State Universities (Bloomington, Normal, Urbana: credit, agriculture, budget)

[gardener34]

I believe SIU has a good ag / veterinarian program.

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by jenrik2714

Does U of I take into consideration that my daughter may not have a high ACT score due to her learning disability? Her GPA is 3.0 She wants to go to U of I because of their good agriculture program

What sort of learning disability does she have?

[jessiegirl_98]

You should look at this:

Welcome to DRES at the University of Illinois

It doesn't say that they would consider her differently for admissions. I know UIUC requires a personal statement so perhaps she can talk about this in that. However, it also talks about getting her services when she is admitted.

[prairiestate]

Don't forget, SIU has two campuses, and in the Chicago area there is also Northeastern, Chicago State and Governors State. I think we may have more university names in this state than anywhere else. I think most states are more streamlined, like Wisconsin's "UW-Fill in the Name of the City here"

[sonicreducer]

Originally Posted by prairiestate

Don't forget, SIU has two campuses, and in the Chicago area there is also Northeastern, Chicago State and Governors State. I think we may have more university names in this state than anywhere else. I think most states are more streamlined, like Wisconsin's "UW-Fill in the Name of the City here"

Actually, the Wisconsin type system is more of the exception to the rule. California employs it to some extent--Univ of CA has 10 campuses (and they just opened a new one in Merced recently). But they also have the California State University system--which has 23 campuses.

Wisconsin's system is really simplistic--and that's actually a good thing. They have 2 year state "colleges" spread around the state, where you can go to do gen-eds, and then some comprehensive 4 year schools, which have different strengths. UW-Madison and Milwaukee are the only "doctoral granting" institutions though. The other 4 year schools do masters programs, although some only offer a couple (education/ed. admin. being a popular one). Wisconsin also doesn't have "community colleges" like a lot of other states. They have a tech school system if you want to learn a vocational trade--or you can do liberal studies at the 2 year colleges. There is no school called "Wisconsin State University", although there was talk of turning UW-Milwaukee into that...I guess to make it more catchy?

A lot of states have the a similar setup to Illinois, though. Michigan's a good example, as they have Univ. of Michigan, Michigan State, and Eastern/Southern/Northern/Western/Central Universities. And some states do a combo of the two approaches, like Ohio. They have Ohio State and then 4 year schools like Kent State, Bowling Green State, Youngstown State, Miami of Ohio, etc. Minnesota's for a couple Univ. of MN campuses, and then places like St. Cloud State, Mankato State, etc. The New York system has a ton of State University branches spread around the state (the "SUNY system"). A lot of schools with lots of "State" campuses (like in IL and OH) used to have lots of teacher training programs--called Normal Schools--and these were expanded in the 40s-60s to be more inclusive.

[sonicreducer]

Originally Posted by jenrik2714

My daughter wants to go to school for animal science/agriculture
Is U of I hard to get into for kids with Learning disabilities?

Here's a link to a page that will give you a better idea of what U of I is looking for in terms of GPA/ACT/Class rank/coursework, etc. If your daughter is interested in majoring in pre-Veterinary medicine or any of the many agriculture programs (there are a lot of specializations), then the figures for "ACES" (College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences) are what matters--since she'd be applying to that "college" within the U of I. ACES is actually easier to get into than some of the other colleges, such as Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS). But you should definitely call and talk with someone in the Admissions office to see if she would get any sort of concession for her learning disability. And as someone else said, that's definitely a great thing to talk about in your personal statement! They like to admit a wide variety of people, and some admission counselors will recognize talent and dedication behind less-than-perfect grades and test scores. Deciding who to let in is not a science of course. Most counselors are willing to look at the person a little more holistically, and the more specific one can be about their education and life goals the better. It shows determination and a sense of maturity--something a LOT of college kids who go to school because they "have to" don't have.

