UIUC - Out of State - CS/Math+CS admission chances in EA vs RD

[soxdad]

Hi,
UIUC is one of the top choices for DS20 - either in CS/CE in College of Engineering or Math+CS in LAS. Will apply to two of them as first and second choice majors (most probably CS as 1st and Math+CS as second)- trying to decide whether to apply in EA vs RD - given DS20’s situation:

GPA suffered a bit in Junior year (overall UW GPA is 3.8; W GPA is 4.8/5.0). Course rigor was increasing with 4 AP’s each in Sophomore and junior years. He took most science AP’s and did well in them - his bad grades are in foreign language and English. Based on the courses he is taking, he is expecting to do better in senior year - but first semester grades will only be available in Feb.

His standardized tests are good (1590 SAT1; 800’s in 3 subject tests; 5’s in all but one AP; 4 in the remaining AP). He is done with standardized testing and his essay drafts are coming along well and is confident to be done by Nov 1st.

How are his chances in EA and in RD. Is it ok to go ahead and apply in EA - wondering UIUC’s tendency in deferring vs denying when they have concerns. Also how important are EC’s at UIUC - he has (relative to his schoolmates) strong EC’s, especially in math/cs/science. BTW he is an asian boy coming from a small North-East state)

Will you suggest a particular admission cycle EA/RD and/or any advice for the choice of majors between: CS, CE, Math+CS to maximize admission chances (he is genuinely interested in all three of them - they are so close to each other it may not matter - so looking for best possibility of admission)

[illinoisx3]

I can’t really chance you since CS majors are very competitive and there isn’t a lot of information except for searching for the few people who have reported being accepted in the past in this forum. Your DS is in or above the middle 50% for admitted students so these are good target majors but be sure to have a safety school since they are selective. Computer Engineering is a little less competitive than the others: https://myillini.illinois.edu/Programs/ComparePrograms

My impression is that there is no downside to EA at UIUC, at least in previous years. Do note that not all majors can be a second major on the application. From https://admissions.illinois.edu/FAQ/applicant-freshman

“No, not all majors are available due to space constraints. Majors unavailable as a second choice include Computer Engineering, Computer Science (including all Computer Science + X majors), Mechanical Engineering, Information Sciences, and all Music majors except Music BA, which doesn’t require an audition.”