Hey guys, I recently got rejected from Purdue and UIUC for cs
I mostly have good grades but had a 28 on my ACTs.
No specific EC but quite a few overall
Very strong recommendation letters
Strong essays
I’m freaking out now because having gotten two rejections, I’m not hopeful for good news from others. Help me out
Purdue and UIUC are reaches for CS. Hopefully you applied to some matches and at least one affordable safety.
Where else have you applied?
What is your math ACT score?
Many colleges that have overall high acceptance rates are reaches for CS. You just found two of them. A UIUC admissions officer told DD this past fall that their CS acceptance rate was only 12%. Purdue University isn’t much higher.
Hopefully you applied to some actual match and safety schools that you can afford. If not, there are some rolling admissions schools still accepting applications. MSOE just opened a $33 million building dedicated to CS. Great little rolling admissions college, and the undergraduate CS majors can use their supercomputer too.
If you are out of state they are very big reaches. My DS’s HS had a 4.0/36 rejected from UIUC CS.
UIUC and Purdue really should be considered reach schools for OOS CS applicants. Hopefully you also applied to some match and safety schools that appear affordable and that you would be excited to attend. Good luck going forward.
Did you apply to UW-Madison? It’s probably the only top CS school left in the US where it isn’t extremely difficult to get in to as undeclared yet where it is still pretty easy to declare for the CS major once you are in. All the other top CS schools either admit by major (so are very tough to get in to as a CS major) or are Ivies/equivalents that are very tough to get in to for anyone (unhooked).
Even in-state! My S20 was rejected from UIUC CS with a 36/1600/3.94 UW/lots of APs. Crazy!
I’ve gotten into my safeties so I’m not in an extremely bad situation but I hoped to be able to get into a better school.
I had 25 Math, 29 Science
I’ve gotten into my safeties so I’m not in an extremely bad situation but I hoped to be able to get into a better school.
I had 25 Math, 29 Science
I didn’t apply to Madison. I applied to the UCs and a few others. I’m screwed, I think
If you got in to your safeties and aren’t in an extremely bad situation, why do you think you’re “screwed”?
What universities did you get into? What’s your budget and what’s your net cost at each university that admitted you?
What State do you live in?
https://www.cs.wisc.edu/undergraduate/ba-bs-in-compsci/ indicates that they made it a little harder than it used to be (C grade in one CS course), but not that hard: grade of BC (2.5) in the second CS course, 2.250 GPA in that course and calculus 2.
That’s because my parents wanted me to get into one the good ones. High expectations have me ‘screwed’ 
I got into a couple outside the US. I’m an international student. American but have lived outside my whole life
To clarify, are you a US citizen but just living internationally?
CS is so very competitive, and you have to be realistic given the 25 Math ACT score.
Please do answer @MYOS1634’s questions in #11…it will allow posters to give their best advice and make good recommendations.
Several US schools are still accepting applications (although CS might be tough) as well.
What is your budget?
Yes, that is correct. US citizen, living internationally.
There is no set budget. It won’t be a problem. I can attend school where I live but I would rather go in the States. The problem right now is getting into a good one, I’ll obviously be applying for aid but it won’t be an issue if I don’t get that.
Moreover, I will be retaking the tests this year, hoping for a transfer to the States next year if I don’t get in right now.
Tests are likely to be cancelled soon. However aiming for a 32 would help getting into the universities you aimed for. Keep in mind it can be harder to get into a university as a transfer than as a freshman. You won’t get aid if you don’t apply for it when you apply for Admissions and international transfers very rarely if ever get any.
Yes, I guess everything will be postponed.
I will do that. Thank you for all your help