@wis75 Do you know what the average GPA range at UW-Madison is?
While I don’t know @audrella’s complete financial situation (and neither does anyone else who has contributed to this conversation) there is definitely an argument to be made that a highly ranked university is worth the investment. UW-Madison is ranked significantly higher than ISU or UI so that needs to be taken into consideration.
No re gpa’s. Would have to do research on the UW site- you can do that just as easily as I can. If you are thinking of HS grades check admissions.
If you are trying to figure out college gpa’s I find that totally meaningless. Students take such a wide variety of courses, and at various degrees of difficulty within a subject, it doesn’t matter. Some may expand their horizons by taking courses in subjects they have little background or natural ability in and accept a lower grade than just doing things they can do easily. Some take many, others few classes… Too many variable and it doesn’t matter. You go to college to get out of it what you choose, not to have any gpa. Of course, those intending on graduate or professional schools will be able to do better than most college students, while taking more rigorous work loads.
No matter which college/U you attend you should figure they expect you to be successful. This does not mean a perfect gpa, especially as that depends on so many variables. You can expect to work harder than you did in HS. Along with finances you need to consider the academic fit of schools. Do you want to be that student who struggles but succeeds at a school, a student who only needs to study an average amount to do well or a student who wants to be at the top relative to others? btw- do not assume a lower tiered school will be a lot easier. It could be easier to fall into some bad habits and not study enough…
@JBStillFlying What else do you need to know from @audrella to have her complete financial situation so you can form an opinion on if her family can afford UW-Madison?
even if you get your parents to each contribute $5000 a year…and you get a full Pell, and the $5500
direct loan, you will still be short about $10,000 a year to attend Wisconsin as an OOS student. Where will that money come from?
This part, @Madison85:
“If I can get accepted there is always a way to work out finances. Possibly ROTC, my savings, borrowing from a family member, or even private scholarships. That net price calculator also overestimates through the allowance for transportation, miscellaneous, etc.”
Pretty sure OP realizes that UW-Madison is a stretch financially but his/her point about reputation is valid. If one projects their permanent income to be notably improved by attending UW-Madison, then the debt may well be worth it.
However, OP’s original question had to do with the chances for acceptance. That should be addressed in detail first and foremost (IMHO) because it could easily put to bed the remaining question of finances. So let’s look at the numbers to see if we can address this question in a way that helps OP determine whether or not to apply.
- GPA: UW-Madison no longer publishes any meaningful stats on it’s admission page. However, this information is available on the Common Data Set (https://apir.wisc.edu/publisherssurvey/CDS_2015-2016.pdf):
"Percentage of all enrolled, degree-seeking, first-time, first-year (freshman) students who had high school grade- point averages within each of the following ranges (using 4.0 scale). Report information only for those students from whom you collected high school GPA.
Percent who had GPA of 3.75 and higher 76.1
Percent who had GPA between 3.50 and 3.74 17.9
Percent who had GPA between 3.25 and 3.49 4.6
Percent who had GPA between 3.00 and 3.24 0.98
Percent who had GPA between 2.50 and 2.99 0.35
Percent who had GPA between 2.0 and 2.49 0
Percent who had GPA between 1.0 and 1.99 0
Percent who had GPA below 1.0 0
100%
Average high school GPA of all degree-seeking, first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted GPA: 3.85"
OP’s GPA of 3.5 is notably lower than the average and in the bottom 5% of admitted students. OP is not an URM, first-generation, or other hook (the first-gen. question was addressed on the UMN thread can’t recall if addressed here). Therefore, OP cannot expect to be admitted based on GPA w/o at least hitting the ACT out of the ballpark.
- (Also from CDS) Standardized Test Scores: Here is the breakdown for ACT:
25th Percentile 75th Percentile
ACT Composite 27 31
ACT Math 26 31
ACT English 26 32
ACT Writing 8 9
OP is fine on the Math (28) but below the 25% for English (24). Overall ACT is just shy of the 25th percentile. OP cannot expect to be admitted based on ACT w/o at least providing a very strong GPA from rigorous coursework in AP/IB/Honors, etc. and possibly some high AP scores to offset.
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Course load: OP is taking a solid college-prep course load but doesn’t have AP Calc, English, Math, or Science. Not a deal-breaker but the absence of such isn’t helpful to the application. The dual credit may help - not sure.
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Other - EC’s fine. Hopefully rec. letters fine. Essay - unknown but, personally, I wonder just how carefully UW-Madison reads 33,000 essays.
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Residency: In the CDS they claim NOT to consider geographic status in their decisions. Regents recently lifted the limit in order to keep enrollments up in light of fewer projected residents of college-age. This helps OP.
Conclusion: UW-Madison will be a reach and the stats could likely prevent the other positive aspects from being considered. UW doesn’t admit to it’s various colleges but to the university as a whole so everyone is considered for the same pool. Like many state colleges, they get a LOT of applications - 33,000 in this case - so they do some pretty quick sorting at the outset and GPA/test scores are going to be the primary criteria for that sorting. OP is best off looking for schools where he/she falls within the 50% range on stats. IMHO, any college where the admitting ACT range is about 23 - 28 is going to be a solid match.
Can a job from majoring in nutritional science or dietetics result in substantially higher pay when the degree comes from UW-Madison as compared to @audrella 's in state options?
Maybe @audrella would consider the more reasonably priced University of Nebraska-Lincoln where her ACT 26 score is not below the 25th percentile. Per the net price calculator she may be eligible for $11.5 per year for 4 years of scholarships which brings the cost down to $22.3k. Maybe this could be covered completely with some Pell, federal loan of $5.5k, then $5k from each parent, and savings.
I am also considering applying to physician assistant school after completing my undergrad studies so that could be put into consideration of which school to attend as well.
@audrella Did you look at the links/info for University of Nebraska-Lincoln? Your GPA and ACT could give you $11.5k/year. You could also apply to the leadership scholarship. It’s also a much cheaper school for nonresidents to begin with as compared to UW-Madison.
Here is an interesting resource to consider. Nebraska is top 30 but IA State interestingly is top 3. In fact, IA State keeps popping up in other rankings of nutrition science programs on the internet. It’s clearly a well-regarded program. This has to be taken into account because it’s more than just affordability, it’s reputation. The ROI figures will apply directly to OP as an in-state resident of IA. (NDSU and UMTC #'s 1 and 2, respectively; UMTC is ramping up OOS tuition over the next few years so might well have the same financial challenges as OP would face at UW-Madison. NDSU might be a bit more affordable - not sure. OP would need to explore scholarships for both).
http://www.collegevaluesonline.com/rankings/food-science-degree/
My D16 is attending a private art college 1,300 miles away from our home. There are 3 other kids in her high school who started with her - we thought there were only two; however, she bumped into the third just recently! (and yes she’s seen the other ones too. And she’s made new friends and not hanging out with any of the old ones). So not only do you NOT have to hang out with your old high school classmates when in college, you don’t necessarily avoid them by moving away!
@Madison85 Yes, I did. I think that could be a great option for me, thank you!
@JBStillFlying I am actually interested in a dietetics or nutritional science major not food science. However I have looked at UMTC and am applying there just to see what scholarships and financial aid I might be able to get.
@audrella I’m not an expert on this subject by any means but had the distinct impression that “food science” as used in the article included the specialty of nutrition. However, you would know best as to whether the descriptions provided for each school are accurate.