Chances at UIUC

[timosyy]

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Academics
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GPA :
Freshman year - 3.2
Sophmore year - 3.1
Junior year - 3.5
Senior year so far - 3.8

Average: 3.4 (seriously wishing I hadn't slacked off freshman and sophmore year)

SAT: 1430 (760 Verbal, 670 Math)

SATII's:
Math II <-- Dec 4th
Writing <-- Dec 4th
Physics <-- Dec 4th
History: 670

8 AP's total throughout High School.

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Senior year classes
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Adv. Orchestra (4 years running- commitment?)
AP Lit &amp; Comp.
AP US &amp; Comparative Govt. (two AP classes in one - one per semester)
AP Physics C
AP Computer Science
AP Calculus AB
Comparative Religion (had to take something in place of spanish...)

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Clubs (for what it's worth)
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Model U.N.
FBLA (Future Buisiness Leaders of America ... *shrug*)
Asian American Club (joke)

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Ethnicity - Asian/Pacific Islander
Reside in Fairfax County, VA (Grading Scale = 94-100 is an A)
Looking to major in Computer Engineering...

Currently looking at Virginia Tech, Penn State, Purdue, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and UVA just cause i'm asian and its the "asian" thing to do.

VTech looks like a match, as does Penn State. UIUC and Purdue i'm thinking are reaches, and UVA just isn't happening.

Thought about CMU but... their ECE program is ridiculously hard to get into and I just don't see it happening.

UIUC is my top choice right now, I believe. What do you all think my chances are of getting in their engineering program? Should I apply undecided and transfer? ....

If anyone else has any more suggestions for colleges I'm all ears

Edit: 670+760 = 1430. I'm a retard. And i'm going into engineering! The future looks bright...

 

[chuckywang]

Your chances at UIUC are pretty good. It's not that hard to get into.

 

[Albis]

go michigan!

 

[timosyy]

Chuckywang - Even the engineering school?

Albis - I'm applying UMich undecided but ...

 

[MrCodeDude]

Purdue accepts anybody, or so I'm told.

 

[timosyy]

Really would prefer UIUC over Purdue... >_<

One thing thats going to be a pain either way is moving. 11 hours from Northern VA to UIUC.. ouch.

Also - does the fact that I havn't taken the ACTs matter? are the SATs an acceptable substitute?

 

[raptor13]

Originally posted by: timosyy
Really would prefer UIUC over Purdue... >_<

One thing thats going to be a pain either way is moving. 11 hours from Northern VA to UIUC.. ouch.

Also - does the fact that I havn't taken the ACTs matter? are the SATs an acceptable substitute?

You don't have to take the ACT. UIUC accepts the SAT just like anyone else. I can't say I think your chances of getting in are spectacular but I think you've got a decent shot. The engineering school isn't the easiest thing to get into, as you know. Why not call an admissions counseler and talk about it? They won't (and can't) give you odds or tell you what they think your chances are but they'll definitely have the facts and can let you know what the school is looking for. Talk to some engineering deans, too. How could it hurt? They live to talk to kids.

Office of Admissions
Engineering School

 

[Albis]

if you are interested in engin, umich will look at ACT scores as well

i think they count the ACT as much as the SAT

 

[timosyy]

.. But still wouldn't recommend applying undecided and switching in?

I don't know .. my thoughts on the issue are, I just want to declare it and get it out of the way, avoid the hassle of transfering. However, if my chances at the Engineering school are significantly less than the general college (or LAS) ... bleh.

 

[raptor13]

Originally posted by: timosyy
.. But still wouldn't recommend applying undecided and switching in?

I don't know .. my thoughts on the issue are, I just want to declare it and get it out of the way, avoid the hassle of transfering. However, if my chances at the Engineering school are significantly less than the general college (or LAS) ... bleh.

You can do the transfer thing but, even then, you're not gaurenteed acceptance into the engineering school. Your grades looked like they're on a general trend upwards so if you got into any program at UIUC and kicked ass for your first year, you should be able to transfer to Comp.E without too much trouble, I'd think. You'd just be taking all gen eds anyway so you might not even fall behind.

I still think your best bet would be talking to admissions counseler.

 

[TallBill]

You got a good shot at UIUC. Kinda weird that you'd wanna go there from Virginia, but it is an amazing school. I have a bunch of friends who have graduated, and are about to graduate from there.

