<p>What should I aim for to get in. I go to a very highly ranked private high school, Im just wondering what gpa i should have if I am to aim for Illinois.</p>
<p>also, i dont know what college/major i will be apllying to...i figure why not all of them</p>
<p>Is it supposed to be particularly difficult to get in? The median SAT Scores are less than impressive...</p>
<p>Yea im set for the SAT. Im just worrying about GPA. Ive never gotten a strait answer on whats the "average" But i think its 3.6- 3.8...I'm also worried about ANYwhere, because my gpa was a 2.8 in freshman year, but a 3.3 in sophomore year.</p>
<p>and U.S. News ranked it the 38th best university in the nation...which did surprise me</p>
<p>remember that USNEWS ranks are based off of how much money the school has and teacher feedback, so sometimes the rankings can be very skewed</p>
<p>um guys i'm pretty sure UIUC is a pretty good school. They have very good engineering and business programs. jbuckel, middle 50% of SAT scores are 1100 to 1400 sans writing. I don't know about GPA but i think almost 90% of the kids are in the top quarter of their class</p>
<p>If you aren't going into engineering you should be a shoo-in with a 26 on your ACT and ranked in the top 10% of your class</p>
<p>my school doesnt rank. But I got a 27 on the ACT, but im still only a sophomore, and ill do alot better next year. Im still hoping for the business school...which is hard to get into.</p>
<p>Your 27 on the ACT is decent, but not spectacular for UIUC. Your GPA will need to be at least a 3.3 if you want a shot at the business school, IMO. To do this you would need a 3.8 or better for your junior year, not easy by any means, but doable. Your ECs should also be great, and you'll need to write awesome essays.</p>
<p>blah blah blah, ec this ec that</p>
<p>i do
-mock trial
- (i did) forensics
- science club
-marine biology club
- jv soccer
- varsity soccer
-jv lacrosse
-varsity lacrosse
- taking a college course at a local college
- job
- volunteer work (probably 30+ hours by the time im done with it)</p>
<p>And like i said, the 27 and im just a sophomore, ill get it up 3 points next year.</p>
<p>Yeah your ECs look great, and with a higher ACT you should be fine :)</p>
<p>idk if i mentioned this but my 2.8 freshman year will kill me right? Unless in my essay i right about how i keep improving...sophomore year was a 3.3, junior year ill get it up to a 3.5 3.6 ish, and make honors</p>
<p>You don't necessarily need to mention this in an essay. Rather, your transcript will show this upward trend, and colleges will notice and be pleased. If there are extenuating circumstances (a legitimate illness, family tragedy) you could mention these in an essay, but otherwise I would just let colleges notice on their own.</p>
<p>haha you really are the smart cookie...what is included in essays?</p>
<p>Essays are basically responses to prompts that the application has (i.e. describe a challenge in your life and how you overcame it) and are more personality gauges than anything else. Your essay is where you give the college insight into your life and who you are, and the more original, the better.</p>