UW-Madison has been my top choice for a while, since my mom went there.
GPA: UW 3.65 (was 3.8 until this semester due to family problems)
ACT: 29 (going to retake it)
6 AP classes as of junior year
EC’s:
member of school’s student leadership organization
National Honors Society
2 years of varsity tennis (candidate for captain this year)
1 year of jv cross country
team leader at mayo clinic volunteer program for 2 years
science olympiad varsity team for 3 years (placed in top 5 every year at state tournament)
principal chair in regional youth orchestra
concertmaster of school orchestra
counselor at korean adoptee camp
I’m a junior from minnesota, and an asian american.
What can I do to improve my chances?
You’re chances look ok, though try and keep your UW GPA above a 3.75 from now on, this previous semster may affect your decision. How much is tough to say, make sure to include any difficulties you faced in your application essay if you feel it would be helpful. Do you have an intended major?
Do stellar work this semester as it is the last one admissions will see on your fall application. Also- being Asian only counts if you are Southeast Asian (such as Hmong, Lao, or Vietnamese) meaning an underrepresented minority. With that status plus good stats means you could get in and also succeed at UW.
Not that I’m aware of. Do not become obsessed with your chances. There will be schools that are reaches, those that match your credentials and those presumed to be safeties based on your record. Schools typically post the middle 50% for stats. Remember that 1/4 of admitted students will have stats below those figures and are deemed capable of being successful. You need to risk not being accepted and have alternates. You also need to do your applications and have patience with the wait time for all decisions.
btw- UW admits students to the university as a whole, regardless of intended major. This means it doesn’t matter what your plans are and they can change easily. The reason to put a major on your application is to facilitate summer advising.
Bottom line. Skip the chances calculations. Your final result will be 100% in or out. Spend your time improving those chances instead with getting your best grades and test scores.
Thanks for the advice. I do have a lot of colleges in mind, it’s just that Madison is my top choice. I do have some safeties, but thanks for the help anyway!