Early Action and Early Decisions are starting to trickle in already, and by next Monday, December 21st, you should know if you got into your dream school…or not.
While some of you may get clear-cut answers—Accepted! Rejected!—today, I’m going to focus on that nasty in-between of college admissions purgatory: Deferral.
What Does Being Deferred Mean?
While I completely understand that you’re probably feeling gutted right now, we need a strategy session, STAT. Because while you feel like being deferred is a rejection, it ISN’T. It just means that your application will be held and considered with the rest of the school’s regular decision applications. Sometimes, it means that your application will be held and considered with the batch of “Early Decision II” or “Early Action II” applications.
If you think about it, being “deferred” really just means you’re a “maybe.” Many times, the college just needs more information before making their decision about you. Sometimes, it’s a “maybe” merely because the college received more than enough qualified applicants from your region and can’t just take all of you! Regardless of how “in” or “out” of your control the decision was, I’ve known plenty of students who initially got deferred from their ED or EA schools and later got in.
But you DO have some work ahead of you.
How to go from “Deferred” to “Accepted” in five easy steps:
1) Finish the rest of your college applications—and bring your A game.
For starters, make sure the rest of your applications and supplements are finely tuned and spot-on. They will actually matter! Write them as if you did get rejected and really actually want to go to each and every one of the other schools on your list. Submit them all by their respective deadlines (preferably before they’re actually due). Hopefully you get a few days still of your holiday break to relax.
2) Do you need to supplement your Early Decision / Early Action application?
Next, find out from the college representative if they need anything from you. This could be updated (i.e. “better”) test scores, a “letter of continued interest” (read on), more letters of recommendation, or even a particular form to fill out. Did you apply Test Optional this year? Ask if sending in test scores might aid their decision. Are your grades in question? Maybe the admissions committee would like to see some senior year midterm grades before acting on your application. If that’s the case, then send in your midyear grades as soon as they become available, and update your high school counselor on any new achievements that he or she can mention in your mid-year report to the college. (In fact, while you’re asking your school counselor for help, ask them if they might be willing to call the college and find out the reason behind your deferral in the first place! This can also help you determine what you might add to your application.)
Whatever the college representative tells you—or whatever your deferral letter says—FOLLOW DIRECTIONS! If they request you don’t submit anything, please resist the urge or you’ll ruin your shot at regular decision (or ED2) success.
3) Keep your grades up and your extracurriculars going—or even add something new.
Remember how involved you were with all your extracurriculars and grades during junior year and during the fall semester? Or at least, how you managed to keep your interests going despite cancellations and lockdowns and further honed your skills? You do? Good. Because if more is required of you, you basically need to keep up that pace. Sorry!
In fact, now that applications aren’t taking up more of your time, you should double down! Need better test scores (and are given the opportunity to retake them)?! DO THEM! Always wanted to record music or write a poetry book? Do it. Want to start a feminism club at your all-boys’ private school and create campaigns to raise awareness of male privilege? DO IT! (True story: I know the student who did—he meant it, and he got in. He’s such a great example of how to go from deferred to accepted that I’m going to tell you more about him in just a minute.)
4) Write a “Letter of Continued Interest”
Then in late February, write a nice, detailed, respectful letter (a “letter of continued interest”) to your dream school’s regional admissions counselor—basically, the person who looks at all the applications from your city or state—telling them a) how committed you still are to their school, b) why the school and you is such an amazing fit (kind of like a “Why This College?” essay, and c) all the updates of things you’ve done and achieved since you submitted your early application. The trick is to make sure you actually have impressive things to update them on!
5) “Demonstrated interest” really matters—so demonstrate it. Here’s how to show the college that deferred you that you’re REALLY interested.
What admissions officers call “demonstrated interest” really matters—and if you’ve been deferred, it can make all the difference. Historically, college experts often recommend making face-to-face contact with representatives of your dream school as much as possible…but, uh, that’s not really on the table right now. So what should you do instead? Here are some ways to demonstrate that interest even in the time of Covid.
Virtually visit the college.
If you haven’t already, go visit the college (if travel restrictions and the college itself allow it), and/or figure out socially-distant ways to show “demonstrated interest.” Depending on the college and what it offers, you may be able to take a tour or a virtual tour, sit in on classes (or perhaps a virtual class, if it’s offered), or talk with the admissions team.
Make a good academic impression.
Email professors in your area of study to ask questions about the program. If you’re thoughtful, interested, and genuine, this can help you stand out as an academic prospect.
Get involved on social media.
Find social media profiles for the teams and clubs you’d want to be a member of, and interact with them online. “Follow” or “Friend” your dream school on social media and make sure to “like” or comment on their posts. Most importantly, make sure to spend time on the college’s website, exploring academic interests and student life! (Colleges can track how often and for how long you visited their sites, so show them you really care!) And also of utmost importance, open every single email the college sends you, and make sure to click on the links inside (colleges can track this, too!).
You’d be surprised how much these actions can help your application.
A Deferral Success Story
I actually helped a super passionate and intelligent student a few years back who got deferred from Stanford. Let’s call him Caleb. Caleb’s deferral lit a spark under his butt unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Before he came back from holiday break in January, he had finished his remaining applications. Then he started a feminism club at his prestigious all-male private school. Not only that, he initiated a social media campaign to get almost every boy in his school to announce why they needed feminism via pictures. It was beautiful and touching and actually garnered media coverage because of the momentum it generated. He also continued to take the most challenging classes offered at his school and raised his grades in almost all of them…in addition to his All-American sports team participation.
Caleb wrote all these updates into a respectful and optimistic letter to the university’s dedicated admissions officer for his school. And you know what happened? Come April, he got his acceptance letter in the mail! If you follow my steps and step up your game, so can you.
I know emotions are running high right now, but what I want to convey to you is that if you got deferred from your dream school, the fight isn’t over! There is still PLENTY within your control that could move the needle in your favor.
And if you DON’T ultimately get the outcome you hoped for? At least you know you did EVERYTHING within your power to achieve your dream and will have no regrets!
