<p>Just posting here because UW-L doesn't have their own forum.</p>
<p>Today I got rejected from UW-La Crosse! I was in straight up shock. Is is really just as hard to get in there as it is to get into Madison? I'm not holding my breath for Eau Claire anymore either...</p>
<p>What is up with this?</p>
<p>EDIT: I just looked at UW-L's "chances chart" like the one Madison uses (or used to use), and it gave me a 10% chance while the Madison one gave me a 15% chance. Is this saying UW-L is MORE selective than Madison these days?</p>
<p>Our daughter got rejected by UW-L, postponed by Madison (offered admission through the connections program), and accepted to U-Minn TC. She has 3 freshman friends that attend UW-L that are now trying to transfer to either Madison or U-Minn TC.</p>
<p>HS counselor thought that the UW-L rejection was due to not taking 4 years of math and science (she took 3 years of each). She graduated HS with a 4.2 GPA (unweighted).</p>
<p>I was accepted to UW-L and postponed at Madison. It has definately become more competitive. I had friends with 25 and 26 ACT scores get denied or put on the waiting list. I think they are beginning to become the clear “second-best,” if I can say that, school in the state, behind flagship Madison.</p>
<p>ACT 25%-75% ranges for UW System Schools
(from the College Board)</p>
<p>Madison 26-30
Lacrosse 23-27
Eau Claire 23-26
Stevens Point 21-25
Platteville 20-25
Green Bay 20-24
Oshkosh 20-24
Superior 20-24
Whitewater 20-24
Milwaukee 19-24
Stout 19-23
Parkside 18-22</p>
<p>In addition, I see at Lacrosse 79% of the students are in the top quarter of their class. I would expect someone with an ACT of 25 who is not in the top quarter (that could mean a GPA of less than 3.5 or so) could easily be rejected.</p>
<p>BTW, UW-L’s acceptance rate is 66%, Madison’s is 53%, so Lacrosse’s rate is not lower. But it is true that acceptance rate does not equate to selectivity.</p>
<p>When did you send in your application? I think it really helped me by sending it in early…at first I thought I had no problem getting in, but I was a little nervous after hearing about my friends getting turned down!</p>
<p>Both La Crosse and Eau Claire have acceptance rates in the mid 60s and have for some time. They have created some separation between themselves and the other campuses. For good students looking for a focus on undergrad education and a smaller campus they are a good option at a lower cost. Eau Claire in particular has a strong focus on undergrad research. Both have a good transfer/grad school relationship with UMinn as well as Madison.</p>
<p>UW-Madison has 25% of students with ABOVE 30 (31-36) on the ACT by those numbers. Since they rescored the ACT (and SAT) in the 1990’s you can’t compare your scores to your parents, however (I saw somewhere that you add 7 points to the old ACT- but the scale still only goes to 36).</p>
<p>The admission rates just prove how statistics can be manipulated to show “selectivity”- the percentage of students accepted/denied is dependent on the applicant pool. Different schools have different students applying- some instate residents will only apply to UW and/or UofM for their area choices; the acceptance rates at UW-EC and UW-LC would shoot up if those students applied, were accepted and chose elsewhere.</p>
<p>Two years ago, I was postponed and eventually accepted to Madison, but straight-up rejected from La Crosse. (I had a 3.6 GPA, 29 ACT)
I think UW-L is more of a numbers game and they only take people with good stats, while Madison also cares about numbers but goes beyond that more with EC’s/etc.</p>
<p>It would benefit the UW System and Madison in particularif the System could designate a couple other campuses such as UW-L and UW-EC as special centers for undergrad excellence much like W&M is to UVa. It will take some of the pressure/anger away from those not getting into Madison and help build the reputation of the others. I know people in WI just hate for anything to be “elite” or special but the reality is that is what many students/parents want and so does the rest of the world. NJ has done it by creating the College of NJ as an alternative to Rutgers. So have some other states–MO, FL come to mind. I think it would be a great idea.</p>
<p>I am extremely surprised to see the stats of some kids getting postponed at UWL. I am currently attending UWL and doing everything possible to transfer to Madison, where I was postponed last year. I had a 28 ACT and 3.9 GPA and was accepted to UWL within weeks of applying.</p>
<p>It isn’t a good idea to try to designate any of the other schools in the UW system as separate from the others. Instate HS students will be in the know as to which campuses are more highly regarded than others since their guidance counselors will have that information. Except for UW-Milwaukee in its urban setting all of the other UW campuses are very similar with regard to physical settings and general mission. I can’t see how you could justify putting UW- La Crosse and/or UW Eau Claire in an elevated position. These schools still need to fulfill their regional missions to have education available for state residents- especially in teaching. There is no need to try to elevate these schools just to have a system that evolved in other states.</p>
<p>barrons- you were only in Wisconsin as a student and don’t have a finger on the pulse of the state.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter what other states do. Wisconsin doesn’t have two universities that can be separated from the rest like Iowa, Michigan and Indiana do. Minnesota likewise only has the one major campus. It may be that reciprocity works to provide each state with that second elite school. You can’t take the next best UW system schools and change them to become major players without destroying them. People in the state do not care what works elsewhere (just as those in every other state don’t care about WI or other states). They know what works for them. Don’t mess with the people who live where the colleges are. Look at their historical roots as teachers colleges. UW-Superior trys to sell itself as for honors but the stats show how the best students in WI choose their school. The system isn’t broken and doesn’t need to be fixed for the state schools. Good state HS students gravitate to UW-LC and UW-EC and don’t need to have them marketed as better. Those schools shouldn’t be overhauled as secondary Madison campuses. There is the transfer system in place.</p>
<p>Incorrect, i worked full-time in the state for several years after school. With the internet and local friends it is VERY easy to keep a feel for the state. Having a bunch of schools without focus does nobody much good. If those schools had more visibility they might be able to attract and fill their quotas of OOS students bringing badly needed money to the campus. And believe me, they WANT to do that. There have been internal reports on the subject.</p>
<p>Wouldn’t know on this about the other UW systwm schools- only UW-Madison. barrons- you don’t LIVE here and talk to the people who live here now. The state has a “bunch” of schools that do tremendous good by being regional college education providers across the state. The state’s teachers generally come from these and they offer the chance for college to a lot of people who commute from home. Not every stude3nt want a high pressure college. I wonder if the people in La Crosse or Eau Claire are frustrated when fewer local/area students can’t get in because the schools are popular with students all over the state.</p>