 

[adhemp]

I'm a soph in ECE at UIUC right now, if you have any questions you can ask me...as for tranferring into comp e., all I've heard is that it's difficult to do. For what it's worth I'm definitely glad I went there even with the out of state tution I'm paying

 

[Juice Box]

Originally posted by: chuckywang
Your chances at UIUC are pretty good. It's not that hard to get into.

are you kidding me?! Their engineering program is the best in the world and is HIGHLY selective

 

[Sukhoi]

Don't rely on transfering in.

 

[PowerMac4Ever]

What's your class rank?

Edit: Just to add to this, I got rejected from U of I Liberal Arts... I had a 3.5gpa, 1280 SAT, 29 ACT. I got into Purdue Engineering, which is where I am now. I didn't bother applying to U of I engineering because I knew I wouldn't get in.

that said, U of I is *awesome*, and Purdue, which is where I am now, is really nice.

 

[waggy]

I had a buddy get in with a little lower then that. But then agian this was 10 years ago.

 

[timosyy]

Yeah ... definately do want to declare engineering straight up. But like others have said .. pretty selective (engineering).

... I'm scared. And that selectiveness is why i'd want to go there from Virginia. No shot at UVA or CMU, and UIUC > VTech in terms of engineering .. kind of sick of VTech anyhow =/.

 

[Sukhoi]

Are you paying any attention to the actual type of school? You have quite a range of schools you are talking about. UIUC is absolutely nothing at all like CMU, which is going to be nothing at all like PSU.

 

[timosyy]

.. i'm aware.

Pretty flexible guy, though ... and I figure UIUC would be about the same type of school as say, UVA. (besides the fact that their engineering is way, way, way better)

 

[PowerMac4Ever]

Originally posted by: digitalsnare

Originally posted by: chuckywang
Your chances at UIUC are pretty good. It's not that hard to get into.

are you kidding me?! Their engineering program is the best in the world and is HIGHLY selective

WTF are you talking about? US News top undergrad engineering ranking:

Institutions that Offer Ph.d. Programs in Engineering

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2. Stanford University
3. University of California--Berkeley
4. California Institute of Technology
University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign
6. Georgia Institute of Technology
University of Michigan--Ann Arbor
Carnegie Mellon University
Purdue Univ.--West Lafayette
10. Cornell University
University of Texas--Austin

 

[memo]

Originally posted by: raptor13

Originally posted by: timosyy
.. But still wouldn't recommend applying undecided and switching in?

I don't know .. my thoughts on the issue are, I just want to declare it and get it out of the way, avoid the hassle of transfering. However, if my chances at the Engineering school are significantly less than the general college (or LAS) ... bleh.

You can do the transfer thing but, even then, you're not gaurenteed acceptance into the engineering school. Your grades looked like they're on a general trend upwards so if you got into any program at UIUC and kicked ass for your first year, you should be able to transfer to Comp.E without too much trouble, I'd think. You'd just be taking all gen eds anyway so you might not even fall behind.

I still think your best bet would be talking to admissions counseler.

I wouldn't hang my hat on transfering into Engineering. Transfer GPA for the college is a 3.2 i think (at least it is for CS, most others are around it) and you have to take at least a couple of the in major courses, i.e. CompE 100/200 to be generic. Plus being in LAS and taking CompE courses puts you at a disadvantage because of certain priviales you get being in the College of Engineering(you UIUCites would know of EWS and whatnot).

Also waggy hit it on the nose i think with UIUC being easier to get into in the past. I think UIUC finally figured out that people out of state are willing to pay out of state tuition so they are being way more selective. I did about the same as you grade wise but I guess it's all relative with the quality of your high school. Respectable ACT and I got in, but a friend of mine with comparable grades/extraciruculars to me didnt get accepted a couple years later, so I think it's starting to get very competitive.

What does that SAT score "transfer" into ACT? I would just take the ACT anyway and whatever score is higher proportianally, just report that. Since you have a good SAT you can always fall back on that if you don't do quite as well on the ACT.

Anyway, my words of advice are, a UIUC Eng degree will get you alot of first interviews, but it's the quality of work you do that will get you the job in the end.

 

[timosyy]

#4 .. is pretty damn good -_-

 

[chuckywang]

I thought you applied to UIUC without declaring what you intend to major in. For UIUC's grad school, it's a different story of course.

 

[Steve]

760 and 670 add up to 1430.

 

[chuckywang]

Originally posted by: sm8000
760 and 670 add up to 1430.

HAHA. Pwned!