A C172 ON BEING CLRED FOR APCH REQUESTED PRIORITY LNDG DUE TO A LOW FUEL CONDITION.

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MAY/XX/98; FLT FROM SCH TO DPA WITH FUEL STOP IN ERI. DEPARTED AT XA40 EST ARRIVE DPA XI20 EST. I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN AND THROUGH MY SECOND LEG THE CTLR HAD ME UP TO 8000 FT DOWN TO 4000 FT UP TO 8000 FT AGAIN; WITH MORE ALT CHANGES ALONG THE WAY AND THIS WAS NOT FIGURED IN MY FUEL CALCULATIONS. I WAS 12 NM OUT FROM DPA AND FUEL WAS BEGINNING TO BE A FACTOR. I WAS CLRED BY APCH FOR THE ILS RWY 1 CIRCLE TO LAND RWY 33. I ASKED THE CTLR IF THERE WOULD BE ANY UNDUE DELAYS BECAUSE I HAD A BIT OF A FUEL FACTOR AND THAT I WANTED TO DO THE VISUAL TO RWY 33 IT WOULD BE QUICKER. APCH STATED THERE WOULD BE NO DELAYS. THEN VECTORED ONE ACFT; FOR MY ACFT. MY L TANK HAD JUST DROPPED FROM 1/4 TO EMPTY; I SWITCHED TO R TANK; AND THEN THEY HANDED ME OFF TO TWR. TWR STATED THAT I'M CLRED TO LAND ANY RWY; I RECEIVED THE ATIS AND ALL RWYS WERE CLOSED EXCEPT RWY 33. I DID NOT DECLARE AN EMER; LANDED WITH 45 MINS FUEL AND NEEDED NO ALTERNATE ON FILE BECAUSE IT WAS VFR AT LNDG ARPT DPA CHICAGO W AND FORECASTED TO BE VFR. BUT IT WAS UNCLR TO ME IF ANYTHING WAS RPTED AS AN EMER OR NOT BECAUSE OF THE TWR STATING I COULD LAND ANY RWY AND APCH VECTORING THAT OTHER ACFT FOR ME. I LANDED WITH NO INCIDENT AND TAXIED TO PARKING WITH 45 MINS FUEL LEFT IN MY TANKS.