Yes it’s frustrating but this is not the first time UIUC has done this type of admissions. In 2015 and again in 2016 they did it this way, so they know what to expect and they know what they’re risking. They also know applications will probably be through the roof just like they’ve been at every other highly ranked state university, especially for their top ranked programs and for those students who want to stay close by.
Somehow things always work out and with the number of students applying to Ivy Leagues and other prestigious colleges this year that won’t have decisions until late March or April, it ultimately won’t make much of a difference here. They would’ve lost the ED pool anyway and schools like Michigan are only releasing their EA a couple weeks before them. The benefit of EA for Illinois was for students to get preference into the more selective programs and have their applications looked at first and offered a spot before someone who applies RD. While this may not matter in a non capped major it most certainly does in Engineering or Business and the like.
Applicants of current cycle is unique ever in college admission history and certainly feel for high schoolers and parents who are all on board with their kids to support them with their best abilities. So everyone hang in tight and things will work out for everyone at the end.
I am proud of UIUC the way they handled the Covid crisis and managed the spread effectively on campus. Here is dashboard Historical On-Campus COVID-19 Testing & Vaccination Data Dashboard – COVID-19. Albeit current college students deserve equal credit for their disciplined behavior. They combined set an example for rest of colleges in country how to effectively manage. I want my kids to be safe first.
Agree that UofI’s pandemic response is admirable but that isn’t the point. By this time next year that will not be a differentiator. As an alum I feel let down by the university. This is about setting expectations. If you aren’t doing EA, then don’t do it.
To the point of keeping in-state talent with this policy - completely disagree. The talent is going to leave because they are getting EA responses earlier (and scholarship offers) Other than the Engineering school no one is going to wait.
I think you missed the marker being alum, UofI is a public university and its first priority is for its instate students, which is evident from policies being adopted in last few years.
EA: As others also have chimed in, the delay decision is not really affecting any final decision an applicant has to make. Its a known fact, OOS students don’t get generous scholarship either. I am not sure what kind of talent exactly you are referring here and how it really affects UofI just because other schools released EA/RD decision earlier.
I know first-hand of at least 3 in-state Illinois families that won’t wait for Illinois, especially because other state schools are bundling scholarship decisions with EA this year. I’m going to stop debating you because it’s clear that you will defend the University to the bitter end.
I am sorry you felt that way. I am not just defending university blindly, but bringing the facts.
Anecdotally I can cite more cases as well, but that is not the point.
3 families you are referring are making a mistake by rushing to whoever give admission first, I am certain no applicants or parents in their right mind will rush that kind of decisions while they are still waiting for other schools to release decision and if talent is indeed Ivy caliber, which will be known in March end.
Still you dodged to address the earlier questions “I am not sure what kind of talent exactly you are referring here and how it really affects UofI just because other schools released EA/RD decision earlier.”
Note “Another source of concern is the report’s finding that the highest achieving high-school graduates were most likely to leave Illinois for college.”
And yes you are defending the University - I suspect you work there, which is fine. And you aren’t bringing facts, simply assertions.
My bottom line continues to be the same - if you aren’t doing EA, simply remove it as an option for this year. It’s a more honest and transparent approach. Feel free to tell that to your dean of admissions. Better yet I will via Alumni Relations.
Illinois changing their EA date is not the reason we are losing good applicants. The reason we’re losing them is because UIUC doesn’t give merit money unlike many other OOS schools and for in staters it is outrageously expensive. I live in Illinois and my daughter got into CS here and Michigan but also applied for Business at another OOS top business school. She decided on the business school and all in because the school helps students gain residency after year 1 will wind up being cheaper than UIUC. First year as an OOS was Uber expensive but after that it’s outrageously cheap.
This is my 4th kid going to college and while I’d be happy with them going to UIUC none of them chose another school based on the deadline and no one really does that. The only decisions that are binding are ED. Any other decision can always be changed even after you pay the nominal deposit fee. People being lured away by other schools by money are being lured away because they don’t want to pay for the outrageously expensive in state school no matter what unless it is engineering or business with a few exceptions.
Glad you posted that link, I am sure you had read that article.
Few facts about article:
Article is from Sept 2017, 3+ years old, Covers the timeline of 2000 to 2014.
Article has NO reference of EA policy for this year (how can it be when written in 2017?)
Article rightfully talks about IL budget woes and how it affects exodus, as a fact lots of adults leaves IL too, but that is topic for another day.
As far as my affiliation with University goes it is stated very clearly at beginning of thread, I am a parent of current CS senior who will continue MS in 21-22 at UIUC. I am not paid a dime nor working in non-paid capacity for university. I am not an admission consultant either. I am here to help out students and their families and ofc, to debunk misinformation especially very popular in recent history.
