UW-Madison is my first choice school, and I am trying to decide if it is too much of a reach or should not apply there.
I am an out-of-state resident.
I have taken almost all honors and AP(AP Calc, AP Chem, AP Physics).
I have a Weighted GPA of 4.07 and an unweighted of 3.71.
My SAT is 1210 (math: 650, Reading 560)
I am a two-year hockey letterman.
I have partaken in the Latin club, French club, chem club, and National Honor Society)
I have two jobs, I am a hockey instructor and I work at an Adidas store.
I have 60 volunteer hours.
I am the secretary of the chem club.
3.7 is solid unweighted for UW, any chance you can retake SAT to nudge it up some? As a UW parent and long time observer of UW admission results here on CC, those stats sounds like a “postponed” (which is what happens to most middle of the road candidates), and then could go either way in the spring, either accept or deny. The OOS kids who get accepted in first round are typically high stats – 32+ ACT and minimum 3.7 unweighted. Have you tried the ACT? Some kids find it much easier to do well on than the SAT, though many kids do find that their SAT and ACT scores are roughly comparable.
UW does do holistic reviews but having many EC’s will not replace competitive academic record/test results. Remember you are applying to study in college and need a solid foundation.
When I visited they said they had enough money to cover most of it. My family is in the upper middle class. Thank you for all the comments. I was just curious. I wanted someone who didn’t know me to evaluate my application. As for, retaking the SAT, I am not the best at taking standardized tests. I have taken practice SATs and done better. (1310; 690 Math and 620 Reading). I have already taken it three times and I don’t have time to study for that, school and play hockey.
UW is a University, which means they have multiple colleges and some are more difficult to get into than others, so you need to be more specific, what would be your declared major upon application.
@CU123 — unlike many publics, UW does not require freshman application to specific colleges (at least the last time I checked, though I acknowledge with last year’s move to the Common App, there could be some changes). While Engineering and Business are increasing the direct admit numbers, most freshman are admitted to the University and then apply as sophomores to specific majors in Engineering or to College of Business, with gpa requirements and prerequisite courses completed.
Students get admitted to the university as a whole. Some may also gain admission to a school/college which usually requires time at UW. Recently students are asked to declare a major; my understanding that this is for the student to show a focus not to determine admission by major chosen. It is a good thing to be able to easily switch fields once admitted. No being locked into a school/college.
From the UW website: Please take note of the third sentence.
Applicants will be asked to identify both a preferred and alternate major or field of study when completing the application for admission. If we are unable to offer you admission to your preferred major/field of study, your alternate choice will be considered in our application review to assess interest and preparation. Due to the competitive nature of some of our programs, admission expectations may be different for students pursuing majors in business, engineering, dance, and music. We encourage you to visit our direct entry page to learn more.
By and large, the majority of freshman applicants are admitted to UW as a whole. The best information I could find indicated that about 75% of the B school students are admitted once they are already at UW and not as direct admits. I could not find similar info for engineering, but I know that students who enter as freshman as “pre-engineering” have to apply to specific majors in the CoE, each with specific progression requirements, so that even being “in” the College of Engineering does not mean a student is admitted to their desired major.
Of course, if it is a priority for a student that they will only consider schools where they can get direct admission to the B school or Engineering, then they need to be aware of the requirements for those seats. But most students still apply as freshman or sophomores to those Colleges at UW. The OP here did not suggest he is looking only at direct admission to B or Engineering.
“…rush Greek life…prevalent…” Huh? You live in a different world than any UW students I know of. Most are independent and choose their social life without the Greek limitations.
Since only about 10% of students do the Greek scene I do not understand why most students would bother with it. It fills the needs of a small minority. 90% do well without bothering. UW has a vast alumni network all over the country (and world) so there is no advantage out of college.
For the roughly 10% of the undergrads at UW involved in greek life (including my kid), it structures their social life, creating a smaller group within the large university. For the other 90% of the students, it is irrelevant.
While Greek life may only consist of approximately 4,000 students (13%), it is a choice like any other student organization. Greek life isn’t for everyone and I have plenty of non-Greek friends, but I think you should at a minimum rush and form your own opinion. I know plenty of people who rushed and decided not to go Greek or dropped before initiation,but they still made friends through the process. It’s a no lose situation. Greek life contributes to campus and the surrounding communities by participation in philanthropic and service-oriented activities and events, educational and personal development programs, providing a variety of ways to engage in leadership development, and by supporting the academic mission of the institution through research, scholarships, and a strong commitment to academic excellence. Because of Greek Life, I love the fact that when I’m walking around campus, I always run into someone I know, thus making a large school feel smaller.