If I can go on a luxurious ski trip and fund a help save the planet earth expedition, I’m pretty sure I can afford any college. I already did the EFC and was wondering why FAFSA is even required to graduate. I went to the same law school as Pritzker, where many pay out of pocket full price. We work in a field where finance is one of our many strengths (maybe not figuring out college apps for top schools in the 21st C). Unfortunately, we will not qualify for aid, based on what we make. We made many surprising gains this year, one can say an unfortunate thing if we were hoping for aids and grants, but it’s okay if all our windfall goes their way—if they get to the college of their choice. 
If they missed the UIUC EA deadline, it’s problematic for more majors than just CS, as some fill up in the EA round (EA applicants have preference even though admission decisions for both RD and EA are released at the same time).
Adding further uncertainty (which keeps counselors up at night) is that this is UIUC’s first year on the common app so their applications are likely up significantly. They are also targeting a class of 600-800 fewer students this year because they are overenrolled for class of 2025, so that will result in several thousand fewer acceptance as compared to last year.
ETA: you don’t have to file FAFSA in Illinois, there is a waiver form that you can fill out which fulfills the Ill HS FAFSA graduation requirement.
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I’ll second WPI and RIT as suggestions for good match schools. I know several very bright kids that attend both. Unfortunately the tippy top schools have too few slots for all the exceptional applicants they get. Unless a kid is a recruited athlete, an international academic prize winner or “hooked” in some other way, chances of admission are low.
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Did all of them get 1500+ SATs? That is an astonishing number of the supposed 1%.
I have friends with similar view, “I did my college applications myself without help, my kids can/should, too.”
Gap year, transfer etc., many options as kids mature.
Agree.
My observation, 1500+ SAT more common when colleges superscore.
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You’ve received great advice and I wouldn’t be so dismissive of others suggestions around figuring out EFC- particularly since you mentioned being willing to sell your home.
My son is on spectrum- it definitely wasn’t mentioned in guidance counselor letter or any of his materials. He has ACT 36, straight A’s, 11-13 APs and very similar ECs to yours- I wouldn’t have banked on any T20 being a sure thing.
I added many of the schools offered on this thread as I, too, was naïve going into all of this. Good luck.
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You can’t or shouldn’t “craft” your kids applications. They should accurately reflect your kids strengths and limitations if their college experience is to be successful.
You are up against deadlines and frankly all over the place with the mention of your ski trip, unrealistic calibration as to the “quality” of the competition (all kids had “crushing burdens”), and insistence on a top program.
First and foremost identify several attainable safety and target schools. Dig deep and quick and make sure they are not just ok with you but of interest to your children.
Second work with them on cleaning up the applications as best as possible without being heavy handed or manufacturing ECs. That is a recipe for disaster.
Use your time wisely and once apps are submitted contemplate a fall back plan including a gap year if needed. Meaning don’t waste time. Consider how would the year be spent so that it is useful and impactful.
Lastly don’t waste your shot. If you submit substandard apps to lots of schools and get rejected it is harder to reapply and gain acceptance.
In summary forget all the hyperbole and focus on the task at hand with a realistic set of assumptions. Sorry for the blunt response but you have hours to complete what typically takes months. Good luck.
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Grainger’s mid 50% SAT range was 1440-1540 over the last 3 years. It’s higher in the last year than 3 years ago, and CS is on the higher end of the range. Test scores are a relatively small part of the admissions decision, and have been de-emphasized since UIUC went TO.
The CS 4% acceptance rate came directly from admissions, for class of 2024. That’s Grainger CS only, it doesn’t include the CS plus majors in LAS. UIUC is one of the preeminent CS programs in the entire world.
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Thank you for your advice. I write extensive memoranda of law and briefs overnight for a living (and win), it’s kind of my mindset, 24 hours to produce quality work, worthy of filing in court. This is a different ballgame. By crafting, I meant polishing the wording or description of an activity and putting in everything they actually accomplished.
“Selling my house” when there are many is my euphemism for being committed to funding their education. We worked hard for this all our lives, saved, invested, etc.
