My son is a Jr at a Chicago suburban school ranked 36 in Illinois.
He would like to attend the Management Entrepreneurship program in the College of Business at UIUC.
Unfortunately he is not a great test taker. His ACT is 22 and his GPA is about 3.3/4.0
Some of his strengths: At his school he has taken two years of entrepreneurship classes. He played tennis his freshman year and then switched to swimming and water polo. He has taken 4 years of Mandarin. He has taken a few AP classes. He plays guitar at the children’s program at a nearby mega-church. He is actually a great kid and I am proud of him.
The negatives are his ACT and GPA.
This summer he will start taking classes at the local jr. college: he will take speech and introduction to computers. I have shared with him how important it will be to get As and he is committed to doing his best.
I am trying to figure out how to help him.
I would like to take a tour of UIUC this summer. We will try to get to meet an Instructor for the entrepreneurship program. I will ask my son to come up with a 30 second 'elevator presentation'. The summer is generally more relaxed at . Who knows. Maybe a contact will help.
My son will apply this summer for UIUC early admission. The likelihood is not great. But his school is competitive and it might be easier to get into early admission. He will write an essay which highlights his strengths and describes his weaknesses.
If this doesn't work I have asked my son to consider the local jr. college. He will probably transfer in 3-4 AP classes and if he takes summer school this year and next year he should have 30 credit hours by Dec 2018. He could then apply again for Fall 2019 admission without the ACT score.
If that doesn't work he could continue with on his associates degree following the UIUC transfer guide classes and just keep on applying. At the local jr college I will suggest he gets involved in the student government and also with the small business administration (they have an office at the jr college).
Any advice on these strategies (other than I am an insane helicopter parent)? Like I said, he is actually a really great kid. I would like to help him succeed.
Yeah it definitely might be tough with that gpa/act. I definitely suggest taking a tour as I thought I loved a school, but visited and didn’t love the campus. The opposite also happened with my most likely future school when I visited and then fell in love. One thing to note is there isn’t really “early admission” at UIUC just a priority deadline which I’m guessing the high majority of applicants make. I think aiming for a jr. college and transferring is probably the best plan if he doesn’t get in so long as he does well at the jr college. Best of luck!
Unfortunately the GPA and test score that you provide makes it unlikely he will be admitted as a freshman to UIUC’s College of Business, one of the hardest UIUC colleges to get into (its freshman admission rate has lately been under 40%), or even to the university in general.To have a real chance, he would need to significanly raise his GPA by end of junior year (senior year grades are not considered in determining freshman admission) and get a much higher test score. Also, as to your numbered points:
!. Visiting is advisable to see what it is like. However, those visits have no impact on whether one will or will not be admitted. Demonstrated interest in UIUC is not a factor used in detemining admission.
UIUC has no early action or early decision program. The application period begins in September and ends December 1. Those who apply by November 1 (the priority date) will be considered before others for honors programs, but otherwise applying early has no impact. All are informed of the admission decision in early February.
3 and 4. Going the CC route and then applying as a transfer is a potenital avenue, and possibly his only chance, but be aware the College of Business’s admission rate for transfer students has lately been about 12% and the college GPA range of those admitted as transfers to College of Business has typically been from 3.6 to 4.0 and even that does not assure admission.
Have him get into an ACT class and retake it. A few times if needed. Consider tutoring here. Focus on that FIRST. He is going to have difficulty with that ACT at schools far less selective than Uof I.
Make sure his class selection this semester are set up to optimize an improvement in his GPA. Get him tutoring here too in any class hurting him. Remember AP classes are zero benefit if they kill his GPA.
Consider an easy A summer school high school class to bring up his GPA if your school has them.
If his GPA and ACT are not brought up. His chances are not good. The EC activities will not matter. That said try to get some leadership and volunteer work in to round out the ECS as well.
I’m not completely sure how hard it is to get into the College of Business, but I was recently accepted to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for a major in Biology. My GPA wasn’t that high (3.3) because I didn’t really try for my first three years of high school, but I have a lot of ECS (football, lacrosse, etc.) and really good essays (I’d rate them at least 9/10) that could have better my chances. I also did two months of ACT tutoring and got a 28 my first time and a 29 my second time.
For my senior year, I am taking three AP classes (Computer Science, Economics, and Biology) and doing really well in them because I decided to actually give this year my all. So that might have looked good on my mid year report.
Again, I don’t know if it’s harder to get into the College of Business than LAS, but thought it might be helpful for you to see some of the stats of someone who was accepted with not so great grades. I’m also from out of state. Best of luck!
^^^good for you Wesley that you set a goal for yourself and succeeded. Congratulations. First…it is harder to get into business. Engineering and business are the most selective. …some say business is more selective than engineering (albeit lower average stats) because its a smaller school. I hear its about a 30% acceptance rate. Of course the op …if he could get his act to a 28 or 29…might get into DGS and then hope his grades are goid enough to get into business for his sophomore year. However that us very difficult and the op said he isnt a good test taker…which will directly impact grades. Of course nothing is impossible and he should definitely apply. If op is 1st in family to h o to college or URM that would help.
Agree with above poster who stressed retaking the ACT after significant prep work. I had my son take 5 full length practice ACT tests and he also took all of the after school prep the HS offered which helped him get a 33. As for summer courses, I suggest business courses such as accounting which is important for any entrepreneur and will demonstrate interest in the field of business.
RHorn1-Now that the class of '16 is narrowing down on final college selections, the process turns to the class of '17. I’m from the Chicago suburbs, wrapping up details for my graduating senior - he’s in. You want the best options for your son, so I hope some local suggestions will help you. The conventional wisdom is that geography makes it tougher for the suburban applicant.
First off, UIUC is a tough acceptance to get, especially from your area. I agree with other posters, that the stats for your son are not encouraging and even acceptance to DGS with stronger scores on the ACT is far from a sure thing. Transferring into certain colleges from DGS, including Business and Engineering, is a long shot-just look at the stats. For so many students and their parents, direct admit to the desired program is a must. No direct admit, and the school is off the list. That said, anyone should bring their best and make the application if they so choose.
Use your resources to get your son ready for the search and application process. Note that because he’s a junior, he can’t bring much more to the table. Sixth semester grades will be done in a couple of months, there’s still testing opportunities, and senior courses can be finalized. For many schools, including UIUC, you’re all done and in with the first application deadline-this fall it was Nov. 1 for U of I. Start with your school counselors and go to every event regarding college planning that your school offers-go scattergram crazy and know how students from your school fare. Enlist those resources to come up with target schools, ranging from reach to safety schools, including factors such as finance and college plan options, such as starting elsewhere and attempting a transfer. Opinions on those options are going to be at odds-it’s good for some, and no way, no how for others. If you can, rely heavily on your son’s counselor to drill down and assess HIS profile and possibilities and help you come up with a strategy - be specific for UIUC.
That said, UIUC states that it’s admissions are holistic; unlike other schools, clearing a bar with test scores and GPA doesn’t assure admission, and admissions provides stats on ranges of scores and grades for admitted students. Be real-to have a chance, applicants had to be of a certain caliber. Business had a bumper year for Fall 2016 applications and it was very competitive-the wise applicant set expectations in advance of decision day. Have options and backups to the reach school, whether that’s a specific UIUC major/college or another school. Best of luck, and I hope your son has the nice problem of multiple good choices and options next spring!