Do I even have a chance of getting into UW (University of Washington)?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Washington
1

Hi all,

I am a Washington state resident currently finishing up prereqs at a Washington community college. I am going to have over 100 credits at the end of this school year, and so will hopefully be transferring to a university next fall to complete my B.S. in Biology (Ecology/Evolution track).

The low-down:

  • I’m a high school dropout and completed my GED with Honors in 2015. My high school grades are BAD - my household was very abusive and I left when I was 16, hence being a dropout. I was a bright student who put minimal effort in - my test scores were “exceptional” but my grades did not match.
  • The first few quarters of college, I was working full-time which resulted in poorer grades than I would have liked. Several Cs and one D. I am now mostly a B student with some As, but my cumulative GPA is only around 3.0
  • I’m a first-generation college student and am financially independent. I work to support myself, so I don’t have any extracurriculars.
  • I’ve gone to three community colleges so my credits are sort of a mess. The first time I transferred was due to losing my housing and not really having another option.
  • I am very passionate about my major, it’s central to my life. I do very well in classes related to my field of study.
  • I will have almost all of my prereqs done when I transfer. There are three I have yet to do, two of which aren’t offered at my school and one of which that is only offered in a conflicting time slot with another sequence I need. I have opted to tailor my community college courseload to UW’s graduation requirements for my desired degree rather than getting an associate’s at my community college (which would require unnecessary courses and not complete all my prereqs).
  • I can write a very impressive essay.

So, please, level with me. Should I even bother applying with my GPA? Or do I have a chance with holistic review?

2

I’ll be honest – it’s going to be tougher for you than for someone with a higher GPA. I would say that you should definitely have backup options, but if UW’s really where you want to go, apply and give it your all. You will always wonder if you don’t try.

You should not be tailoring your courses to UW graduation requirements, but to UW transfer recommendations. Having that associates really helps, so if you don’t get into UW and want to apply again, do that transfer degree and then retry.

The transfer planning worksheets also have academic profiles of accepted students if you haven’t seen that yet.

https://admit.washington.edu/apply/transfer/resources/

3

thank you so much.