<p>My son will be a senior and has just now expressed interest in the University of Wisconsin. Is it more competitive to get in as an OOS applicant like it is at say UVA or UNC, or is it easier? (I know some selective publics are more inclined to take OOS students because of the higher tuition.) His GPA is low for Wisconsin (3.5) but his SAT is high (2280; 760/700 SAT IIs). He's trying to finalize his list of schools and is wondering if he even has a chance. Any advice would be appreciated. (BTW, we have a second home in Wisconsin if that matters.)</p>
<p>OOS residents apparently have more competitive requirements due to UW admitting more in state than OOS. But as many people on here will tell you, you have no chance if you do not apply. So give it a go and good luck.</p>
<p>And no, having a home in WI does not matter. It matters where your residence is.</p>
<p>Having a second home in WI doesn’t mean anything- or even more Chicago area people would own vacation places “up north” (how far up north is is relative- even southern WI counts for some).</p>
<p>Perhaps less competitive than the other schools you mention, but a lot more competitive than even just a few years ago. There is a required percentaqe of instate students I believe, and I’m not sure how MInn tuition reciprocity plays a role. My understanding is that the stats for instate and OOS are similar.</p>
<p>Students with lower grades than their test scores might predict may be seen as at risk for failure- they may not have good study habits- and therefore not as likely to be accepted. Students are also expected to take many of the most rigorous courses their HS offers- and to get good grades in them. UW uses unweighted grades, no extras for taking Honors and AP- that is expected. It does matter if his gpa junior year is much higher than his first two years- that shows he has learned to do better.</p>
<p>He can apply but should not count on being admitted. He needs to write good essays that show he wants to attend UW. Some students with better stats don’t get admitted if they show a lack of wanting UW in the essays.</p>
<p>I agree with what Wis75 said, that he shouldn’t ‘count’ on being a shoe-in for UW-Madison, but should truly express through his essays that he has a strong/passionate desire to attend UW-Madison. He should visit UW-Madison and spend some time looking through the web pages for the major(s) he is considering in order to get familiar with opportunities for learning inside and outside the classroom (‘the Wisconsin Idea’). <a href=“http://www.wisconsinidea.wisc.edu/”>http://www.wisconsinidea.wisc.edu/</a></p>
<p>Thank you for your responses. We reside in a faraway state not a neighboring one; nonetheless, we spend our summers in Wisconsin, and he loves it. He’s not phased by cold and wants to attend a larger school. UW is very strong in the field he’d like to study plus they offer a naval ROTC program. He has taken very challenging courses and attends one of the well-known prep schools in our state. Whether or not that helps slightly when looking at his GPA…who knows. Hopefully his SAT and SAT 2s will compensate. He has several varied ECs many of which show leadership. </p>
<p>While I don’t know for sure, I assume that UW considers GPA in the context of rigorous courses. It is touted to be a holistic approach, thus his leadership ECs, high test scores, and how he expresses himself in the essays are at least as important. </p>
<p>Some high schools in Wisconsin have taken to not releasing class rank, since some parents and students believe that a lower class rank (despite a decent GPA and high test scores) can be viewed negatively by admissions. Does your son have the option of asking your high school NOT to include class rank with the transcript when he submits it to UW?</p>
<p>(Note: this article is from 2008, and UW has a different director of admissions now):</p>
<p><a href=“Some districts drop class ranks to improve students’ college chances”>http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/32481009.html</a></p>
<p>
If he is planning on applying for a Naval ROTC scholarship, he should generally not attempt to use that scholarship to attend universities which are a reach.</p>
<p>Here’s why:
The Navy tells the scholarship student which school they will attend. The student gets to list his or her preferences, but the Navy has final decision. However, they typically fill scholarship slots at each university on a “first come, first served” basis. This occurs without regard to whether that student might get accepted! </p>
<p>If the student asks the Navy for, say, the University of Texas and the Navy assigns the student to UT, but UT does not admit that student… well, the student does get to keep the scholarship, but has to go back to the bottom of the college assignment list. Thus, will waiting a new assignment, the quotas might get filled up at schools which that student did get admitted to. Very messy, and I saw it this past spring with a student who got assigned to Berkeley but was rejected. Eventually, the student went to U.Chicago without a NROTC scholarship.</p>
<p>Lesson:
NROTC scholarship students should normally only list “match” and “safety” schools on their NROTC scholarship application. Unless, of course, the scholarship is less important than the university they wish to attend.</p>
<p>Another NROTC lesson: Apply to your colleges and for a NROTC scholarship as early as possible. </p>
<p>Good advice. </p>
<p>In the OP’s case, I wouldn’t necessarily say that UW-Madison is a reach.</p>
<p>
@NROTCgrad…Thanks for the advice! The NROTC scholarship is something he’ll apply for; however, he’ll most likely fall into the category you mentioned above. (i.e. It won’t dictate where he attends.) I will relay the info about putting his match/safety schools only on the scholarship app. </p>
<p>@aglages…He plans to submit the ROTC scholarship app in early August. Hopefully that will be soon enough. </p>
<p>Thanks again for the advice!</p>
<p>Students taking AP/Honors classes are expected to do well in them. They look at unweighted grades, if a student can’t do well in the more rigorous class they should take the less rigorous version. Otherwise UW would look at weighted grades. There are plenty of students who get high gpa’s with the most rigorous classes. Students are not penalized if their HS does not offer many AP classes. There will be many qualified students who can do the work at UW but won’t get in simply because there are more of these students than UW has room for. That’s where the “holistic” part of admissions comes into play. Desire to attend alone won’t get a student in, but lack of desire despite good grades may sway admissions to another student.</p>