Surviving Deferral

As Early Action and Early Decision notifications are sent to students in the next 4-6 weeks, we felt it was a good time to discuss how best to manage deferrals. It is important that families recognize that while a deferral can essentially mean rejection at some schools, at others, effectively navigating the deferral process may increase acceptance odds.

1 Understand the odds. Getting deferred at different colleges means different things depending on how schools run their admissions process. Knowing how many students are accepted in early decision rounds and a school's yield rate can help students understand their acceptance odds. This year, with visa availability a question, understanding how many international students generally make up a school's population could be important as there may be more slots for deferred students if international students are unable to enroll. 

2. Understand a college's policy and practice around deferred students. Different schools have different communication policies, and it is important that students know them. As with other parts of the admissions process, failure to follow rules and directions generally leads to rejection.

3. Write an email of continued interest. Students should email the Dean of Admissions as well as their regional representative expressing their continued interest, intention to attend if accepted and explain why they believe they are a good 'fit' with the school. Students should try to be specific in their explanation, demonstrating a knowledge of the school.

4. Consider unconventional approaches to supplemental material. To improve admissions odds, students should look to submit new material. Besides submitting updated grades, students should consider recent awards, new extracurricular activities and additional letters of recommendation (if accepted). In the holistic admissions process, grades are just one aspect of the decision-making process, and updated information about activities and student personality can be significant advantages. Although optional at many schools, applicants might think about taking SAT/ACT exams as good results are appreciated by most schools. Students might also complete Glimpse videos and optional interviews if they are able to.

5. Maintain a positive outlook and communicate good news to your regional representative. Representatives frequently have a significant influence in the admissions process at many schools. Emphasizing recent positive developments, like achieving a top grade on a special project, landing a new job, or other accomplishments that boost a resume and demonstrate genuine interest, can make a difference. Students who most effectively enhance their applications and share updates have an advantage. 

6. Finally, when a student is deferred it is important to make an honest appraisal of the schools they are applying to. Making sure that the applicant has a realistic list of target schools and adding a safety school or two is a good idea after a deferral because of the possibility that the student has overvalued their resume.

For those that need help, we are available.