The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public school located in the heart of Madison off of Lake Mendota. With over 30k students, the large research institution has 20 schools which include the College of Letters and Science, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and the School of Medicine and Public Health. The acceptance rate to UWM hovered around 53% for non-residents and 73% for residents last year.
The 2020-2021 supplement for the University of Wisconsin–Madison technically has 2 questions but it really only has one if you do it right.
UWM allows students to apply through the common app or through the University's portal directly. We strongly recommend applying through the common app. It will not count against you and it will make your whole process much more streamlined.
Their supplement says:
If you apply using the Common Application, you will be asked to respond to one of the freshman Common Application essays. If you apply with the UWM System Application, you will need to answer the following prompt: This part is all about you. Tell us about something you’ve done — academically or personally — and what you’ve learned from it. Was it a success or a challenge? Did it represent a turning point in your life? How did this particular moment in your life influence you, and how will it continue to influence you as you pursue your college education?
If you apply through the common app, this will just be your common app essay and you can ignore this question. Again, unless you are only applying to UWM, we don’t see a reason why you would not apply through the common app.
This leaves you only having to worry about the second question:
Tell us why you would like to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In addition, please include why you are interested in studying the major(s) you have selected. If you selected undecided, please describe your areas of possible academic interest.
They also give a couple of tips to help you write this essay, the most important being word count. “The maximum word count for each essay is 650, but we recommend planning for 300–500 words.” (The rest of the tips are obvious things like make sure you spell check and don’t forget to be honest.) While they say you can use 650 words, don’t. You don’t need 650 words to answer this question and you should take their recommendation as the real word limit. We recommend capping your word count at 400 for this essay.
This is an example of the question we see most often in supplements, the “why this school” question. The first thing you need to do with this essay is to pick a major to write about. While they say in the question you can be undecided, we don’t recommend it. Put yourself in the reader’s shoes: they are trying to build a balanced class. Schools don’t want a class of only history majors, so they ask this question to start planning a class with diverse interests. Saying you are undecided doesn’t help them do that.
If you aren’t sure what you want to study, go to their website and look through their list of majors. Pick one that interests you. Don’t worry, if you get to school and you end up not wanting to pursue it, no one will force you to stick to it. Just find a major that you are interested in and would seriously consider studying.
These ‘why’ essays are pretty easy to break down. They follow a pretty simple structure.
Tell an origin story: When did you first become interested in the subject you now want to study? If you are writing about English, maybe it was reading books as a child. If it’s biology, maybe it was going to a science museum. It doesn’t have to be too deep, but it should show where your interest sparked.
Talk about specific academics: Pick out a couple of high-level classes from the course catalog that you are interested in and write about them. We are looking for classes in the 300-400s range. All schools have history 101, but picking a class in the 300s like History 346- Trans/Gender in Historical Perspective shows not only a more specific historical interest but also that you are interested in classes that are only available at Wisconsin. Also, pick a professor or two that you are interested in studying with. Mention the classes and professors by name and say why you are interested in them. Keep this section academic. If you mention liking a professor because you are both from Rhode Island, it means a lot less than because you are interested in their research.
Next talk about an extracurricular or two: You can find a list of clubs and student groups online. Pick one that fits with something you have already done and mention it by name. Are you on the debate team? Maybe talk about the Badger Ethics Bowl or Wisconsin Speech and Debate Society. Just like with majors, no one is going to hold you to this. But picking a club that builds on what you already do gives the admissions office a better view of who you are and your interests.
Mention something about school spirit: Wisconsin is a big ten school and they have a ton of school spirit. They are very proud of their football so saying something about their spirit will seal the deal.
Wrap it up: You don’t need a super formal conclusion, but you sum up the points you have made and state that Wisconsin is the perfect school for you.
This should all fit into 400 words. You don’t need it to be flowery or poetic. You should get in, make your points, and get out.
This supplement only has (really) one question, so you should devote some time to it and a lot of that time will probably be researching. Looking through the majors and classes and extracurriculars carefully shows you are serious about wanting to go to UWM. Readers can tell when you just pick the first thing on the site so give yourself time. With the right research, this supplement should be a breeze.
Still need help with this supplement or others? Contact us here.