UIUC Current CS Student Ask Me Anything

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
1

Congrats everyone who got in EA!
I’m bored on a train heading to Chicago, so I guess I’ll just take questions about anything at UIUC. I will try to answer to the best of my ability.

About me:
Current Sophomore CoE CS
Admission Stats:
3.85/4.55 UW/W GPA
36 ACT
No Extracurriculars

2

Is it fairly easy (i.e., meeting a certain GPA, taking pre reqs) to transfer from one major to another within the same college (i.e., LAS)?

3

It depends on the major and college usually. However for LAS specifically it is pretty easy to transfer between majors and I know plenty of people who did.

4

Applied EA and got deferred notification to UIUC CS program.

  1. Do you know roughly what % of deferred get accepted?
  2. I saw in the forums, several got accepted into ECE/Comp Engg with my profile (2300SAT/4.1WGPA). Both CS and CE programs at UIUC look good. Is it possible for me to request for CE major while my application is still being reviewed for Feb decision? (if so how can I do). Thanks
5

@sam529

  1. In the last 2 years they announced EA and RD at the same time to try to reduce the amount of deferrals. I have no idea why they decided to go back to this system, but unfortunately I dont have an answer about the percentage. However, I do know that a deferral isnt just a soft no (EDIT: this is assuming what held true 3 years ago still does now) and there are upperclassmen who were deferred but got in, so it's not hopeless.
  2. In general, I think you can just email an admissions counselor (there should be a link on myIllini if they're still using it), however both the CS and CE departments really look down on people just using CE as a stepping stone to CS. I'm pretty sure the school wont let you choose CE as a secondary major if you have CS as a primary and vice versa. Still, I'd email a counselor and see what they have to say about it.
6

Thanks that helps. Do you have any info about incoming freshman profile for the CS program. Only info I was able to find is avg ACT at https://cs.illinois.edu/about-us/statistics. I wanted to check my chances and where my profile fits (2300SAT/4.1WGPA with good sci/math AP course rigor, two science/math SATs 800, 780, tech internship, ECs)

7

It seems departments here dont publish this data, I couldn’t find it snooping around the department’s website or through the private CS Advising message board. There’s this, but I don’t know how helpful it is, since different majors in CoE (and LAS CS) have different selectivity: https://admissions.illinois.edu/Apply/Freshman/profile

If I took an uneducated stab, your SAT score and grades are about the average, rigor looks good, SAT subject tests aren’t looked at (unless this has changed then nm), and the EC/internships should help. I’d put it at a crapshoot, maybe 45/55 chance of getting in, but once again this is just me guessing.

8

Hi! I was wondering if you recommend choosing university housing or one of the private certified options for freshman year? Also which hall do you think is the best from university housing?? I’m thinking about choosing Nugent Hall because of the Honors LLC, but I haven’t done much research about the other halls…

9

Got a mail from illinois saying that becase of a competitive major choosen the decision has been deferred . However they appreciate the hugh academic credentials. Will sending a mail to admission counsellor saying how passinate for CS help?

10

@shs1321 I personally lived at Lincoln Avenue (LAR) my freshman year and then moved into an apartment with some friends. Nugent is very nice and probably the best dorm albeit more expensive. Wassaja and Bousfield are also recently built dorms if you’re looking for that. These are all in the Ike, on the southwest side of campus, so if you’re not in business, it will be about a 10min walk or a bus ride to get to the main quad. Note that the “nice” dorms tend to fill up with upperclassmen who get a choice before you do, and then you get a random date to choose with all the other freshmen, unless you get into an LLC. I got the 4th day (out of 8) and all that was left was LAR,PAR,FAR, and Snyder. As for location, ISR and Busey-Evans (BE is female only) are the closest to the quad, each a block away, ISR is closer to the Engineering Quad. All the dorms are fine though, it just comes down to what you can get. Here’s a good resource to look at: http://www.housing.illinois.edu/Living-Options/Residence-Halls/Undergraduate-Halls

I don’t know much about PCH other than Hendrick is good and Illini Tower is not, and Bromley is full of pre-frat/pre-sorority people.

11

@USUG21 Probably not, since almost everyone who applied is also passionate for CS, but it can’t hurt. If you feel like you can be persuasive go for it!

12

Unfortunately that’s all the time I have, thanks for the questions!