I guess things have changed A LOT since the eighties.
Stanford receives roughly 55,000 applications a year and has an acceptance rate of 4% or less. And those are not 55,000 applications from “average” high school students — only top students bother to apply.
Of the 4% who are accepted:
About 14% are athletes.
About 18% are first-generation college students.
About 12% are international students.
Of the rest, Stanford can carefully cull through its applicants to make sure the class is balanced between men and women and has students from every state (probably better to be from Wyoming than Illinois) and fills every institutional need (tuba player for the band, etc.). Oh — and then there are kids of alums in the mix.
Even if a student with great scores at the top of their high school class makes it through all that — the other kids left have some truly amazing stories to tell. They already have published research or books of poetry or have shows in prestigious art galleries or worked in the fields as a migrant farm worker as a child.
And every other top school is like that, too.
I don’t think anyone here doubts your kids are brilliant, hard-working, with a list of strengths and activities. I think my own kid is brilliant and could succeed at Stanford. That doesn’t mean an acceptance will be forthcoming.
It is not shameful for a stellar student to attend a state school. Many of those schools have all kinds of great programs designed to attract top scholars and they DO attract them. Not everyone can win the Top 20 lottery (or afford it). The 53,000 applicants who are not accepted to Stanford, etc. have to go somewhere. My stellar student is very likely to end up at one and will not become less stellar because of it.
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I would highly recommend you look at Rose-Hulman. I think it could be a great fit for your kids and is a hidden gem in the STEM world. Their placement after graduation is phenomenal, and I personally love how invested they are in their students. It would have been a no brainer for my son if their music department was more robust, and he’s still considering it anyway which says a lot. Additionally, if there are any particular schools where your kids would 100% commit if accepted, consider applying Early Decision (ED) to those. While many ED deadlines have passed, there are several schools who offer EDII with a January deadline.
My son has similar stats to your kids. He was only interested in small to medium sized schools though he applied to a couple of larger schools. He plans to major in CS and either double major or minor in Music (voice). Adding music was a curveball that changed his initial list from when he was only considering CS. Schools he eventually landed on: Carnegie Mellon, MIT, University of Rochester, Case Western, Rose-Hulman , Rensselaer (RPI), NC State, Univ of Colorado Boulder. He also considered RIT but ultimately chose not to apply. No matter what people tell you, NONE of those are safety schools, though your kids would have better chances at some than others. My son applied to a couple of state schools as safeties (and was quickly accepted). Schools look at so many variables when choosing who to accept, and those variables change every year. It’s also not uncommon for schools to defer high achieving students if they believe they are unlikely to actually attend.
Best of luck to you! There’s nothing worse than feeling like we’ve let our kids down. You could always consider a gap year, but I think your kids will land somewhere fantastic that is the right fit. Also, if you’re willing to spend the money, I think contacting a consultant would be a great idea. They could at least help narrow down their choices and provide guidance on filling out the applications appropriately, if there’s time. Feel free to message me privately if you would like a recommendation. I am NOT a consultant. 
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I’ve read every post here. I’m going to be blunt because I strongly get the sense that you aren’t understanding what people are telling you. I want you to understand just how difficult it is because I feel that your mindset is tippy top college or bust, and I’m pretty sure that isn’t possible at this point. It might be in another year.
Your sons are exceptional to you. They may not be exceptional to colleges. The competition is BRUTAL. By the time HYPMS have handed out all the spots to recruited athletes, children of faculty, URM, low SES, first gen to college, legacy students, geographically desirable, major award winners, and other hooked students, plus all the other kids accepted ED/EA, there are precious few spots left for students like yours. MIT got 20,075 applications for a place in the 2020-21 freshman class; just 1,457 were accepted. A very substantial number of those places were allocated EA. The vast bulk of applicants were left to fight it out in the RD round.
The kids who get in RD will have other things going for them besides grades and test scores. The kids with good grades, scores, and nothing else of particular note are a dime a dozen for the top schools, and especially the top majors. Kids who get in RD will stand out in some way. They will have interesting ECs, or exceptional writing skills. They will have spent many long hours crafting great essays and supplements. They may have hired a private counselor, but not necessarily. They will fill all those spots these schools are looking for. These spots are “institutional needs.” We have no way of knowing what those needs are.
