Hey everyone! This is my first post and I think that this is the best thread to come to! UIUC is my one true love and there’s nothing I want more than to attend this university.
Decision: REJECTED
Major: Environmental Economics and Policy
ACT: 29
GPA: 3.3 weighted
Class rank: Does not report
ECs: Varsity wrestling captain, tons of volunteering hours, 2 sport athlete, Publicity President for drama club, and I was in all of my schools theater productions and choir. As well as I go to one of the top ranked public high schools in the state of illinois. I am also the founder of a political activist group that has reached hundreds of citizens in the chicago land area. Have directed and organized hundreds of letters to congressman on behalf of different legislation.
Class Load: 5 AP and 4 Honors classes
I was told that I was rejected due to a low GPA despite my test scores putting me in the top 25% of my applicant pool to my major. I am appealing to ACES and was wondering if anyone had any advice on what I could do to try to get my decision reversed as I feel that I am an extremely qualified applicant. HELP PLEASE!
My son graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree in May of this year. Early Decision/Action was available when he applied. During a visit in his senior year of high school, we spoke with one of the admission representatives and we were told that after awhile all of the applications and essays begin to look alike. Every one of the applicants is a top student based on GPA and ACT or SAT scores, has a long list of the SAME extracurriculars, UIUC is their “Dream” school, they have a “passion” for the major, they have the same kinds of study abroad experiences, etc, etc. All strong applicants, but all of the applications and essays look the same and pretty soon the selection becomes “Eeny Meeny Miny Moe —can’t keep all of them—some must go”. We were told that in order to get in, my son had to write a unique essay to make himself stand out from all the other applicants. My son had a high school GPA of ~3.8 or 3.9 but he only took the ACT once (score 27)—to be honest, that is a terrible ACT score for engineering admission (at the bottom of admissions four years ago) but he wasn’t interested in taking it again. HOWEVER, being from OOS gave him the advantage that his extracurriculars and his experiences during his high school years were completely unique. He had something to write about. He wrote two fabulous essays using two past experiences which were unique. One was peripherally related to his choice of major. The other wasn’t related to his major at all but showed the admission officer his personality and character. I think his essays helped him stand out from all of the other students. He was admitted without being waitlisted or deferred. He was done with the application nightmare and did not apply to any other schools. This won’t help anyone here, but future applicants must be sure that their applications do not look like 100’s or 1000’s of others.
@lolonimous My daughter only got emails from school. International applicants will not receive hard copy of Notice of Admission letters. The letter will appear in your portal.
@ccyen328 I know about that. I was asking if anyone received the Notice of Admission letter on their portals. My bad, I should have phrased the question properly.
Congratulations! This letter serves to formally offer you admission to the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign. We officially welcome you into the Mathematics and Computer Science program
in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for the Fall 2017 semester.
Now it’s time to uncover the endless opportunities you’ll have at Illinois and how you can make your
experience here a transformative one. Check out our blog at blog.admissions.illinois.edu to hear the
many ways students are making the most of their time here.
Important details about your offer of admission are located on the other side of this letter. Before
beginning your Illinois experience, you also need to complete your Admitted Student Checklist, found
in myIllini. Make sure to review everything carefully, as this will help you make a smooth transition. If
you have any questions, email us at admissions@illinois.edu or call us at 217-333-0302.
In the meantime, take a moment to let it all sink in. You’ve just been offered admission to one of the
most storied universities in the nation, and that’s a really big deal. Welcome to the Illinois family!
Sincerely,
Andy Borst, Ph.D.
Director of Undergraduate Admissions
Accepted
Engineering mechanics
James Scholar and Chancellor Scholar
ACT: 35, 34 on math and science
SAT: 1530, 800 on chem and math II
APs: AP Chem, Calc BC, Lang, APUSH, all 5s, taking AP Bio, Physics, Lit this year
GPA: 3.96/4.0
ECs: band, track, quiz bowl, won state science fair
Essays: I wrote about how I like science and engineering
Hooks: um
Instate, white male
When did you guys apply ?
This is what it says for me
Status
Status: Complete
Your decision will be available on February 3, 2017. We will consider any additional test scores that are received by our office prior to your decision being posted.