@chemillion17 Happy to help a Chicago area student! You too @Chris1229! For a point of reference, DS will attend Clemson in the fall, Engineering major and was accepted into the Honors program. ACT was 35, #1 in HS class out of 500 students, 13 APs, State athlete, various ECs, NMF. He was also accepted to Georgia Tech (no $$), Purdue ($11K) and WL at Vanderbilt which was fine because price was above the budget. He did not apply to UIUC as the State of IL is a mess but costs would have been comparable to Clemson as was Purdue.
What we learned during process. Visit these schools if you can. IMHO,fit and cost are more important than brand for your undergraduate degree. Also, so many kids have similar backgrounds, so the essays and recommendations are important for schools that require them. Show your passion and who you are.
If you are interested in Clemson, apply on 1st day application opens. No essay required and application order is used for housing selection. Clemson was not on DS radar until October. He was lucky to get a room in Core Campus C/D (Honors College) as they opened up 2nd floor in Core A as overflow to accommodate Honors students. Core A is great too and should be considered for housing if you wait to apply to Honors college until after you start Clemson. Core A is connected to Dining hall and Honors residences.
DS applied in early October and received his regular acceptance in November with Merit award of $15,000. They also give $1K for being an OOS NMF. Don’t forget about local scholarships in your community. Your stats are great and picking up $500 from various organizations will help. Community scholarships look for leadership, service, not only top stats.
Good Luck and I hope you enjoy the process!