<p>What are my chances of getting in to UW-Madison?</p>
<p>Intended major: Medical Microbiology and Immunology (certainty 97%)
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: German 50.00%, Syrian 37.50%, Italian 12.50%
GPA (cumulative): 2.918
GPA (core academic): 3.199
Class rank: 48th percentile
ACT composite: 34
English: 35
Math: 36
Reading: 31
Science: 33
Writing: 6 (I am a good writer, but not under time pressure.)
Combined English/Writing: 30
SAT composite: 2110
Critical reading: 740
Math: 700
Writing: 670
Essay: 7
Writing multiple choice: 71
Activities: Science Olympiad (since 2005), Academic Decathlon (since 2005)
Community service: NONE!
Employment: Taco John's (since August 2007)
Family information
Siblings: none
Mother: disabled due to bad back since 1990 (cannot work), has master's degree in English
Father: Syrian immigrant electrical engineer, have not seen since 1991</p>
<p>Recommendations: 3 (1 from Madison alumnus)
Guidance counselor
Academic Decathlon coach/math teacher in 10th grade
English department chair (exceptionally powerful recommendation)</p>
<p>Grade trends: generally upward
Most recent term GPA: 4.000
Most recent semester GPA: 3.833
General course rigor: very competitive (nearly all enhanced and AP courses)
Total AP classes: 4 (physics, calc 1 and 2, English)
AP Calc AB test already taken (score=5)
Plan to take 5-6 AP exams (biology, calc BC, English Lang&Comp, physics B, possibly also English Lit&Comp)</p>
<p>Career plans: medical school (to become research doctor at UW-Madison)</p>
<p>Other information:
MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES!!!
Mother nearly died 7 times from 2004 to 2006 (remember that I am an only child in a single-parent family)
Hospitalized for sepsis, bilateral pneumonia, metabolic acidosis: 6 times
I was in out-of-home placement for 13 months (3/2006-4/2007, consecutive)
These are the reasons my grades suck!
I have a really good personal statement and a ton of documentation to back this up!</p>
<p>Be honest. I will almost certainly be postponed, right?
But am I wasting my time even applying to Madison?
Please help me! WHAT ARE MY CHANCES?!</p>
<p>You've definitely overcome challenges in your life.</p>
<p>Are you in-state?</p>
<p>Yes; I live in Menomonie, Wisconsin</p>
<p>Clarification: My mother was hospitalized 6 times, not me.</p>
<p>Ah...your test scores are good. And, you show good increase in your grades, with adversity. I'd say you have a strong chance.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I hope this brings me back to the front of the threads...</p>
<p>You're not wasting your time applying. If they do postpone you, I'd expect you to get in later with your recent high grades. And if somehow you do get rejected, go to another UW and transfer in to Madison next year.</p>
<p>I hope this works again...</p>
<p>Please don't let the third time be the proverbial charm here!</p>
<p>I say you have a good chance of getting in. You have the potential for a great college essay too.</p>
<p>Just include your situation in your essay and they should see why the grades are what they are.</p>
<p>Use your ACT score, not the SAT (unless you'll be submitting SAT IIs anyway)</p>
<p>Also, when asked about ethnicity, indicate the 37% Syrian (actually Assyrian--Syria is the country)--which probably qualifies you as URM.</p>
<p>I'm guessing you can get accepted despite the 48% rank--you just need to focus on the grade improvement--and provide the documentation with the application (don't apply online--use a written form so copies of the medical documentation can be included).</p>
<p>Also, spend time indicating the reason for your major--your mother's health problems for one, I'm guessing. And write your essay from a first person's perspective--make them understand how you feel about your mother, her problems, being a child with only one parent who is always ill--and yet trying to focus on making the best of your situation and using your college education to solve similar medical problems for others in the future.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Haha Menomonie, Wisconsin... I believe we beat your jv football team last year. Anyways, with your unique circumstances you definitely have a great shot especially in-state. Since you're probably applying regular decision, keep that high gpa, and I'm sure madison would be pleased to see it.</p>
<p>Fourth time, but I'm really desperate for answers. One of these days I'm gonna get yelled at.</p>
<p>5 times...how many more before I'm kicked off the threads?</p>
<p>Sixth time, but why does it seem like I get to the back of the threads faster each time I do this???</p>
<p>Seventh time. I don't think I'm even going to say anything anymore.</p>
<p>This is the eighth time doing this! Can you believe it? Yeah, you probably can.</p>
<p>Ninth time bumping...I think maybe one more time.</p>
<p>This is the tenth and last time; after this, I will let my thread fade into oblivion...</p>