Sure we can discuss faithfully merits of EA policy through various channels we have an access to, but we can’t simply falsify the impact without facts.
Thanks for sharing. My oldest D is a sophomore there now and found out before Christmas. This is so disappointing for my other daughter who worked hard to make sure she got her EA in on time and was under the first impression that a December decision would come. Only to find out recently that she now has to wait the same amount of time as the RD applications. Doesn’t seem fair?
I can feel that…to cover bases, I would have applied RD at other places as so many colleges have deadline Jan 1 for RD. I am equally curious to learn how university will figure out EA and RD announcement so close to each other and how they differentiate among selection.
Hopefully they post some FAQs on admission website to address these concerns.
I get it! So much up in the air for these kids this year in an already stressful time. Hopefully all of this will make them more resilient but it still doesn’t seem fair!
This application cycle is shaping up to be quite the doozy so far. I am a UIUC alum and have a sophomore there now. Like others have said, she got the EA acceptance that year - literally like clockwork - in mid-December (in fact decisions were live “a few minutes before” the published time). For her, that was a welcomed surprise to be admitted EA to engineering and to be done. My senior now, however, is in an entirely different boat. She’s a middle-of-the-road student who’s applying test-optional. Was only able to test once, and was in the midst of pricey one-on-one tutoring, then all the dates got canceled. We’re hoping for admission to a less-competitive major but are definitely not holding our breath. From what I’ve heard through the grapevine (with the operative word being “grapevine”), many schools have been inundated with EA applicants due to test-optional. In fact, I’ve seen a couple of the elites - Harvard and Penn - took even LESS in their ED/EA round, despite an increase in applications. I also guess that a lot of kids might be casting wider nets and/or staying closer to home in the upcoming year due to all this uncertainty. Plus, the admissions folks probably literally need more time to review applications more holistically with both less data (no test) and more uncertainty (pandemic grading/schedules). So, it’s a big unknown. At this point my D21 has been rejected from a school that we thought (as did her counselor) was a match and has been deferred from a couple that we thought were more reaches. Let’s hope our UIUC kids who applied by the EA deadline get that “priority” review that we’re counting on. Good luck to all and I-L-L!
on a side note to that, medical school applicants went up 18% this year, yes applicants not applications, which is unprecedented in medical school history of last 40 years. That is expected to cause more than a million applications among ~160 medical schools.
This pandemic has caused so many issues across the society, everyone is more or less affected by and everyone is trying their best to cope with situation, whether you are an applicant or admission office.
As parent, I help my kids in my best capacity and ability, support them in this tough times, but believe me at the end of the day things will work out for everybody.
Wow. That is crazy. And, I agree; it all works out in the end but, boy, this stressful waiting game is tough for all. Sending good vibes and best wishes to all.
My D applied EA and has been admitted to several other OOS schools. UIUC is the last one we are waiting for. She has received her merit aid offers with her admissions decisions or very close in time. We can wait for u of I but other schools are putting the pressure on related to accepting - constant email reminders and outreach. She is signing up for all of the social media pages to network with other kids at the other schools and kids are selecting roommates, talking housing options, classes, etc. There are kids that are not waiting for U of I - I see it firsthand. Whether that is advisable or prudent is debatable but it is happening.
At the end of the day EA admission is not a sole factor for a student.
A good fit is a factor every student must consider once all options are on table. Sometimes an easy option may not be best option for ones personal circumstances. More choices certainly better, sometimes muddy the water too. It always comes down to 1 of 2 best options you have and then you consider finance too.
Social media communication is inevitable marketing campaign, more important so in current environment, but if that is what sway someone to make decision right now, I think parent can play an adult role to explain world reality. Even peer pressure is a factor, oh my friend is going abc and so I also wants to go abc and I don’t care xyz and doesn’t matter if can afford abc or not.
I can see that if someone has better options than U of I at this point, why would one wait for U of I? And even you had U of I EA, you are waiting for a better outcome from other places, you wouldn’t have accepted U of I EA anyway. Point is students who had/are expecting better school acceptance than U of I, aren’t the ones affected at all by EA policy.
Ask yourselves simple question, what is important for you as a student and family, you will find your answer, one size doesn’t fit all.
Point is UIUC is NOT even an option if it doesn’t send out admission in time. The whole purpose to apply early is to get the results early, so that we can compare with other offers. If it’s not early, so be it, have everyone in regular decision. Why even call it early and ask the kids to rush to apply?
Not yet, and one shouldn’t have to commit the other options unless it is an absolute best option for student. Let’s say order of EA is flipped, i.e. you have UIUC EA acceptance, but waiting for others, I would say same, wait for others EA, no need to rush to accept UIUC EA unless there is hardcore deadline, which i doubt is the case for any EA.
