University of Wisconsin- Chances

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Wisconsin
1

I am an out of state student (Maryland) and I am a minority that goes to a major minority high school, that has a reputation for being known as the worst school in our county when it comes to grades, graduation rates, drop out rates, association with gangs (MS13,Bloods.) I am not a U.S. citizen now but I will be when I eventually apply (I am from Ethiopia.) My Dad was a doctor before he came to America, where he couldn’t practice as a doctor anymore because his liscence wasn’t accepted globally, so what shall I put under parents educational status, same thing with my mom. She had an associates degree but when she came here, they revoked it. Two of my sisters go to UMD so I can’t apply as a first generation student and it’s most likely hard for me to get in an out of state school. My Stats are as following (This is basically from Freshman year to Sophomore year because they haven’t put in the Junior grades in so far, I got a 4.0 my first quarter of Junior year) :

3.67 Unweighted GPA

4.25 Weighted GPA

1110 Highest SAT Score

3 sports teams Over the course of 3 years, all JV except for one (JV Basketball, JV lacrosse, Varsity Golf)

Clubs, Youth Up Health, ( Advocates for healthier food in schools, Answer sometimes strays from that topic and just fight for civil rights, helped pass a vending machine bill here in Montgomery County Maryland that makes sure that there is a balance between healthy snacks Answer sugary snacks.)
,
Minority Scholars Program,( Helps people express their feelings about certain issues, usually have town halls and organize task forces.),

National Honours society, ( International organization.)

I will have 200+ student service learning hours by the end of this year and I’ll most likely stay on top of my grades and SAT/ACT score, which I plan on taking over and over again until I do well. ( I am actually taking the ACT this February)

I took very rigorous courses in high school from freshman year to sophomore year, ( AP GOV, AP USH, Pre IB (Honors) ALGEBRA 2, Pre IB (Honors Chemistry), Pre IB (Honors English), Pre IB (Honors Geometry) , Honors Health… Basically everything was Honors except for 1 semester of my art credit, my technology credit and my P.E. Credit.

I’m taking very rigorous courses now, ( IB English HL, IB Chem SL, IB Math SL, AP World History, Medical Science ( Basically a SNA) )

I plan to take more rigorous courses in my senior year as well, ( IB English, IB Math SL, Pre IB physics, AP Psych, Internship)

I also plan to play tons of sports my Senior year, cross country and soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter and lacrosse in the spring.

So my question is, what are my chances of getting into The University of Wisconsin- Madison, given all this data?

2

IB classes demonstrate the rigor of your coursework, and are wonderful preparation for college classes. For UW, the unweighted gpa is good but the test scores are low. If you are currently a junior, then work on test prep to pull those scores up higher. I;ve heard Khan Academy online has good free resources.

I’m not sure how first gen is determined for families who have emigrated to the US, but the fact that your sisters are now in college does not affect first gen status, it is the parents’ education, not siblings.

Affordability of OOS schools is an issue for most families as few public universities give good financial aid to OOS students. The exceptions are Michigan, Virginia and North Carolina (I think). For most students who need financial aid, their instate public plus private schools that meet full need are usually the best options.

3

It sounds like you have a very good chance to get in if you could just bump up your test scores a little. I got accepted to UW Madison this year and am currently under consideration for the honors college. Your courses are a lot more rigorous than mine (however I do go to a very competetive school in Michigan. We are a top school in the state). I will have 6 AP classes from junior and senior year. Besides that I didn’t take any AP classes freshman or sophomore year. I only had honors English for both years and advanced math for both years. My GPA unweighted was a 3.93 and weighted was a 4.05. My ACT was a 31 but it didn’t start there. My first ACT I took in feb of my junior year and got a 26. I lightly studied for the one in April and got a 28. I then studied hard for the one in June and got a 31. So it’s very possible to increase by a lot of points. And don’t get discouraged. It’s really easy to compare yourself to others that are better or smarter. I know for me all I could think about for months is how I wasn’t good enough to get into any school that I wanted to apply to. I had a lot of extracurricurs as well and service points. Also, I think being in your situation helps you in admission chances. If you are able to study hard for another SAT/ACT and get your score up to a 1350/ 28 I think you have a good shot

4

Be honest- put your parents’ degrees on applications when asked. Your immigrant status will tell schools more of your story.

Agree your sisters’ status has nothing to do with being first generation, it is the parents education that matters. Your minority status may be your “hook”. But- finances matter most. Do not plan on getting financial aid from UW.

btw- learn to spell the American way always, watch those British “ou” instead of “o” spellings such as in honors.