<p>So, my sister goes to UIUC, I have no real intention of going there, but my mom wanted me to fill in an application. I have pretty good numbers 4.1 weighted GPA and 34 ACT, I wrote ok essays too. So I get to the EC's and it requests for you to list the EC, the sponsor, and sponsor contact information. How the heck am I supposed to know that stuff? So then I see that there is no red star by it, so I guess it's optional. Considering I have no real shot at scholarships, I figured why waste my time, so I just submitted it without EC's.</p>
<p>Is there a chance that I would be rejected for not bothering to fill this in in spite of my acceptable numbers? I think that would be kind of funny actually.</p>
<p>Yes, ntg4, to satisfy your insatiable curiosity about the fate of your application to a school you care nothing about, you will likely get rejected for being lazy and apathetic. I've had admissions counselors tell me they have rejected people with a 36 on the ACT for making stupid mistakes on their applications that showed they weren't especially interested in attending UIUC. The spot you probably would have been offered had you just taken a few days to gather phone numbers will go to someone else with a 4.1 weighted GPA and 34 ACT who actually took the time to put in just a little bit of effort. Now stop asking a question the answer to which is apparently obvious to everyone but you.</p>
<p>I think it would be ridiculous if you got accepted, but who knows? </p>
<p>I'm sure that there are plenty of kids with GPAs below yours and ACT scores below yours who will be given admission offers, because they actually care about being accepted. An application makes you very transparent as an individual; your desire to actually go to the school becomes incredibly evident. Additionally, there are PLENTY of kids with higher ACT scores than yours and better GPAs who took time on their applications. What makes you so special, that you have 2 numbers which suggest traces of intelligence?</p>
<p>And I hate to judge you, but it sounds like your carelessness will probably be evident on applications for other, "better" schools. I doubt the admission officers will be impressed; good luck.</p>
<p>No actually the reason I don't want to go to Illinois is because it seems "too elitist" for my liking. I want to go to a place that actually wants me for what I can bring to a school, not because I have impressive extracirriculars. If Illinois rejects me because I do not fulfill their ideal student who has joined 20 clubs just to try to impress them, then it is not the kind of school I want to go to. </p>
<p>I know I come off as a jerk here, but my actual intentions are to rebel against the demands of the system. I don't feel as if I need to impress colleges. The other colleges I applied to had easy to fill in extracirriculars, they didn't ask for specific hours and contacts. It seemed to me as if U of I was trying to flex its muscle by saying "Our school is so good, we need to analyze every detail of everything you have ever done in your entire life to decide whether or not you are good enough to go to our school."</p>
<p>And I was being mildly sarcastic in this post in reference to all the people on this site who think their life is defined by whether or not they get accepted to a certain college. It all seems highly overrated to me. My sister is about to graduate with a degree from U of I, and she'll be lucky if she even gets a job. Meanwhile, people earn big money straight out of community college. What college you attend is highly overrated in my opinion.</p>
<p>It may seem frustrating, but the easiest way for colleges to measure your potential for future involvement and contribution to the community is by gauging your CURRENT involvement and contribution to the community. Therefore, a high interest in clubs, organizations, and groups show this to the admission boards. If you think about it, it's not really that elitist. Good colleges are giving a marketable degree and information to you in exchange for money and the possibility that you will bring more business to the college by doing good work in the future. It's a business, nearly like any other, and it's economical. You need to market yourself and make yourself a commodity. It's just how the world works.</p>
<p>Oh, and try to avoid believing that a community college education is equivalent to an education from a top-ranking school. While some individuals are more bound for success (and may indeed thrive with a community college education), in nearly any situation, a prestigious degree will amplify that individual's potential for success. Top-ranking schools have a much wider breadth of research, collaboration, and usually, financial resources. A good degree makes it easier to get where you're headed in life.</p>
<p>At my school, there is one teacher with 7 years experience with a bachelor's from Illinois Wesleyan and a teacher with 10 years experience with a master's from Harvard, and the salary difference is 8k only... And a teacher with a master's from Tufts earns roughly the same as a teacher with a bachelor's from EIU... The two teacher's who went to the "elite" colleges both complain the whole time about still paying off their student loans. </p>
<p>Not to mention the gym teacher who went to Drake earns 20 k more than the Harvard Physics teacher.</p>
<p>In lots of fields, it really doesn't matter which 4 year university you go to.</p>
<p>that's cause teachers are all in unions...depending on their level of experience and level of degree, they have to be paid at the same rate. if they got paid according to what uni their degree is from, they'd be sued 20 different ways for discrimination and violation of contract. also, those teachers who advise clubs or coach sports get a certain amount added to their paycheck for each activity they are involved in. the school name on your degree though, does matter when job-hunting. If a Fortune 500 company is hiring fresh graduates, they are far more likely to seriously consider someone from a well-known 4-year university over a community college.</p>
<p>and I believe UIUC requires such a detailed listing of EC's cause they only want people to put activities they really were involved in. a student can SAY they were involved in 5 different clubs, but they might actually have just gone to the first meeting for the clubs and counted that as being 'involved'</p>
<p>by providing hours and contact info, there is at least a better chance of the applicant being truthful.</p>
<p>It's dangerous to believe that the name of the school on a degree doesn't matter. It's idealistic and does not reflect the way that things work in the real world. Unless you want to teach classes, spin pots, or be in a jazz band, it does matter. Statistically speaking, there is a generally large income gap between graduates from top-ranking schools and graduates from lesser-ranking schools.</p>