Chances of Getting into the LAS program..

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Wisconsin
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<p>Here's my stats so far:
GPA: 3.86 (Weighted), 3.85 (Unweighted)
ACT:25
300 Volunteer Hours
1 year of tennis, 1 year of soccer, 1 year of FBLA, English Student of the Month</p>

<p>That's about it, also, you can't directly get into the engineering program as a freshman right? So you have to transfer I guess, is that how it works?</p>

<p>-Thanks</p>

2

<p>Iffy chances. Not really a transfer, you just take pre-engineering and have to have a minimum GPA to get in as a soph I believe. GPA minimum varies by engineering major–some are much higher than others.</p>

3

<p>You get admitted to the university as a whole, regardless of your intended major or school/college. Therefore first worry about being competitive for that.</p>

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<p>Your course rigor is poor if your HS has many Honors/AP options (based on UW vs W GPA). </p>

<p>Can you retake the ACT? I would study for them (you’re on the right site to find study guides and tips) and try to get 28+ to be more competitive. 25-75 percentile at Madison is 26-30, and admissions is pretty numbers-based. </p>

<p>Your UW GPA is very good.</p>

<p>Here’s some stats from 2008 to browse: <a href=“http://www.admissions.wisc.edu/images/reportClassOf2008.pdf[/url]”>http://www.admissions.wisc.edu/images/reportClassOf2008.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>“Your course rigor is poor if your HS has many Honors/AP options (based on UW vs W GPA)”</p>

<p>Freshman year, I was placed in all standard classes, so I had to work my way to get into the honors system. I just finished junior year, and the only standard class I was in math, so I would say my class rigor was pretty strong. However, I think freshman year is the reason my weighted gpa is lower. Nonetheless, could this not be a positive since it shows that I worked my way up from standard-level classes? So with this, what ACT score would give me a decent chance of getting in with respect to my gpa and stuff?</p>

<p>I forgot to mention, I’m in the top 17% of my class.</p>

<p>Thanks a lot for your input though guys, I really do appreciate it.</p>

6

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<p>I don’t think W GPA matters at all. I was only using it to assess your course rigor. Out of curiousity, how exactly did you take so many Honors (AP, too?) classes junior year without your W GPA getting a boost? </p>

<p>For instance, if you’ve had 6 semesters with 7 classes a semester, and Honors courses give you a 0.5 GPA boost, then you’ve only taken 1 semester-long honors courses in your entire high school career. [(0.5*X/42 = 0.01; X ~ 1]</p>

<p>Anyways, that’s just me wondering. If you have solid course rigor than this is a plus. The actual weighted GPA as computed by your school doesn’t matter. </p>

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<p>Yes. </p>

<p>There’s actually a GPA-ACT Matrix that shows you “expected chances” of admission into Madison given your quantitative stats. A 3.85/25 is in the 75% chance category (although a 3.7/25 is a 50% so you’re in a clump). Boosting your ACT to a 28 puts you at 90% according to the matrix. So it’s a pretty big deal if you can raise your ACT</p>

<p>See matrix here: <a href=“http://www.education.wisc.edu/cap/UW_FreshmanExpectations.pdf[/url]”>www.education.wisc.edu/cap/UW_FreshmanExpectations.pdf</a></p>

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<p>Using your class percentile (83rd) instead of GPA, your chances go down to 30% according to the matrix. As you can see, it’s not a clear indicator, but it’ll give you an idea of where you stand.</p>

7

<p>Improving grades count a lot, therefore junior year and senior first semester grades are very important. Bad grades freshman year followed by high grades each semester thereafter looks better than the same gpa spread out over 3 years. </p>

<p>Only unweighted grades, in “academic” courses are looked at (?? what consititutes academic- a Wisconsin HS guidance counselor would/should know, they get mailings). No extra points on gpa regardless of how your school weights- UW will recalculate your gpa using their standards. They do look at the rigor of courses available and if you took advantage of them.</p>

<p>Test scores- follow the above advice- study and retake this fall to improve your chances.</p>

<p>Also note the required class units and typical class units taken by UW admitted students. Most will far exceed the required minimum courses, to be competitive you want to take more English, math, foreign language… than required (as you probaby will).</p>

<p>PS- hopefully my replies are generic enough other prospective students can gain useful info as well.</p>