UW-Madison is my dream school for studying business. I attend a private, rigorous college prep school with a GPA of 3.25 and ACT 29. Do I have a chance of getting in Fall 2016?
Are you a Wisconsin resident?
yes
The low gpa relative to your ACT score shows you may not have good study habits. This is not a pattern for success. There are plenty of students from WI who go to great public schools- comparable to “rigorous” private schools in many states. Students are expected to take the most rigorous curriculum available to them and do well.
Your gpa is low and you are not high up in the top 25th %ile for your ACT score. IF your junior year shows much better grades than your first two years of HS you may have a chance. btw- UNWEIGHTED gpa is used by UW.
If there is a reason for the 3.25 GPA, you can explain it on your application.
What is your class rank?
In recent years, 70% of applicants who were Wisconsin residents were accepted.
The 25th to 75th percentile of admitted students’ ACT scores was a range of 27 to 31, so you are right in there.
But- low gpa.
I intend to study Computer Science at UW-M
I am an international applicant with SAT score of 2030 ( I can’t say about my GPA because the school I go to does not have the system of awarding GPA )
What are my chances of getting in Fall 2016?
SAT 2030 is like a 31 ACT which is a very good score for a UW-Madison applicant.
Thank you
Daughter fell in love with UW-Madison…hope she has a shot. She just applied EA. Out of state. Public HS. Her stats:
2 APs Junior Yr; 5 APs this year=7 total
Earned 10 college credits while in HS
GPA: 3.86 (unweighted) & 4.45 (weighted) - top 10%
Strong, focused extracurriculars in area of interest
A few awards and work experience
Fabulous references & strong written supplements
Any insight into her true chances this year? Wants to study bio. Guessing admissions will be swamped with applications.
What is her ACT score?
Sorry-forgot to mention. ACT=31
Thanks for your insight…
The 3.86 GPA and 31 ACT are excellent and at the 75th percentile (top 25th percentile) of admitted students.
Thanks @madison85 – it seems like all of her bright, accomplished classmates are in love with the school, too. Hope the university doesn’t have a quota per high school.
Good chance, as above. Assuming she attends UW she should consider the Honors program (read about it on the UW website). In particular she should look at various science sequences. Biocore is one that requires organic Chemistry but worth waiting for (the sequence has been around for decades). There are also two different Honors Chemistry courses freshmen take. The math and physics sequences would depend on her interests. Then there is a host of other disciplines with Honors courses. Good luck to her.
btw- one of my college friends was from NJ eons ago.
The quota idea is a myth. Kids at the Madison high schools wonder the same thing.
Below is a link to a pdf article on UW-MADISON admission myths.
So interesting, @Madison85! Thanks for sharing. I wonder if things have changed since 2007 with regard to the timing of admissions. My daughter has a friend who is a sophomore at UW-Mad…she said EA decision dates are different, depending on the high school. she and her college friends were informed at different times. Her High School classmates all heard back on the same date in December… other friends who all lived in a different town got the feedback simultaneously, a few weeks earlier, in November. All EA.
(BTW - It’s not called EA at UW-Madison. There are two notification periods).
Thanks for all of your insights and feedback. Is anyone available to review my essay? I’ve heard that since my GPA is on the edge but my ACT score is good, that I have a chance to gain admission but my essay and letter of recommendation will have to be persuasive and strong. Any thoughts? Would you willing to advise me on my essay? I am home from school today and would like to make final edits. Thank you so much!