Hello, I’m a junior and thinking about applying to UW-Madison for the class of 2021!
Intended major: psychology or neuroscience
Cumulative uwGPA: a 3.85 as of last semester but i expect it to go up this semester
Class rank: im in the 12th percent of a ~500 student class size
Ive taken 4 Honors, 5 APs, and 2 dual enrollment classes
My ECs:
4 years cross country
1 year track
2 years Student council
2 years FCCLA
2 years creative writing club
NHS
Student Ambassador
High Honor roll for all 3 years of high school so far
Founder of our schools literary magazine (still in the process of starting it up)
I had a peice of art displayed in a county-wide art show
The first time I took the ACT i got a 25, and i took it without studying. I just took it a second time, and also took the new SAT for the first time, so I’m going to get those results back in a few weeks. I’m shooting for around a 30 or 1300/1600 eventually.
Im OOS (Michigan) and I’m interested in UW because I’ve heard good things about it, but I dont know much about the school itself. Im hoping to visit this summer, but can any WI residents or current students/alumni tell me some stuff about the school? How difficult are the classes, how good are the teachers, dorms, food? Are you happy at UW? What’s the best thing about the school, in your opinion? What’s the worst? Is the atmosphere at the school generally positive? Also, how many OOS kids get financial aid/scholarships because there’s no way my parents are willingly going to pay for OOS tuition haha! :))
Thanks a lot, any feedback and advice is appreciated!
There is very little money for OOS students. With an EFC of $8k, for example, a student could get $19k in loans, work study and grants and have to pay the remaining $30k some other way.
A word of advice: ask your parents now how much they can pay each year for 4 years and run the Net Price Calculator for schools before you apply.
My biggest piece of advice would be to apply early action (not binding). I got into engineering EA with a 3.98uw (7aps) and a 29 act but two of my friends applied RD. Both of them were waitlisted and each had a slightly lower GPA (in the 3.9s) but one had a 31act and the other a 34
There is NO “early action” or “regular decision” at UW. It is rolling admissions. Perhaps you are implying students should apply sooner than later, ie before the first notification deadline. The waitlist decision has only been in recent weeks. Many students had their decision postponed until March when final decisions were being made. Being waitlisted is a denial unless places open up after admitted students change their minds. Being postponed just means needing to wait until all applicants have had a chance to apply and be evaluated. Huge difference.
Post # 3- learn admissions ways of doing things before attempting to give advice. Perhaps one reason you were admitted directly into Engineering, a rare event, because despite your ACT being lower you showed you work hard. Perhaps your essays, activities, course rigor and recommendations were impressive. Remember all students are admitted to UW as a whole- your admission included. You have the added perk of already being admitted to Engineering as well.
@wis75 for applicants(most notably transfer from what I’ve seen), doesn’t postponed also mean extending the decision date for those on the fringe of acceptance until their most recent course grades have been recieved? I’ve seen numerous posts regarding this as well.
It would include those on the fringes where their semester grades could tip the balance. But it seems as though the postponed pool includes far too many to just be that group. My son finally applied sometime in January his senior year and got an acceptance in less than 3 weeks- before they did the early notification bit for the earliest applicants. There are always many people who won’t get a final admission decision until all applications have been reviewed- now they get the ambiguous postponement. There will always be those top students who apply in January and UW needs to keep spaces available for them.
It sounds as though transfers were waiting for admissions to finish with freshmen admissions before they tackled those.
Here are some neat things about UW, OP, since you have not yet visited:
The eastern end of campus terminates at the beginning of State Street, which is known for its pedestrian-friendly atmosphere and is home to a great variety of shops, pubs, restaurants, etc. State Street, in turn, ends at the state capital building, one of the tallest and most ornately appointed in the US.
Not very many students (by %) participate in Greek life, but many of those who do live in their fraternity or sorority houses. Those are mostly located on Langdon Street, which runs along the shore of Lake Mendota.
Speaking of Lake Mendota, it is the largest of three lakes which either touch or are close to the campus. Mendota and Lake Monona (south of Lake Mendota) form an isthmus. Part of the UW campus lies on the isthmus. Where the lakes are closest, a student can walk from one lake to the other in about 20 minutes.
The Memorial Union is located along the shore of Lake Mendota. A popular spot during the warmer days in the spring, summer and fall is the Union Terrace, where you can sit and chat with friends while watching the boats/waves/horizon. Or you can rent a boat and try your hand at sailing, kayaking/canoeing, etc.
UW has a strong sense of school spirit. UW football and basketball have become consistently good over the past 20ish years and Badgers flock to Camp Randall Stadium and the Kohl Center to watch them. Wisconsin also has six national titles in men's hockey, multiple titles in women's hockey, and a winning tradition in other sports.
Bascom Hill, and Bascom Hall which sits atop it, is one if the main campus hubs. In front of Bascom Hall is a statue of Abraham Lincoln.
UW has very many programs ranked in the top 25, according to US News & World Report. UW's national and international reputation are strong at the undergrad, grad and PhD levels, reflecting UW's teaching and research quality.
UW's research budget is among the largest in the world.
Our school colors are cardinal and white and our mascot is Buckingham U. Badger -- AKA Bucky Badger.
Out near the Engineering area of campus, there's a stream that flows uphill. The stream was designed, of course, by UW engineers.
UW is a special place. If you feel it’s the place for you and you can afford it, definitely apply.
