the ACT) besides Madison and La Crosse, and once you get 24 transferable credits at that school (typically one year), you’re eligible to transfer to UW-Madison after your first or second year, generally if your GPA is 3.0+.
Also, if you want to be in Madison, you can go to MATC which has a guaranteed transfer program, which I believe (correct me if I’m wrong) allows you to part-time enroll at UW-Madison before you even transfer.</p>
<p>If you’re willing to put in the work in your senior year and first year of college, you should have no problem getting to Madison.</p>
<p>@Cody2010 - I’m planning on going into the life sciences program and what do you mean besides Madison and La crosse? How many campuses are there, what is so special about these two campuses, and will i need to enter one of these two campuses to be in the life sciences program?</p>
<p>thank you everyone for taking out your time to answer my questions</p>
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<p>There are 13 four year universities in the Wisconsin system. Madison is the flagship and by far the most competitive. La Crosse is also relatively selective, but with a good upward trend and test scores, you could get in. My personal ranking of the rest (I’m not very familiar with them after Stevens Point though, so you might have to take a better look at them) is as follows: Milwaukee, Eau Claire, Green Bay, Stevens Point, Superior, Whitewater, Stout, Platteville, River Falls, Parkside.</p>
<p>You could transfer into Madison from almost any of them, especially LC, Milwaukee, or EC. Hope that helps!</p>
<p>thanks for clarifying that for me. what i am thinking of doing is apply for Rutgers and if i get accepted, then after one year apply for a transfer to UW-Madison… that would also work right? Rutgers, which is the state university of new jersey gives preference to in-state students and i think i have the most chance with that anyway.</p>
<p>with the grades i have right now, i don’t know if i will even get admitted to the 13 four year universities like milwaukee. (which was my second choice after UW-Madison)</p>
<p>See the thread for LaCrosse- ACT score ranges for all UW campuses are listed. After UW-Madison La Crosse, Eau Claire, then others are ranked. UWM (MIlwaukee) should be fairly easy to get into.</p>
<p>Milwaukee is the only other doctoral University in the UW system, and has excellent programs in many disciplines, including the Biological Sciences. It also has a different mission as it is the state’s only great urban University, so it casts a wider net for students and is substantially less selective. And it is correspondingly much more racially, culturally and economically diverse than any other university in the state. You should be a good candidate for admission with your expected upward trend in grades.</p>
<p>UW-Milwaukee was largely a commuter campus a generation ago, but it has become a destination campus in the state system owing to its substantial curriculum and frankly to the fact that it is located in a beautiful part of the state’s largest and most interesting city. There are simply more cultural and social opportunities available to students in Milwaukee than anywhere else in the state.</p>
<p>And of course if your ultimate goal is to go to UW-Madison, it is not difficult to be admitted there as a transfer student after a good year or two at another state campus. But often UWM students who originally plan to transfer to Madison find that they like Milwaukee so much that they stay.</p>
<p>@wis75 - i just did and Milwaukee’s average ACT scores are lower compared to the other universities part of the Wisconsin system. </p>
<p>@MilwDad - thanks a lot for the information… i have actually lived in milwaukee for 6 years. </p>
<p>With a good upward grade trend, a great SAT score (2000+) and some extra-cirricular activities, i would be a good candidate for UW-Milwaukee right? I had another question, do universities look at grade 12 and make their decision INCLUDING grade 12 marks? I think some people get rejected before my second marking period (first semester) even ends, so would that mean the university will probably only look at my first marking period? If i get my progress report for my second marking period, can i send that to the university too? and same goes with my second marking period results… if i have received them before the university has made their decision, can i send that in?</p>
<p>Progress Report – Mailed December 14, 2009
End of 2nd Marking Period January 29, 2010
Distribution of Report Cards February 5, 2010
the above is for my second marking period</p>
<p>also keep in mind that i want to enter the life sciences program…</p>
<p>DrKhan, are you attending high school here in the states or elsewhere? It’s difficult to tell because some of the terms you are using (such as second marking period) are a little unusual in the US high school system. If you are here, I strongly encourage you to contact, even visit, the admissions offices of the Universities you are interested in to talk about your situation and ask what you need to do to improve your chances for admission. Sometimes students see the application process as a black box, where they are only allowed to send in the right forms, and then wait for a decision. But the truth is that these Universities WANT you to be successful, and they will be very helpful if you talk with them.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>yes i am currently in high school in new jersey. There are four marking periods, two marking periods equal one semester. Yes i think i will also contact the universities… but wanted to get as much information as i could from other sources though.
thanks a lot for taking out your time</p>
<p>“There are simply more cultural and social opportunities available to students in Milwaukee than anywhere else in the state.”</p>
<p>I disagree, Madison definitely provides the most opportunities in the state for cultural diversity as well as social opportunities. It’s hardly a contest really.</p>
<p>@DrKhan</p>
<p>UW-Milwaukee is very easy to get into, I wouldn’t worry about it.</p>
<p>I disagree with MilwDad regarding Milwaukee and agree with 73… . I have lived in both cities and Madison is a far nicer city. The UWM area is the nicest area for young adults in Milwaukee- mainly a blue collar city. UW dominates Madison, which is also the state capitol and a much more pleasant, intellectual, place with a thriving student centered off campus area. Bigger doesn’t mean better in city size. Also- the student ACT scores are at the opposite- high and low- middle ranges for the two schools.</p>
<p>Well like you, I have lived in both cities, and I have attended both universities and am a great fan of both of them. Madison is bigger than it used to be and it’s a great town but it’s still a town in many ways. The difference in the number and quality of professional theater troupes, ethnic restaurants, spectator sports, etc., is quite substantial. This isn’t a knock on Madison, it’s just a consequence of the fact Milwaukee is a large metropolitan area with a rich history. And the racial and cultural diversity at UWM is simply leagues beyond what you will find in Madison at UW. That is also attendant to its location in a metropolis, as well as a function of the lower selectivity of admissions. UWM has an urban mission, as I said, and its student body looks a lot more like the real world.</p>
<p>Calling Milwaukee a “blue collar” city is pretentious and overbroad. The professional, academic, cultural, recreational and arts communities here are vibrant, and in most respects much larger than in Madison. As we Milwaukeeans know, it’s cooler by the lake!</p>
<p>Dr. Khan, best of luck; you would have a great experience at either school and in either city.</p>