<p>Dear CC friends, </p>
<p>I applied to UIUC, UWM, PSU, UNC Chapel Hill, UC's (UCLA, UCB, UCSD, UCI, UCSB) </p>
<p>I got rejected from UIUC and I was so curious to find out why I got rejected so I called the admission counselor in UIUC.
She said "your composite SAT score 1980 and IBT 112 are great! But your high school coursework is very poor!". I said "Have you read the additional comments I wrote?(the comments were about how our high school has A-level system and how competitive it is to get good internal scores)". She said "yes, we take that into consideration." </p>
<p>It's funny to judge me but I'm an international student who has great extracurricular activities and essays but not academic stats(high school records). By the way, my academic stats are just average in my high school. </p>
<p>Does this mean I'm going to get rejected from all unis I applied?? since high school coursework is important??? </p>
<p>Your SAT looks fine. I am sure that high school coursework matters a lot despite the fact that you are doing A-level (I am doing A-level too) but I believe that you still have a decent shot at all these schools due to extracurriculars and essays. Just wait it out and pray I guess. Only time will tell if you get in or not and really, no one here on CC can tell you exactly what will happen in the future (we can’t read the minds of the admissions officers after all!). Just hope for the best, being depressed will get you nowhere while being hopeful can calm your nerves and keep you going well. Good luck!</p>
<p>For UIUC, it depends on the program you applied. Your SAT is fine for admission overall, but low for many programs like engineering. Also, UIUC does not want recommendation or other support material, so any weakness in scores or grades may have more impact than other schools. Your essay is the only thing that may help.</p>
<p>Thank you so much altolime and billcsho for cheering me up! </p>
<p>Don’t lose hope! I’m not sure about most of those schools, but I know some of the UCs aren’t all about grades. They’ll read your essays, and will see what a bright and wonderful person you are. Don’t let one rejection get you down. 
</p>