Everyone who applied early decision or early action is anxiously waiting to hear whether they have been accepted. I wish you all good luck. Unfortunately, some of you will not be accepted and some will be put into limbo with the deferment letter. Let’s look at what you can do to improve your chance of acceptance after getting deferred.
Let’s make sure we all understand what deferment means. A student whose application is deferred is not accepted in the early round but will be reconsidered during the regular decision round. If you have been deferred there are several steps you can take to improve your chances of acceptance in the regular decision round.
Contact the admissions office of the college that deferred you. Ask to talk with the admissions rep for your area and let them know that their college is still your first choice even if you have been deferred. Also politely ask what kept you from being admitted early decision/action. Ask them what you can do to improve your chances of acceptance in the regular decision round. They may not be able to give you any specific information on why you were deferred but if they do, it is something you can work on.
Over the next few months, continue to work on maintaining or improving your grades and submit updated grades after the next grading period. Also make sure that you update the admissions officer of any new accomplishments or honors you have since the application was submitted.
If you have been deferred you must make sure you immediately begin work on the applications for other colleges. At this point you need to make sure you have options in April and you don’t want to rely on getting in regular decision to the college that deferred you.
If you were not accepted early to a college then this college should be considered a reach and you need to make sure you have applications submitted to colleges that are more of a match or safety for you. If the deferring college does accept you regular decision then you can compare all of your college choices in April when you have all of your decisions available. If not, then focus on all of the other great choices you do have.
Not being accepted can be difficult. Just remember that there are many great colleges out there and you need to find the right one for you.
Leave a Comment