Best college or university in Illinois based on my portfolio? [3.3 UW GPA, 28 ACT, IL resident]

College Search & Lists
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Demographics

  • US domestic (US citizen or permanent resident) or international student: US citizen
  • State/Location of residency: Illinois
  • Type of high school (or current college for transfers): Public
  • Other special factors: (first generation to college, legacy, recruitable athlete, etc.): N/a

Cost Constraints / Budget
Parents make 200K<

Intended Major(s):

OP1 Dual major: Math, physics

OP2 Dual major: MENG, Math

OP3 Dual major: Quantum ENG, Math

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: Right now may be 3.3 or 3.4
  • Weighted HS GPA: 3.9 or 3.8
  • Class Rank: not sure
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 28 but will retake act n do sat

List your HS coursework

(Indicate advanced level, such as AP, IB, AICE, A-level, or college, courses as well as specifics in each subject)

  • English: Honors eng 1, honors eng 2, dual Credit English composition
  • Math: math 1 in middle school, accelerated math 2, honors math 3, honors precalc, (want to take AP calc bc or ab)
  • Science: honors biology, honors chem, AP chem (might take AP physics)
  • History and social studies: AP Human geo, Ap us history, AP US GOV, econ,
  • Language other than English: German 1, German 2, German 3
  • Visual or performing arts: n/a
  • Other academic courses: intro to computers, intro to business, intro to javascript, intro to python, AP computer science principles, (will take AP computer science a, and I may take dual credit cybersecurity)

College Coursework (Transfer Applicants)
(Include college courses taken while in high school if not included above.)

  • dual credit English composition (may take dual credit cybersecurity for associates degree)

Awards - (presidential award in 8th grade…) nothing in HS yet…

Extracurriculars
(Include leadership, summer activities, competitions, volunteering, and work experience)

Secretary of volunteering club with 265+ members (largest club in school) aka Service Club, NHS member, 21.52 hours volunteering, Coding club, Eco club, Art Club (no longer member), German club (no longer member), and STEM Club

Essays/LORs/Other
n/a

Schools
(List of colleges by your initial chance estimate; designate if applying ED/EA/RD; if unsure, leave them unclassified)

If a scholarship is necessary for affordability, indicate that you are aiming for a scholarship and use the scholarship chance to estimate it into the appropriate group below; also, for colleges that admit by major or division, consider that in chance estimate.

  • Extremely Likely: UIC

  • Likely: UIC, IIT

  • Low Probability: UIUC

  • Additional INFO: I wish to get into a top 100 or top 50 school only in Illinois to major in comp sci or engineering and minor in psychology

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I would opt for AP Calculus BC over AB, if you are able to take it. I would also take AP Physics, algebra or calculus-based.

Q: Why are you no longer a member of these clubs?

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they just don’t align with my other club’s schedules

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im worried that i’ll overwork myself because my GPA is showing that pretty clearly right now

I’m getting burnt out but my parents wont accept anything less than a top college and all these aps

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IIT, which is private, & UIUC, which is very competitive for computer science, a “reach” might question this.

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so both of them r reaches? I thought uiuc was the only reach out of those

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so is UIC my only option?

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Well, according to the latest IIT class profile, the average HS GPA of admitted students is a 3.98 UW. Your GPA is currently below 3.5, which is not competitive. IIT is definitely not a safety.

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ah I see, so then UIC is my only good option?

odd question but if I was diagnosed with depression or something cld I use that to explain my grades?

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Not necessarily, though you should apply non-binding EA. I wouldn’t rule out Illinois Community Colleges at this point.

Pathway Applicants (UIUC)

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okay, so besides UIC, what other places r a good target for me?

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Your concern is indeed warranted. Some of these in-state schools could weigh the number of completed AP classes during the application evaluation. If you are getting burnt out, then take AP Calculus AB & AP Physics 1 and/or 2.

You should try to raise your overall UW GPA to above 3.5. Increasing GPA trends benefit applicants more than decreasing from 9th to 12th grade. A higher ACT (above 30) or comparable SAT score would also benefit you.

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so in senior yr I shld take AP physics, AP calc ab, AP Comp Sci a, and mb dual credit if getting an associates degree helps on college applications.

wld a 32 act score and 1500+ sat be a good target

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Is there a reason you’re only looking in IL, besides cost? Since your family makes under $200k, you’ll be eligible for financial aid and loans at private schools. You might want to explore schools outside of IL that offer merit aid like Marquette in WI- if you’re in the Chicago area, it will be geographically closer to you than other instate options. And it’s a great school.

I’d recommend doing some other activities to round out your ECs- right now you have a lot of club involvement, but schools like to see a variety of things. Could you do some volunteer work over school breaks and in the summer? Do you do any sports or music, even recreationally?

You mentioned your parents ‘won’t accept’ anything less than a top college- do they understand that the admissions process is a LOT different than when they were in HS? I would start visiting some target schools with them, and hopefully when they see all the great things different schools have to offer, it might help sway them into a different mindset- one of you finding the best fit vs. just a ranking. Going to visit some schools like DePaul or Marquette might be helpful in showing them what’s out there.

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my parents r strict and wont let me go outside of IL, I also cant do anything in the summer because they r so strict, they didn’t even live here in HS they were in India so they have no idea how anything works but wont let me explore my options properly, just whatever they want… I can try n influence them a bit tho

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bro I meant > 200k </3

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You might consider looking into the “directional” ie North eastern, Northern, Western, Southern and Eastern Illinois Universities. I happen to know Eastern has some impressive math faculty, and I imagine the other schools do as well. Eastern is not very big—less than 8k—and is focused on undergraduate teaching.

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You should definitely look at the Parkland College Pathway Program to UIUC. You’d even be able to live on the UIUC campus and take some classes there. Very popular program for students that want to attend UIUC but don’t quite have the HS record to gain admission directly from HS. Spend 2 years at Parkland, complete an Associate’s degree, get good grades, and finish up at UIUC.

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I would disagree with over taking your schedule - meaning, you don’t need to take Calc BC if not ready or sent by your teachers to it. Same with the physics. Engineering is a brutal major with 50% drop out rate. You don’t want to over stretch - or you’ll fail out. Better to go in baby steps and keep up.

You are not going to get into UIUC or Northwestern.

In Illiniois, you have the following accredited in MechE. I put a Yes/No in regards to whether or not I believe you would get in.

Bradley U - yes
UIC - yes
UIUC - no
Illinois College - unfamiliar but yes
IIT - likely
North Central - yes
North Park - yes
Northern Illinois - yes
Northwestern - no
Southern Illinois - yes
Southern Illinois Edwardsville - yes
W Illinois - yes

Are you in the Chicago area? Or where in Illinois?

If so, your parents need a geography lesson because some out of state schools will be closer to home than in state - for example, if you are in Chicago, you have Marquette, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and U WIsconsin Milwaukee all closer than some of the Illinois schools.

Purdue NW is right over the border from Chicago in Indiana. Rose Hulman, an excellent school, is 3 hours from Chicago. W Illinois U is four hours from Chicago.

So - they may need to lay things out on a map. But there are likely out of state options better (from a distance POV) than in state.

You keep mentioning IIT and UIC - like you have to stay in Chicago.

Then check out Purdue NW - different state but same metro area.

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UIUC definitely accredited.