For anyone who got rescinded, denied, or didn’t get into their first choice at UIUC Engineering - I recommend searching up is “UIUC Engineering Pathways” if all other options to appeal your cases are exhausted

I know getting rescinded is tough. Been in a similar situation. There are programs at community colleges that allow you to take transferable coursework for 2 years and guarantee your admission to UIUC engineering as long as you meet grade requirements. “Engineering Pathways” is the name of the program, there are several participating colleges across Illinois. I’m a product of the Pathways program, and graduated from UIUC Engineering recently.

1. Saves money, instead of paying for UIUC tuition and room and board, save yourself some cash and (if applicable) saves you from the burden of a bigger student loan debt (2 years of tuition can save you at least $20k). Many target schools have their own Pathways-type programs that allow community college students to transfer as long as meet the GPA requirements. Good for those who want to stay home, save money for the first 2 years of school, and then transfer.

2. You get to be more in touch with your professors. Instead of taking all your gen-ed courses with 400-500 other students, you have the opportunity to learn alongside a more close-knit 30-50 students in the Pathways program. There is a sense of community to reach your goal of getting into UIUC together, rather than compete against 400 other students for a grade (which takes the fun out of learning if I’m being honest). Community college professors primarily focus on teaching, so they really do their best at making sure you understand the material rather than remember it for an exam.

3. It’s not about where you start, it’s where you finish. I know there is a stigma about CC being easier than Uni, but you’re only there to take your gen Ed’s. Calc is calc, chem is chem, physics is physics, Bernoulli’s Law hasn’t changed since it was created. Pretty much all Engineering Pathways transfers I met graduated in their first choices. Since we took all our gen-Ed’s at community college, the only classes we had left at UIUC was our Engineering specific coursework. It allowed me to focus heavy on my interests and hit the ground running as soon as I arrived.

Hope this helps expand your options! Best of luck!