Importance of high school record in sophomore transfer

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Wisconsin
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<p>Sorry to post another thread, but just how important is the high school transcript in the (sophomore) transfer decision? I have a crappy high school record (2.823 from non-competitive public high school; bottom half of class), but I was accepted to UW-Eau Claire as a freshman and want to transfer to Madison this fall as a sophomore. Last semester (my first semester in college), I earned a 3.88, with three A's and one A-, in these courses:</p>

<p>Chem 115 (equivalent to Madison's Chem 109), 6 crs., A- (I was 0.4% short of an A!)
Bio 111 (Cell Biology and Genetics), 4 crs., A
English 243 (Early American Literature), 3 crs., A
PoliSci 110 (equivalent to Madison's PoliSci 104), 3 crs., A</p>

<p>In other words, if it hadn't been for that last 0.4% in Chem 115, I would have gotten a 4.0. This semester, I'm registered for these courses:</p>

<p>Chem 325 (organic chemistry, equiv. to Madison's Chem 343), 4 crs.
Math 246 (elementary statistics, equivalent to Madison's Stat 301), 4 crs.
History 210 (African-American History, equiv. to Madison's Af-Amer 231), 3 crs.
Japanese 102, 4 crs. (My high school stopped offering Japanese in 2006, leaving me short of foreign language credits, so I have to finish this course to get in to Madison.)</p>

<p>As you can see, I don't have the typical freshman course load, and I'm doing well nonetheless. Here are my other stats:</p>

<p>ACT: 34 (35 EN, 36 M, 31 R, 33 S)
SAT: 2110 (740 CR, 700 M, 670 W)
AP: 5's on both Calc AB and BC (I wanted to take more exams, but my family couldn't afford the fees.)
HS EC's: Academic Decathlon and Science Olympiad
White, male, lower-middle- to lower-class (my mom is disabled because of a bad back and can't work; her only income is Social Security disability benefits, which are less than $1000/month. I rely entirely on financial aid to pay for school. FAFSA EFC=0.)
In-state student
UWEC major: Biochemistry/molecular biology, pre-med
Intended UW-Madison major: Medical Microbiology and Immunology, pre-med</p>

<p>When I was in high school, my mom nearly died (from various illnesses) a total of 9 times, we were evicted from our apartment and had to spend 10 days in a homeless shelter, and I was removed from my home by Human Services and spent 13 months in out-of-home placement. BTW, I am an only child and have never known my father, so my mom is the only family member I have. I have reasons for getting that 2.823 in high school...</p>

<p>I didn't mean for this to morph into a chance thread, but I haven't found any straight answers as to the importance of the high school record. Most (almost all, in fact) of my bad high school grades are from freshman and sophomore years, because that's when I suffered the most adversity. (I've heard all the lines before about "one semester of college versus four years of high school", by the way.) So anyway, just how important is the high school record to Madison when you're trying to get in as a sophomore? Also, is there a "postponement" process like there is for freshman admissions?</p>

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<p>I think your HS transcript is fine. Schools want to see an improving trend, and you have reasons why your grades were not so hot in FR and SO years in HS. As time goes on, your HS transcript is worth less and less. Your college transcript seems to have confirmed the improving trend. Assuming there isn't something else we don't know, I'm surprised you couldn't make the case to get admitted as a freshman to Madison.</p>

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<p>OperaDad: I was postponed for freshman admission, but had to withdraw my application because I was incredibly sick for three months during senior year. If I hadn't gotten sick, I may very well have gotten in.</p>

<p>I'm just wondering how much those high school grades are going to count against me this time. (I have wanted the Medical Microbiology and Immunology major since before I was in eighth grade [no joke], and this major takes 2.5 years to complete, so transferring as a junior is not really an option for me, lest I choose a different major or take more than 4 years to graduate, both of which I would like to avoid if at all possible.) Can anyone offer any more advice on how much that high school transcript will hurt me? Shouldn't a 3.9 my first semester of college mean more than a 2.8 caused by events from when I was 15 or 16 years old?</p>

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<p>I don't think anyone on here can really answer that question. The farther away you are from high school the less weight it has. I think, though, you are already doing as much as you can--taking courses that you know transfer to Madison and basically are a 4.0 now. If you want an opinion, I think the overall GPA matters less than the trend--and the college performance and rigor of courses matter more than the high school trend. BTW I graduated in Med Micro at UW Madison a couple of decades ago :-) I think you will be accepted for transfer. I am still waiting to see if my S has been accepted. If not he will try to transfer as a sophomore as well.</p>

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<p>You almost made it in with far lower grades. Keep the GPA up where it
is and you should get in easily.</p>

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<p>greennblue: Is there a "postponement" process for transfers like there is for freshmen? I was just wondering because you said "keep the GPA up." I'm hoping to get in based on last semester's grades!</p>

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<p>highschool does unfortunately still matter for transfers if you havent had much college. for example, I got rejected from university of illinois due to my highschool gpa. i only had a semester of college with a 3.5 gpa at the university of kansas. i honestly dont know what my unweighted gpa from highschool is off the top of my head, but weighted was 2.9....so u can imagine i had a bad unweighted gpa hahahaha.... at least for THAT school it mattered. i also applied to madison and am waiting for them to make a descion. From my understanding they wont look at high school AS much as u of i, but that could be me just being hopeful. anyway goodluck.</p>