Your kids need to show through their teacher recs (very important), essays, supplements, and the things they do that they “fit” what that school is looking for. They need to SHOW that school that they “get them.” Doing that takes a lot of research and time.
For now, if thy absolutely want to start college next fall, they needs safeties. All kids do. There are good suggestions here. I think RIT is an excellent choice. Sure, they can try another reach. We do read the occasional story of the kid who threw together a last minute app and got into a tippy top school, but that is very rare.
I’m not trying to disillusion you. Forewarned is forearmed. In your kids’ situation, I’d take a gap year and do some really cool and interesting things that will make AO’s sit up and take notice. Not just things you pay for, but things that show real initiative. Then they might have a shot.
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If they didn’t apply by the EA deadline to UIUC CS, it’s no longer a reach but virtually impossible. The spots have already been taken.
Yes things are completely different from the 80s.
In addition, CS is the most competitive field to get into at many if not most universities. Most applicants have a profile similar to your sons’. Most get turned down.
(Kids with 1150 SATs aren’t applying to CS at UIUC, GeorgiaTech, or any flagship, but aiming for the equivalent of SIU Carbondale.)
CSE is usually a bit less competitive and since they have an interest in robotics it may be a way to go at some universities.
Talk to them about fall backs. Can they imagine being completely shut out? The ASD kid may handle a full slate of rejections and even the social fallout better than his brother but it’s brutal.
Where would they be okay going to avoid a total (and, likely, public) wipe out? Would they be okay with Indiana, Iowa State, ASU Honors, Pitt, DePaul, RIT…? They need 3 from that list done TODAY. The apps are easy and you likely can all get it done in under 2 hours together.
Once that’s done, if only to “save face”, you can focus on the rest : gap year or apps to match and reach colleges.
Case Western Reserve is a TERRIFIC suggestion with a later deadline and, based on what you said, a good fit.
Is your son the athlete recruitable at D3 level?
Please read @lindagaff’s post (52). You can read her thread on the “average excellent” student if you have time, but trust what she’s telling you.
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Up thread you mentioned you personally funded a “save the planet earth expedition”and further up thread mentioned your kids most meaningful EC as having planted some trees “in exotic locations”.
I am sure you are an excellent litigator but unlike a trial college admissions are a relative assessment of abilities and potential contribution. Your “polishing” will likely translate to embellishment and may in fact harm your kids chances.
If a casual and untrained reader such as myself can see through an adults involvement so will a trained professional.
Once again I am being direct because you have limited time and seem determined to win an argument versus recalibrating. Regardless of how you approach this ultimately your child will have to go it solo once away at college and in life. You won’t be their to “polish” or litigate. Help them now by finding suitable alternatives.
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This.
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Just spitballing here, but perhaps this important enough to cancel the luxurious ski trip?
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I also want to add that you should focus on schools who do NOT require an essay outside of the one in CA. Many schools required anywhere between 1 and 5 supplemental essays. You just don’t have time for that if you’re trying to meet a Jan 1 deadline. I think Rose-Hulman and Case Western don’t require supplemental essays.
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Getting into a Top 20 at this point will be almost impossible. Instead of putting in shoddy applications now, it may be better to wait until next cycle. A rejection now will make a 2nd application more difficult.
Other options:
- Gap year - mentioned by many above
- Spring transfer (offered by some T20 including Cornell, MIT, RPI, etc)
- Foreign Universities - many have later deadlines (Imperial, Waterloo)
- Post Grad Year - many boarding schools offer this (essentially Grade 13)
I agree with others. Do not disclose the 2E or disabilities in the application. That doesn’t help, and only makes things more difficult. Ask the counselor to remove this protected information from their letter. Contact the disability offices of the colleges afterwards to see what they can offer.
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This also. The application should be the work of your kids, not your work product. If they don’t get into a school where you think they should be admitted, then hopefully that will be a lesson from which something can be learned.
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