<p>Basic Stats:
top 5% of class of 200, gpa 4.9-5 on 4.0 scale (A+ is 4.4, honors A+ is 5.4, AP A+ is 6.4)- competitive private cath school
2200 SAT 740M 740W 720V
32 ACT 34Sci is all i remember
EC:
4yr cross country runner
soon-to-be eagle scout
have computer repair business</p>
<p>So, I know i should be able to get in but ive heard of 32 acts being rejected-it jus seems lik UIUC is perfect fit cuz im instate, good eng program, close to home,etc</p>
<p>Im wondering if u hav any other suggestions for safeties or reaches- should i even try for MIT, and what are some other equivalent engineering programs that are at least in the midwest ( id rather not goto the california tech schools for financial reasons) tho my heart is pretty much set on uiuc i just wanted suggestions on other colleges so i dont hav to worry ;)</p>
<p>Also, I am the shy type that has friends here and there that im not really close to, and i dont hang around with the party crowd- what sort of college should i look for then? cuz i like to play sports but im always stuck with the “nerd” crowd, which i dont hav a problem with, but i would also like to branch out to a crowd to play frisbee with every once in a while- therefore im guessing the bigger college would be a better choice. The problem is that im not very opinionated, so I dont feel a need to visit colleges- yet i know this is important- any suggestions for how to go about a visit? I know this is alot but id appreciate the help!</p>
<p>forgot- i am an incoming senior taking 5AP’s, took APUSH- got a 5 and APBio-4 last yr</p>
<p>You should get into UIUC, and I hope that you do. They say that it depends a lot on where you live in the state- that they have quotas on the big suburban schools around Chicago. But I do think that you will get in. Other than that- you could look for aid at private colleges. It your parent’s income isn’t high, you may be able to get need-based aid for an expensive school. Quite a few private places also offer merit aid. I have read that Notre Dame gives 10K scholarships to a number of Catholic school graduates-maybe you could get one. You could look at IIT, Rose Hulman, Rice University. Rice is pretty good with aid. You would probably get aid from Worchester Polytechnic Institute and Rensselaer Polytechnic, but it sounds as if you don’t want to go that far. You could get into Purdue, Michigan State, U Michigan, etc, but they probably allocate their aid to in-state applicants. Still, those schools are worth looking at. If by chance you don’t get into UIUC, you could go elsewhere for a year, and then transfer. Many of the top state universities are inundated with freshmen applications, but getting in as a transfer is easier. Sometimes getting in for January is also easier, but I don’t think that Illinois does that.</p>
<p>Im in Springfield, and the problem with our income is that we are pretty high, but i have 3 other siblings, one going to Dayton now, another is a rising sophomore so cost is still a problem despite our income</p>