u/funnyhilarious1

Applying to UIUC this fall and I’m lowkey spiraling looking at how they "cherry-pick" people for Gies. I know a girl who got in with a mid GPA and basically zero ECs. Meanwhile, another girl I know with high GPA, ran a legit nonprofit that was recognized by the government, just an absolute unit of an applicant got straight-up rejected.

They’re both in-state, so it’s not even a residency thing.

I’m trying to figure out if I should even bother grinding my essays if they’re just going to pick people at random. Is there a "secret sauce" for Gies or do they just hate overqualified people?

Anyone else seeing this or am I just tripping?

TL;DR: Gies admissions makes zero sense. Seeing high-achieving in-state students get rejected while people with mid stats get in. What are they actually looking for?

I’ve spent the last two years being the "state school is fine" guy. I honestly didn't care about the prestige grind and just planned on coasting into a local college.

But I’ve recently started hanging out with a much more driven crowd, and it’s kind of changed my perspective. I realized that if I’d actually tried and surrounded myself with people like this earlier, Stanford probably would’ve been the move. Now I’m a junior and I’m wondering if I’ve already cooked my chances.

The Stats:

• SAT: 1540

• GPA: 3.6uw/4.0w.

• ECs: Decent. I do a lot of hands-on engineering stuff, high-level robotics, and some personal builds that I’m lowkey proud of.

I want to major in MechE. Does Stanford even look at people with a massive upward trend if the cumulative GPA is still mid? Or do I just accept that I’m a "what if" case and stick to my original plan?

Be brutal, I can take it.

That exam was so hard. I heard many people say they struggled. What do you guys think the curve will look like. I’m assuming it will be high for sure.

Beginning of my high school years, I never believed I could get into an Ivy League. I was hanging around the wrong people and everyone around me made it seem like getting accepted into prestigious schools was IMPOSSIBLE. I am now a junior, surrounded by very driven/accomplished people. I realized that I definitely could get into an Ivy League if I tried from the beginning. I only have a couple months left but I’m willing to make the most out of them. Feedback and advice would be appreciated! :)

*btw the goal isn’t necessarily just ivies but top/prestigious schools ( including stanford,uiuc,northwestern, uc berkeley, mit)

**********HERE ARE MY STATS**********

intended major is either computer or mechanical engineering (i wanted to do nursing before but i switch to engineering which explains the random healthcare side to my stats)

3.6UW/3.9W (mix of honors/ap classes)

1520 SAT

first generation

non profit founder (congressional recognition)

Congressional App Challenge - created a platform and won over my congressional districts representative

Clothing Buisness - altered clothes for my community and sold clothes online

School theater seamstress( created costume for play)

Founder/ President of my schools engineering club

Intern for AI consulting company - worked with software engineers and had hands on experience

200+ volunteers hours (local hospital, businesses, school events, ect)

Independent case study (relevant to women’s health)

receptionist job - all my highschool years

Online coding classes 9-10th grade

HOSA - state qualifier

Cheerleading (Sideline and competitive) 9-10th grade

Courses: Fundamentals of computers, Python Fundamentals, AP CSA, AP Biology, Biomedical Science, Human Body Systems, Graphic communications

(and a few ai/ml stanford/coursera courses but idk if they are relevant)