Yes, ELC is considered as one of the 14 factors in the admission review and this has more weightage than ELS (statewide eligibility).
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Makes sense and they are probably trained to speed read.
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In the words of Andy Borst, the Director of Admissions at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Reading applications is taking longer this year. It takes time to implement new admissions processes and to consider the additional context of the COVID-19 pandemic in studentsâ educational environments.
This year we implemented a process for students to be considered for admission, scholarships, and honors without test scores. Many students have P/F grades in their 2nd semester of the junior year and activities & part-time jobs have been disrupted.
We moved our Early Action deadline from Nov 1 to Nov 15. We also suspended our EA notification period to give us more time to see the whole pool. Over half of our applications came in during the last two days before the deadline.
Students on A2C Reddit are checking their myIllini portal in the hopes that we will post decisions today. Despite our 100+ readers working really hard, we are nowhere near ready to post. Everyone will find out in mid-February.
To get decisions out today, our options would have been to 1) auto deny more students based on âlowerâ grades (w/o considering context), or 2) defer more students to without reading their files. You worked hard, we need more time to give your efforts due consideration.
I know many students want to receive an admissions decision as soon as possible, but most UIUC students accept their offer of admission in March and April.
Students who applied by the EA deadline will receive priority (though not exclusive) consideration for admission to our most selective programs. During a global pandemic, we could all use a little grace. We will have decisions ready for you soon.
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I think itâs great that they are being so transparent. Just a casual observation but it seemed like some hyper selectives may have focused more on filling their institutional priority buckets in the early round and made more deferrals this year instead of pushing out the early decision date.
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Those are the types of hooks I have always been told get you in - state (at a minimum), national or international recognition in well known competitions. Also legacy helps a bunch at most Ivys.
S accepted with good merit at U Mass Amherst and my husband and his coworkers are being vaccinated at work today. No honors college unfortunately.
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Congratulations!
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Had to come back to this forum because I was getting too mad at the entitled, arrogant parents in another thread. I like it here!
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Are you by chance talking about the âwas TO a disserviceâ thread?
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HmmmâŠpossiblyâŠ
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@Creaky you donât know how often I have to roll my eyes on this website. Sometimes I wish I could meet some in person and say hello to them.
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A few rambling thoughts.
I kind of get it on the focused ECâs, but at the same time a lot of these schools, especially the LACâs, donât even have the kids formally declare a major until second sememster soph year so they take some time to dabble and figure things out. I had my major figured out by then I guess, but I didnât know what I wanted to be when I grew up until I was 30. I thought I did, but I was wrong. Most of these kids are too.
Itâs hard to compare kids and their results, because they all bring different things to the table. D21 was from an underrepresented state, turned in a test score probably within a point of the median accepted either way, and had a great class rank and a bunch of APâs. She was also very busy with numerous ECâs. I think all of those things worked in her favor.
But she also submitted no AP tests, has VP in one organization as her highest office, and her 3 main ECâs are all unrelated to each other and to her major. The biggest time commitment was to travel soccer, and she did not attempt to be recruited so no hook there. I do not think her essays were exceptional, although taken together I think they do paint a picture of a deeply caring kid who is a bit of a peacemaker, which after the 2020 election is probably a welcome skill on any campus. She listed pre-med as her second interest after History major, and the only medical related things on her resume were AP Bio, AP Chem, and a medical careers class she has coming up this spring. She qualified for the state contest in a couple of unimpressive activities, not much else for awards. Demonstrated interested interest was one info session/tour Zoom, plus one Zoom session that was an Amherst/Brown combo.
Not full pay, not URM.
Accepted ED Amherst.
It is hard to say why one kid gets in and another doesnât. Maybe she had a reader who found something that really spoke to her in the application. Maybe they just really wanted to be sure to get at least one kid from our state, and they could lock her down in ED. But I think she is not alone in getting into a tough admit without necessarily checking all of the boxes that a $5,000 consultant would make sure she checks.
Conversely, some kids are on the other end of that, and I feel for them, and for those of you who are their parents. My kid was on the winning end this go around, but Iâm not going to say it was because she was better or more deserving. I think she was deserving and is a great kid, but so were many who were deferred or denied. There is definitely a random factor involved in selective admissions. So besides everything else working in her favor, she got lucky. We are very aware of that.
My point to this rambling essay I guess is to not get discouraged. You may be worried about some flaw in your childâs app. Trust me, they all have chinks in their armor. The only ones who donât are clearly packaged and have been guided towards preparing the perfect app since 9th grade or earlier, which in and of itself is a bit of a negative.
Keep your head up, and keep them working on apps. It would be nice to have 10 places to choose from May 1, but the reality is they only need one. Apply to several schools across the spectrum of selectivity where they could be happy and your kiddo will end up in a great place in August.
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@Creaky I just scrolled through that thread for the first time (and probably last!)âŠwow. WOW.
The crazy train has left the station.
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I would highly recommend avoiding the âis a 4.0 really a 4.0?â thread as well.
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Iâm kinda like AO, except that I spend 7 milliseconds on a thread title to ascertain whether I want to click on it. My brain said donât click on the â4.0â thread. But then again, who doesnât love a âtrain wreck.â
I do get a real kick out of the UofC threads. Talk about âbrand ambassadors.â 
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LOCI- anyone know /have a template that they can point me to?
thanks!
S21 is in at Case Western w/ merit aid! Feels good knowing he has a solid, affordable option. Heâs been having a tough time lately â heâs an extrovert who really misses the social interaction of the classroom. Maybe the âwe expect you to maintain your academic performanceâ section of the acceptance letter will provide some extra needed motivation, fingers crossed!
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On the other hand, it can be quite satisfying to leave snarky replies while remaining anonymous. On bad days, it puts a little spring in my step. 
@Curiosa2 Congrats to your son!
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@Curiosa2 same in our household⊠son got into CW last night which was his first acceptance and a big morale boost. He was deferred ED last week from his #1 choice - a reach - so we are all happy that he has a strong option. It eliminates other schools he has ranked lower so therefore narrows the range of possibilities. After being on these boards for a few months and seeing the highs and lows of other families, it felt good to experience some of the upside.
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My D had mixed results this week⊠deferred from a high reach (but at least it was not top of her list) and accepted at Case with merit. So she is now 3 for 4. She is grateful to have some solid options at this point. Happy holidays, everyone!
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