UPDATE:
Will be second author for a paper with UWash professor
Moved to Rank #1 at school (the previous #1 lowered his GPA by taking economics over the summer)
Internship with venture capital firm
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UPDATE:
Rejected from Cornell.
why you got rejected from Cornell???Is that because you apply full scholarship??
Sorry you’re disappointed.
Now, for the next batch, get an idea what they do look for. It’s not just stem related. They want a nice kid, rounded in the right ways, showing more than just stem drives. And especially in any Why Us. It’s not just your wants, it’s theirs. You can learn a lot from the MIT blogs, how unilateral seems so impressive, but misses other attributes and willingness they want.
Take another look at your CA essay, too. It’s purpose is different than usual high school writing.
And have safeties.
Good luck.
As far as “meeting financial need” goes, the college’s definition of “need” may differ from yours, or other colleges’.
OP - I haven’t totally read through your post but saw you did not get in ED to Cornell. Are you an international applicant living in CA or a US citizen of Tahitian decent? If you are an international student, the odds are slimmer. If you are a US citizen, then look at the acceptance rates for all your schools on your list. I would say that with your stats, your odds are better than most but reach schools are just that, reaches for everyone. I was glad to hear that you applied to UCs as well (hopefully a range of them) and have safety schools on your list.
@YvonneL - I’m an Ivy grad, married to an Ivy grad, from a family of Ivy grads. Our daughter chose Purdue HC. It was her top choice. For her field of engineering, they had a higher ranked program than our alma mater, a more focused curriculum, easier access to engineering programs and clubs for freshmen, better job placement supports and stats, etc… She didn’t apply to any Ivies. Only JHU made her list as a reach school but still wasn’t her #1 (or even #2 which was Michigan). I’ve seen first hand the opportunities being afforded to our daughter at a big public as well as our Ivy (we’re still very actively involved), and I will tell you that our daughter made the right decision and zero had to do with finances. If Purdue cost the same as our Ivy alma mater, we would still have gladly paid for her to go to Purdue.
How did a “chance” thread evolve into a debate over elite privates vs public flagships? Don’t we have enough threads dedicated to this and other related topics?
MODERATOR’S NOTE: @lookingforward stated, “CC isn’t for extended debate” and that is correct. The new user who started the debate has beeen banned.
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Congratulations on the UIUC acceptance. They have one of the top CS programs in the country!
UIUC normally doesn’t give much FA to OOS students. I think you should be able to get into some other reach schools.
@GoBears2023 How did you get the opportunities to work with Stanford professors?
I emailed the entire (yes, every single one) CS faculty at Stanford and I was fortunate enough to get 2 replies back. Sometimes, it is all about luck 
Update:
Accepted to Purdue University
The top schools, because they are need blind, ended up being far better options for my family than attending our state university-which is SUNY! SUNY would have been far more expensive.
@lostaccount Thanks for telling me! I wouldn’t have thought that the state schools would be more expensive than private schools.
Did you apply to UCB’s MET program? It’s very good and is a dual degree of EECS and Haas Business. I think you have a good chance of getting accepted.
It is not because they are need blind (most colleges are), but because they (a) do not have as many financially needy students, and (b) have a lot of money to give good financial aid to those who are financially needy.
@jenny001
No, I did not apply to UCB’s MET program because I don’t think I can handle to coursework. In addition, my friend at UCB doing EECS said the MET students are miserable and I would rather have a happy undergraduate life than a stressed out one (i’ve already went through hell for the last 4-5 years). I hope your son can get into great summer programs he is applying to this year!
@ucbalumnus
Thanks for the insight!
I thought most students attend large need-blind schools but most schools are small, need-aware. ???