Myth: It’s impossible for regular students to get in anymore.

Impossible? Let’s not get carried away. UW-Madison admits six of every ten students who apply. Compare that to the microscopic acceptance rates for 2006 at places such as Harvard (9 percent), Princeton (10 percent), or Stanford (11 percent). UW-Madison’s 56-percent acceptance rate is on par with its peer flagship institutions, such as Michigan (47 percent) and Illinois (65 percent).

The trend toward hypercompetitive admissions often gets oversold in the news, because it disproportionately affects private East Coast universities. Admissions aren’t nearly that restrictive at the vast majority of colleges. According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, only about one-third of American universities accept fewer than half their applicants, and the average acceptance rate across all four-year institutions is about 70 percent and holding steady.

Another often-overlooked facet to UW-Madison’s admissions crunch is that the number of incoming freshmen that the UW can enroll is limited chiefly by physical space — seats, specifically, in required courses. By their sophomore and junior years, students disperse into thousands of different courses in one hundred and sixty majors, and it’s easier to squeeze in a few newcomers. That means that while it’s difficult to get admitted to UW-Madison as a freshman, it can be easier to transfer in. The university has several arrangements that allow students to attend other campuses for two years before coming to Madison, including direct transfer arrangements with several Wisconsin colleges. While that may not ease the sting of initial rejection for some students, ultimately, no one asks where you started college. They ask where you finished.

Next myth » No one reads personal statements.

• Introduction
• Myth: It’s a secretive process.
• Myth: A formula determines whether students are admitted or denied.
• Myth: UW-Madison has raised its admissions criteria in recent years.
• Myth: The UW turns away students with perfect GPAs.
• Myth: Some students get special treatment in the admissions process.
• Myth: It’s impossible for regular students to get in anymore.
• Myth: No one reads personal statements.
• Myth: It pays to apply early.
• Myth: Minority students get in with lower grades than some white students who are rejected.
• Myth: UW-Madison caps the number of students who can be admitted from one high school.
• Myth: Back in the day, UW-Madison let everybody in.
• Myth: Applicants from outside Wisconsin are taking up spots that could go to state residents.
• Myth: Connections with important people can get you in.
• Myth: Alumni can get their kids in if they pull the right strings.
• Myth: Being postponed is the same as being on a wait list.
• Myth: An A is always better than a B.
• Myth: One grumpy admissions counselor can doom an application.
• Myth: Admissions counselors like rejecting people.
• Myth: My son or daughter isn’t emotionally ready to be turned down by the university.
• Myth: It’s a perfect system.