<p>I haven't yet posted on this particular forum, so I'm not sure this post belongs here or not.</p>
<p>Anyway, I just finished high school and would like (more than anything!) to transfer to UW-Madison as a sophomore (fall 2009). When I applied as a freshman, I was postponed; for medical reasons, I decided to withdraw my application, so I'll never know whether I would have gotten in or not. I'll be starting at UW-Eau Claire next month, and I'll be applying to Madison after first-semester grades are in. I've read the syllabi for all my classes and feel that it's very possible I could get a 4.0 first semester (for purposes of this thread, assume I'll have a 4.0. After you read about my high school record, you'll see why I need one lol!) I warn you in advance that this post is extremely long.</p>
<p>So here goes...</p>
<p>High school: non-competitive public in west-central Wisconsin (I'm in-state).
HS GPA: ~2.8 total, ~3.0 in academic courses (4.0 scale).
Multiple D's and F's from 9th and 10th grades.
Rank: not ranked (because of my circumstances), but I'm fairly sure I graduated in the bottom half of my class.
ECs: Academic Decathlon and Science Olympiad (both grades 10, 11, and part of 12).
Reasons for grades: my mother nearly died 8 times while I was in high school, mostly during 9th and 10th grades. For related reasons, I was in out-of-home placement for 13 months (3/27/2006-4/30/2007). Much of my bad performance in 2004/2005/2006 was simply mmaturity/laziness, though.
Course load: mostly enhanced/AP during 11th and 12th grades, but with lots of "basket-weaving"-style classes 9th and 10th grades (such as "Food, Family, and Society").</p>
<p>During senior year, I became extremely sick near the end of first quarter (no health insurance). I missed 63 straight days of school; it was hopeless to make it up (although I tried), so my counselor said I should take the GEDs in order to graduate on time. This was not senioritis!</p>
<p>GED scores (200-800 scale): 750 writing, 760 reading, 760 science, 800 math, 800 social studies. All scores are in the top 1% of traditional graduating seniors. I was able to earn both a GED AND a diploma, thanks to a unique program.</p>
<p>ACT: 34 (35 English, 36 math, 31 reading, 33 science)
ACT writing: 6 on essay (25th percentile...ouch), 30 (95th percentile) on combined English/writing.</p>
<p>SAT: 2110 (740 critical reading, 700 math, 670 writing)
SAT writing: 7 on essay, 71 writing MC
**I'm a good writer, but TERRIBLE under time pressure.</p>
<p>APs: Calc AB and BC (both 5's). I wanted to take other exams but didn't have the $$$</p>
<p>College info:
All info here, including GPA, is only projected.</p>
<p>UW-Eau Claire courses (fall, registered):
Chem 115 Chemical Principles (6 cr)
Bio 111 Essentials of Cell Biology and Genetics (4 cr)
English 243 American Literature to 1865 (3 cr)
PolySci 110 American National Politics (3 cr)
Business Administration 110 Leadership Institute (this is only a 3-day summer camp on campus) (1 cr)
(17 credits including the summer camp). All courses except the camp and maybe the PolySci are considered very rigorous.</p>
<p>Spring-semester courses (projected):
Math 216 Calculus III (4 cr)
Chem 325 Organic Chemistry I with Lab (4 cr)
Japanese 102 Second-Semester Japanese (4 cr)--Japanese is my preferred foreign language
Honors 100 Freshman Honors Seminar (1 cr, required for Honors Program students)
Honors 101 Honors Colloquium (3-4 cr, will take in place of Freshman Comp, known as English 110.)
(16-17 credits)
*<em>I can't be in the Honors Program unless I get a 3.67 first semester. If I don't, I'll have to take English 110.
*</em>A "B" or higher in Japanese will get me 4 retroactive credits. I also have 8 credits from AP exams. So I'll have 41-46 credits at the end of my first year. Madison only requires 54 credits for junior standing.</p>
<p>Reason for transferring: only Madison has my intended major (Medical Microbiology and Immunology). This major takes 3 years to finish, so I'd have to change my major if i didn't get in as a sophomore. I want to graduate in 4 years to look good for Mayo Clinic Medical School (acceptance rate ~2%) I'm a pre-med, btw.</p>
<p>Planned student orgs: Pre-Med Club, Honors Program Organization, Math Club, College Democrats, possibly a few others.</p>
<p>I'd like to get in at least 30-50 hours of community service; I had none in high school. I'd also like to work 10-12 hours a week so I can use my work-study allocation.</p>
<p>Miscellaneous
Gender/Race: male/white, 1/4 Jewish
Parents: both have advanced degrees. I've never known my dad
Financial situation: $0 EFC (my mom's disabled because of a bad back. We have very little money each month, all of which is Social Security disability checks)</p>
<p>**I'll still have time to sleep and to socialize, but my main job is to convince Madison that I'm a different person than I was in high school! I've never felt this excited or this motivated!</p>
<p>I don't just want a 4.0 for Madison; I need one throughout college to get into Mayo Med School.</p>
<p>When I apply, Madison will do 1 of 3 things:
1. Admit me contingent on my second-semester grades
2. Defer a decision until they see my second-semester grades in the spring
3. Reject me outright because my HS record is so bad, even with a near-perfect college record</p>
<p>It isn't terribly important whether I'm admitted right away or deferred, except for financial aid reasons. I need lots of aid because of my zero EFC!</p>
<p>I know this is a ridiculously long post, but I can't find a straight answer. I have big dreams, but I still think they're realistic, no matter what my high school transcript might say. I'm just afraid my past will continue to haunt me, despite my present and future. I would really appreciate any advice.</p>
<p>That said, what do you think my chances are, in terms of the 3 actions that Madison could take on my application?</p>