Hello, I’m a Junior in high school at the moment, and I’m currently trying to decide between UW colleges. My current plan is to major in Accounting and minor in Actuarial Science, although I’m currently considering either swapping them (so that I’m majoring in Actuarial Science and minoring in Accounting), or pursuing a double major.
My current GPA is a 3.8, and I scored a 31 on the ACT exams. I’m more than willing to take the SAT exams as well, if it would better my chances of getting into a better school or receiving academic scholarships/grants.
Your stats are high enough for UW-Madison. You will be able to apply direct admit to the school of business. They are increasing the number of direct admit students.
UW-Madison is the best for those majors.
(There are no minors at UW-Madison).
UW-Madison of course. Consider U of Minnesota and UW-LaCrosse as backups.
UW-Whitewater is very strong in Accounting, second only to Madison.
But- as an overall campus Whitewater will not have the better academic peer group overall.
Do apply to a UW system school in addition to UW-Mafison. UW-Madison is taking so many OOS and international students to plug its budget that admission is not guaranteed even with your stats. I’d suggest UW Whitewater.
Update: Thank you all for the answers, the overall consensus seems to be UW-Madison. That being said, however, Madison is very expensive; $25,294 even with being an in-state student. Is the UW school system particularly generous with scholarships/grants?
@violetJack
I have read here that the net price calculator for Madison is very accurate. Have you tried that? My DS ended up waitlisted, but according to the NPC, we would have qualified for $3000 need based grant from Madison.
Do you live in the Madison area? If so, you can eliminate the $800 for travel and I would guess your parents will still be able to help you with the misc costs (as if you were still living at home). That does bring the cost down quite a bit.
UW La Crosse is a another well-respected UW option and does have a lower price point.
Are you low income?
What is your high school class rank?
There are actuarial science scholarships at UW-Madison.
Do NOT choose another state school other than UW-Madison just because it is cheaper. The quality of education is far superior at the flagship. Look at the stats for the various instate options. After Madison Lacrosse seems to get the better students than other campuses. For many the school does not matter that much but the top students should look at the best school in the state (privates included). This is in Madison. Sure you can get a job but this is your chance for learning more than is taught at other schools.
For scholarships and therefore perhaps lower overall costs you should consider top tier private schools. You do not want to pay for a lesser education at any private school. Some schools have a higher overall rating but departments of interest to you can be much better at UW.
Time to be elitist and look at schools with students like you. You do not want to merely get a college degree, you want to get the most for your time spent. Years later you will likely have the money to make up the difference in costs for Madison. Also, expectations and opportunities will be different depending on where you go to college. Please do not have regrets about not going to UW-Madison. It is so much different an environment than any of the other state schools. Open your world to so much more than available at the other state schools.
Biased towards UW-Madison. You bet.
Madison85:
-I am indeed low income
-My class rank was, as of the end of last semester, 104 out of 250, with a cumulative GPA of 3.407 (again, as of last semester).
If cost worries you, attend a two year and get guaranteed transfer to UW Madison. that is the route I’m going and I’ll be transferring next Fall.
Your gpa indicates you need to be applying to other state schools as you may not be competitive for Madison despite the grade improvement. Discuss with your HS guidance counselor. S/he will have knowledge of state schools likely to accept students with your credentials.