The People From The Harvard Of The Midwest Are Not Going To Like This.....

[Djgoldnboy]

Hardest Colleges Per State To Get Into

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/graphic-shows-hardest-college-every-203828160.html

[Phantom Warrior]

Actually, UW is more difficult to get into in terms of both gpa and ACT scores.

[The Reptile]

Actually, UW is more difficult to get into in terms of both gpa and ACT scores.


That's a BS statistic. All colleges admit based on ranges and other factors not absolute numbers. And even beyond those ranges, students are compared with students in similar academic situations not simply the pool of all students. For example, an applicant in a Milwaukee suburb that is in a large HS which has a lot of AP classes to choose from is compared to other students from similar schools. A student from a rural district that doesn't offer anywhere close to the same AP opportunities is compared to other rural students who have the limited opportunities. Rarely, will they compare the rural and suburban students side by side and make a decision and never on absolute test score terms.

Also, a lot is dependent upon the maturity of the student. One recruiter from the University of Georgia told a story of an in-state student from Georgia, where in-state competition to get in is fierce, had the GPA and test scores to get in. However, in an essay answer he put a response of 'I'm going to bring the Par-tay'. He was not admitted. The moral is that students disqualify themselves all of the time based on their inability to write an essay that speaks to the admissions staff.

Getting back to this uw@madison vs MU story line. State schools can game the system in their favor. They are often times mandated by law to accept a percentage (usually in the 30's) of student in state. That creates a level of competition where then can raise the test score and GPA requirements for those deemed worthy of an in-state tuition. Private schools do not have that ability. So, if uw@madison was a private school I doubt that they'd be able to demand that the in state students have GPA's and test scores as high as they do. I could go on because I have a HS senior, its application time of the year and there is a ton more about the admitting process that we were told. Hopefully this paints a picture that there's more to the story than simply GPA and test scores.

[TheSultan]

That's a BS statistic. All colleges admit based on ranges and other factors not absolute numbers. And even beyond those ranges, students are compared with students in similar academic situations not simply the pool of all students. For example, an applicant in a Milwaukee suburb that is in a large HS which has a lot of AP classes to choose from is compared to other students from similar schools. A student from a rural district that doesn't offer anywhere close to the same AP opportunities is compared to other rural students who have the limited opportunities. Rarely, will they compare the rural and suburban students side by side and make a decision and never on absolute test score terms.

Also, a lot is dependent upon the maturity of the student. One recruiter from the University of Georgia told a story of an in-state student from Georgia, where in-state competition to get in is fierce, had the GPA and test scores to get in. However, in an essay answer he put a response of 'I'm going to bring the Par-tay'. He was not admitted. The moral is that students disqualify themselves all of the time based on their inability to write an essay that speaks to the admissions staff.

Getting back to this uw@madison vs MU story line. State schools can game the system in their favor. They are often times mandated by law to accept a percentage (usually in the 30's) of student in state. That creates a level of competition where then can raise the test score and GPA requirements for those deemed worthy of an in-state tuition. Private schools do not have that ability. So, if uw@madison was a private school I doubt that they'd be able to demand that the in state students have GPA's and test scores as high as they do. I could go on because I have a HS senior, its application time of the year and there is a ton more about the admitting process that we were told. Hopefully this paints a picture that there's more to the story than simply GPA and test scores.


UW-Madison has a Regent imposed cap of 27.5% from out of state.

[Goose85]

They are trying to lift the cap, but the current cap is for the entire UW system.
UW Madison is looking for a waiver from that rule for the next 4 years. They need to bring in more full pay students.

The one thing I don't like about Madison is that you are first admitted to the school, and then later have to apply to the school in which you want to pursue a degree.
At other schools you are admitted into the degree program you want to pursue when you are admitted into the school, and can begin taking classes school in that major your first year. Too many Bs in classes unrelated to your major don't prevent you from getting into your chosen field of study.

[IWB]

Reptile mentioned Georgia - My brother in law lives outside of Atlanta and said that in Georgia, if you go to a state school and have a 3.0, tuition is free. You have to maintain that GPA throughout your time in college too. That breeds incredible competition as everyone with a 3.0 is free, so you really need to get into the school you want - writing a bad essay will not only cost you admission, it will bump you down to Georgia State unless you want to pay for college.

There is an admissions guy that posts here - he will tell you that when you get an application, one of your first moves is to check them out on Facebook. What do you see there? The underage kid partying? Drinking? Hanging in a totally smoke filled room? Pass.

While there are a ton of factors that are taken into account, it all comes down to one concept. How many spots do you have open, how many applicants are there? That determines how hard it is. The more applicants - the higher the acceptable GPA & test scores are. If you have 1000 spots and 5000 applicants - the top 1000 test scores and GPAs are in (yes, other factors are in play). If you have 1000 spots and 10,000 apply? Those numbers are higher - a lot higher.

If Wisconsin has 10,000 spots, and 20,000 apply - the top 50% that apply get in.
If Marquette has 3,000 spots and 10,000 apply - the top 33% that apply get in.
Based on that, you can easily say that MU is harder to get into. On the flip side, you can say that UW turns down 10,000 applicants and MU only turns down 6,000 - UW is harder to get into. You can play the umbers any way you want.

[MayorBeluga]

You can play the umbers (sic) any way you want.

