USC / University of Texas / University of Maryland / University of Illinois

My son is considering a last minute addition of one or two of the above colleges to his list.

Would welcome any thoughts on any of the four schools.

Thank you.

Is this for CS? (Just guessing) or something else? What is your state of residence?

Short - but in general, UMD and UIUC are likely a wash. You can see UIUC stats by school below.

USC might be a tad easier than UT OOS.

If you mean U of S Carolina, it’d be the easier of all admits.

Note many of the schools where you missed the EA deadline will be near impossible to get in. UMD for sure. UIUC may be another - not sure.

All solid schools, but unfortunately, he’s missed the EA deadlines at all of them. His chances will be reduced because of that. Especially at Maryland, which fill a very large percentage of it’s class EA. And if he’s applying to competitive major like CS or Engineering, that will also hamper his chances quite a bit.

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Since UMD fills 90%+ of its freshman class in early action, it’s a reach in RD. There’s no harm in applying if he likes the school, but it’s going to be a long shot.

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Agree. He has a 3.8 GPA taking all honors levels courses, a 1520 SAT along with all 5s on his AP exams from junior year and great extra curriculars so may give it a shot.

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What major ? What level math ? Where is he likely to attend ?

There are likely strong substitutional schools with better odds.

If he’s ok with a rejection, then no harm.

The four schools are very dissimilar. If he wants to apply to just one, hopefully he can narrow based on - for example, UT is very urban. UIUC is in a small city with not much around. UMD is a burn of Washington.

If USC is So California, it’s a private ($95k) just off downtown LA with not the best surrounds. If it’s South Carolina, it’s smack adjacent to downtown in a capital city that’s not Austin but with plenty happening.

I am just asking for thoughts on the schools - more so if someone has had a child attend. Thanks.

USC (assuming U So Cal) seems to be closest to what your S prefers in a school based on your other threads, especially preferring small to medium schools.

USC has good school spirit and a relatively high proportion of affluent students who show their affluence. This manifests in any number of ways but certainly in Greek life, fashion, parties/clubbing, and alcohol/drugs of choice.

The other 3 are large state schools that don’t seem to fit your S’s preferences. I agree with others that RD in these schools is a tough road, especially in competitive majors/schools that for all practical purposes fill up in EA. These schools often use RD to pick up the students that fit whatever institutional needs they have left.

Biggest school spirit is at Texas, but 90% of students are from Texas. I’m not saying those students are necessarily homogenous, but that impacts the feel/vibe of campus and the experience for an OOS student IMO.

Students at UIUC are happy, generally. Decent college town but relatively isolated, not easy to travel to if flying in. I see UMD as pretty similar overall, but closer to cities, easier to travel to.

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I had a child attend USC (California). I’m not sure exactly what you are asking.

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