Your daughter should also apply to some other programs if she does apply to U of I--like Southern, or any of the other state schools that have the programs she wants. SIU is much easier to get into, and she could always even just go there for 2 years and get her general education requirements out of the way, and then transfer to U of I. Transfer requirements are generally much looser, and then she would get the U of I diploma in the end. No one cares where you started school, but only where you FINISHED! Heck, she could even do community college for 2 years and then do the transfer-- a lot of folks do that to save money, too. It's just not a good idea to only apply to one school...you've got to have a back-up plan. It's always good to have a "ringer" or two, and then your top choice.

Good luck regardless, and let me know if you have any other questions about the U of I.

[Mathguy]

Awesome post Sonic!

I would be careful going to the U of IL if your daughter isn't a stong student.
I don't know what her learning disability is or how they can accomodate it but even without that hurdle it can be a TOUGH school. (Figure the "average" kid in any general class was Top 15% or so in their graduating class)

I went there and knew a person or two that really regretted stretching to get admitted there as once they were there they felt they were in over thier head even in the general education type classes. (Had to work REALLY hard to get by)

Remember, even though you might be in one of the departments that are easier to get to...when you go to Spanish class or Civilization 101 the class is packed with kids from the Engineering school etc etc. and it can be TOUGH.

ISU, EIU, SIU, WIU, NIU.....all are good schools...I have friends and family that have been quite successfull attending these and thier niche specialties have been discussed above.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by prairiestate

Don't forget, SIU has two campuses, and in the Chicago area there is also Northeastern, Chicago State and Governors State . . .

Maybe I'm going out on a limb here, but I don't think Chicago schools are the best option for someone looking to get into an agriculture program. Chicago State's livestock program isn't what it used to be.

[sonicreducer]

Originally Posted by Mathguy

Awesome post Sonic!

I would be careful going to the U of IL if your daughter isn't a stong student.
I don't know what her learning disability is or how they can accomodate it but even without that hurdle it can be a TOUGH school. (Figure the "average" kid in any general class was Top 15% or so in their graduating class)

Thanks Mathguy.

I definitely agree with you here....the U of I can definitely be difficult, even for the truly brainy. The Valedictorian from my high school went there and flunked out his first semester. He told me it was mostly because college challenged him in ways that H.S. hadn't. He pretty much was allowed to coast through high school because he was extremely brilliant--but you can't really coast through a college like U of I. You have to take a lot of personal responsibility, and approach the courses with an amount of discipline.And know when and where to seek help if you do need it. He didn't have "study skills", and when the work actually became difficult, he didn't know how to handle it.

I didn't want to dissuade the original poster's daughter from applying though, because I know that if someone is determined enough to succeed, they can. But I think it's good to state that just because you got your degree from SIU or EIU or what have you, that doesn't mean it's any less valuable than the U of I diploma. Unless you are some sort of high-falutin' academician who wants to collect degrees and teach at an Ivy League school (or something where "status" really matters), I really doubt that people who look at your credentials some day and say "Well, she's great, but she'd be better if she'd gone to U of I..." People in the liberal arts are a little snootier about this than they should be, but most people in "professional", practical programs tend not to worry as much.

And the other Illinois state schools are actually really pretty competitive in the end (which is not the case in every state in the U.S.). They may not have big 10 sports teams, but they have many nationally ranked programs and great faculty and campuses all the same. And, they are easier to get into, cost less, and will give you the same credentials in the end. I would recommend visiting them if you have the means, and talking to people in Admissions and in the prospective departments, etc. You want your daughter to have a positive experience, and sometimes getting that kind of firsthand view can help with a difficult decision.

[jenrik2714]

All her HS career at Waubonsie Valley, she was constantly told that she couldn't take this class or this class because of her LD. THeir excuse was it was too hard for her. Her sophomore year, she participated in a pilot program where she took her 2nd half of algebra with another class of Geometry. She placed in 2 year algebra 1 course and she did great,she ended up assisting other students in her class! SHe has a GPA close to a 3.0 she was always so close but not quite there. Now she is Alg. 2 with Trig
She does struggle with reading and writing but that doesn't stop her from trying.
She is tired of people telling her that she can't do it, and if she gets into U of I, I told her it wouldn't be no cake walk, that she would have to work her butt off. She wants to prove to herself she can do it