"Aw, you can come up with statistics to prove anything, Kent. Forty percent of all people know that."

851

[MU88]

Reptile mentioned Georgia - My brother in law lives outside of Atlanta and said that in Georgia, if you go to a state school and have a 3.0, tuition is free. You have to maintain that GPA throughout your time in college too. That breeds incredible competition as everyone with a 3.0 is free, so you really need to get into the school you want - writing a bad essay will not only cost you admission, it will bump you down to Georgia State unless you want to pay for college.


Sounded to good to be true so I looked it up. It is, but not by much. If you have a 3.0. you can get a Hope scholarship. It's capped at $3400 per 15 credits hours per semester and you have to maintain a 3.0 gpa or about 60% of tuition and fees. You get full tuition with the Zell Miller scholarship. You have to have a 3.7 in High School and maintain a 3.3 in college. Still a great deal, but a fairly high standard. Evidently, Georgia college grads have the lowest college debt of anyone in the country.

[MulliganMusings]

Reptile mentioned Georgia - My brother in law lives outside of Atlanta and said that in Georgia, if you go to a state school and have a 3.0, tuition is free. You have to maintain that GPA throughout your time in college too. That breeds incredible competition as everyone with a 3.0 is free, so you really need to get into the school you want - writing a bad essay will not only cost you admission, it will bump you down to Georgia State unless you want to pay for college.

There is an admissions guy that posts here - he will tell you that when you get an application, one of your first moves is to check them out on Facebook. What do you see there? The underage kid partying? Drinking? Hanging in a totally smoke filled room? Pass.

While there are a ton of factors that are taken into account, it all comes down to one concept. How many spots do you have open, how many applicants are there? That determines how hard it is. The more applicants - the higher the acceptable GPA & test scores are. If you have 1000 spots and 5000 applicants - the top 1000 test scores and GPAs are in (yes, other factors are in play). If you have 1000 spots and 10,000 apply? Those numbers are higher - a lot higher.

If Wisconsin has 10,000 spots, and 20,000 apply - the top 50% that apply get in.
If Marquette has 3,000 spots and 10,000 apply - the top 33% that apply get in.
Based on that, you can easily say that MU is harder to get into. On the flip side, you can say that UW turns down 10,000 applicants and MU only turns down 6,000 - UW is harder to get into. You can play the umbers any way you want.

Jim, your brother-in-law is almost right. At one time the Georgia Hope Scholarship did pay full tuition for any Georgia high school student who achieved a 3.0 and attended a state university (you also received some money towards a private university, such as Emory, if it was located in Georgia). Due to state cutbacks it's now a sliding scale where, with a 3.0, you get some relief but for a full scholarship you need a higher GPA and test scores. Nevertheless, his point, regarding the competition to get into the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech is fierce as the elite students can receive an excellent education (UGA's Honors College is one of the best) for a very low cost. This hit close to home for me when my daughter, who had a 3.8 high school GPA, turned down UGA to attend USC (as University of South Carolinais known in our part of the world). Her justification being that she wanted to manage Sports Management (USC has an outstanding program). She also received a merit scholarship that reduced her USC tuition to the instate rate. Nevertheless, I pointed out that her USC degree was going to cost $40k more as a result of her not receiving the Hope scholarship she would have received at UGA on top of the instate tuition. Of course she subsequently changed majors so now her rationale for attending (other than her antipathy for UGA) no longer exists. In fairness she's carrying a 3.9 GPA @ USC so I guess I should be happy but paying 3 tuitions (her's and her two siblings in Catholic school) is delaying my retirement :)

[pbiflyer]

Jim, your brother-in-law is almost right. At one time the Georgia Hope Scholarship did pay full tuition for any Georgia high school student who achieved a 3.0 and attended a state university (you also received some money towards a private university, such as Emory, if it was located in Georgia). Due to state cutbacks it's now a sliding scale where, with a 3.0, you get some relief but for a full scholarship you need a higher GPA and test scores. Nevertheless, his point, regarding the competition to get into the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech is fierce as the elite students can receive an excellent education (UGA's Honors College is one of the best) for a very low cost. This hit close to home for me when my daughter, who had a 3.8 high school GPA, turned down UGA to attend USC (as University of South Carolinais known in our part of the world). Her justification being that she wanted to manage Sports Management (USC has an outstanding program). She also received a merit scholarship that reduced her USC tuition to the instate rate. Nevertheless, I pointed out that her USC degree was going to cost $40k more as a result of her not receiving the Hope scholarship she would have received at UGA on top of the instate tuition. Of course she subsequently changed majors so now her rationale for attending (other than her antipathy for UGA) no longer exists. In fairness she's carrying a 3.9 GPA @ USC so I guess I should be happy but paying 3 tuitions (her's and her two siblings in Catholic school) is delaying my retirement :)

Unlike in South Carolina, where it is called just "Carolina". Anything north of them doesn't exist. :D

[ValiantSailor]

Unlike in South Carolina, where it is called just "Carolina". Anything north of them doesn't exist. :D

North Carolina people call their state "Carolina", too. The in-state members of the ACC are Wake, Duke, State, and Carolina.

VS

[The Reptile]

Unlike in South Carolina, where it is called just "Carolina". Anything north of them doesn't exist. :D

In the words of Zebulon Vance in speaking about our neighbors to the North and South, North Carolina is "a vale of humility between two mountains of conceit".