Rejected from my low match/saftey...wondering whether it is time to throw in the towel

I think the reason UIUC is hard to get into for computer science is because US News ranks it fifth in its list of best grad schools for computer science. I think a lot of students are using the rankings as a guide for where to apply. I feel sure that you will get into most of the other schools with your stats. Btw did you mention in your essay anything about writing software for fun?