<p>Alright, so my dream has always been to go to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and I just wanted to see what others have to say about my chances are of getting accepted, and if they aren't so great some advice as to what I can improve for my last 3-4 months before I apply. Right now, I consider myself a slight reach but after I beef up some EC and take SAT/ACT, I might have an alright chance?</p>
<p>Some academic stats: </p>
<p>5 AP Classes, Many Honors Classes, Unweighted GPA is about a 3.1 and Weighted GPA is about a 4.2, Dual Enrollment, College Prep Classes (AVID), online classes, exceed all recommended credits</p>
<p>Extracurricular: </p>
<p>National Honors Society
National BETA Club
Ecology Club
Legacy Club
AVID Club
Bike Trip from Washington D.C. to Pittburgh
Lowry Park Zoo Volunteer
Farm Volunteer
Referee at Horseshoe Tournament
GAP II Summer Program at USF</p>
<p>SAT/ACT: Still up in the air. Going to be studying hard all summer for these tests. What do you think my target score(s) should be for me based on application so far?</p>
<p>Will get good college recs (alum of school) and will write great essays for application.</p>
<p>Any advice, opinions would be greatly appreciated?</p>
<p>Your GPA is a little low (they don’t weight). I would be trying for an ACT of 29-30 (or whatever the equivalent SAT is, I know UW likes the ACT), it’s going to have to be high to offset it. It’s gotten a lot harder in the past year. Dual Enrollment and your ECs look good though.</p>
<p>And you’re from Tampa?! What high school do you go to? I thought there wasn’t anyone else from Tampa who’d want to go to UW! What made you want to come here? :D</p>
<p>WBadger, Madison is very very competetive. There is no guarantee you will get accepted even if your stats are high. My son had a 29 ACT, 3.89 unweighted GPA, PSEO Calculus his junior year, several AP courses, academic letters, a semester studying in Israel junior year, National Honor Society, camp counselor, song leader-guitar player, lots of volunteering etc. and was postponed and then waitlisted. He wrote his own essay without professional help and I liked it. Essays very subjective. His grades were consistently good all his years in school. Good references. Others with higher stats than his also were waitlisted.</p>
<p>MY advice to you: Take a rigorous senior load (my son did not), need higher GPA and ACT score minimal 28. Also, do not put all your eggs in one basket. Find other colleges and universities you may like early on and visit them early on. You will find there are other great options should Madison not work out. Best of luck and I hope you get accepted.</p>
<p>Thanks guys for the responses!</p>
<p>RoxSox, I am worried about GPA and it is pretty much set besides a few more A’s. The ACT is in September so I am going to study like a fool until then with attempting to get a 29-30. Also yeah I live in Tampa, and sort of fell in love with the state as a kid through sports but eventually appreciated the land and such. My parents always supported me with my interest and we have been many times since then. And most recently my sister started at UW-Milwaukee.</p>
<p>Judyjim, yeah I understand the competitiveness of this school and just wanted to see what others think of my chances. I’ve just gotta try my best with what I have right now, and improve my application in any way possible. Next year is pretty rigorous with 2 Aps and dual enrollment.</p>
<p>And, if I don’t make it to Madison I plan on going to Milwaukee for sure. I’m just hoping for the best, either way it’ll be alright but Madison really is the greatest.</p>