What are my chances of getting into UIUC or Purdue

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a high school junior seeking advice on their chances of admission to Purdue University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). The scope includes college admissions criteria, personal qualifications, and insights into specific programs such as physics and computer science.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • The original poster (OP) has a GPA of 3.2 and an ACT score of 30, along with various extracurricular activities, and seeks input on their chances of admission to Purdue and UIUC.
  • One participant suggests that Purdue is a real possibility, especially for Indiana residents, but emphasizes the need to maintain or improve the GPA.
  • Another participant notes that Purdue's engineering department is highly selective, indicating that a physics major might be a safer option compared to computer engineering.
  • There is clarification that computer science and computer engineering are distinct fields at Purdue, each with its own department.
  • A participant shares their personal experience of applying to both schools with similar credentials, mentioning a successful admission to Electrical Engineering but not attending.
  • One participant recommends checking College Confidential for more tailored advice and suggests including relevant coursework in any reposting of the question.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying opinions on the likelihood of admission based on the OP's credentials, with some suggesting Purdue is a viable option while others highlight the selectivity of specific programs. No consensus is reached regarding the chances of admission to either school.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference the importance of GPA and standardized test scores, but there are no specific details on the impact of extracurricular activities or personal statements on admissions decisions. The discussion does not resolve the uncertainties regarding the admissions process or criteria.

Who May Find This Useful

High school students considering applications to Purdue or UIUC, particularly those interested in physics, computer science, or engineering programs.

throwaway1234
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I'm a junior in high school and looking at applying to Purdue and UIUC. I was curious to see what my chances were of getting into either of these schools. I like physics and computer science, but am not sure if i want to major in them.

GPA - 3.2
ACT - 30
Extracurriculars - I am a member of my school's computer science club, I am officer status in a chapter of a national jewish youth group, and I participate in PADS(Helping the homeless)
I will be spending a lot of time on my essay as well

With this information could someone give me my chances of getting into either of these schools?

Thank you for your help
 
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I don't know about UIUC, but purdue is definitely a real possibility, assuming you can maintain or raise your gpa. If you are an Indiana resident you are basically locked into purdue.

What classes are you taking/have you taken? Any AP math/science classes?

A passing thought: the engineering department at purdue is the most selective, so the physics major would likely more safe than the CS department (they call it computer engineering, i believe) -- but you've got a shot at both.
 
anonymity said:
A passing thought: the engineering department at purdue is the most selective, so the physics major would likely more safe than the CS department (they call it computer engineering, i believe) -- but you've got a shot at both.

Computer science is a very different field than computer engineering and has its own distinct department at Purdue (as it does at most universities).
 
zif. said:
Computer science is a very different field than computer engineering and has its own distinct department at Purdue (as it does at most universities).

Good news for the OP

edit: if you're looking for a thoughtful/more-informed answer to this question, i would check out college confidential. There are two places you can try: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/ (a subforum dedicated to this type of question), and http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/alphabetic-list-colleges/ (a list of all of the subforums dedicated to individual universities, which you can use to navigate to Purdue and UIUC, and post your info there).

If you do re-post your question, I would include a brief list of courses relevant to the science/engineering/computer science majors (APs/honors/calculus/programming/etc).
 
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For what it's worth - I applied to both schools ~10 years ago and got into their Electrical Engineering programs with similar credentials (but did not attend either). I had a 29 on my ACT (36 math, 32 science) and a 3.4gpa (ranking 40/300).

I still love UIUC's campus, one of the most beautiful and well kept up in the country.
 

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