Top Tips If You Were Deferred: 2021

Early Decision notifications are being released and thousands of students are waiting to hear whether they were accepted. Though you can get accepted or rejected, you can also get deferred. What does a deferral mean?

WHAT IS A DEFERRAL?

A deferral is when a school postpones making a decision about a student’s application and pushes it off until the regular round where they will take another look. Students can be deferred for any number of reasons:

• Applications may have risen since the year before, forcing the college to accept fewer kids in the early round.
• Perhaps junior year grades dipped a bit and the college wants to see more senior year grades to see if the trend is in the right direction.
• Though some colleges profess not to care about scores, perhaps reported SAT/ACT or AP scores were sub-par.
• Maybe the student did not come across as “high impact” enough.
• The student may have looked too well-rounded but not sharp enough in a particular area. We can help sharpen an academic area of focus in our Deferral Program.
• The student may have been un-hooked and many “hooked” kids get slots in the ED round.
• Perhaps recommendation letters were strong but not strong enough relative to other top students.

Is there hope?

Yes, always. Schools typically accept only 5-10 percent of students they deferred. And though early round admission rates are much better than regular, they are still extremely competitive. For instance, Harvard’s early acceptance rate is typically around 13% versus 3% in the regular round.

For very top schools, admissions is competitive in both early and regular. 

We can help you figure out why you might have been deferred and what you can do about it.

Deferral/Denial and Waitlist Analysis & Guidance

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DEFERRED? TTA’S TOP TIPS

Hopefully your deferral will serve as a reminder to go back and review everything you have in place for your regular applications. In addition, begin to work on the following:

1. Focus on grades. Grades are the most important factor in admissions decisions, so you’ll want to finish the semester with the strongest grades possible. Cut out some of your extras if necessary and focus on grades. 
2. Examine your test scores. Though colleges say they are test optional, they do expect test scores from students at private schools and who have access to testing for the most part.
3. Pursue any last-minute contests, articles to publish or other ways to stand out in your area of expertise. Schools want to brag about their incoming freshman class.  Make yourself brag worthy by going the extra mile in something you’ve already begun. Let us know if we can help you identify some ways to do so.
4. Find out why. Ask your school counselor to call the school on your behalf both to advocate and to find out any information.
5. Get another recommendation. You don’t want to over do it, but often getting another recommendation from a senior year teacher can help.

By mid-January (or whenever first semester grades come out), submit the following materials to the admissions officer covering your area (always reviewing their policies, however):

1. A one-page deferral letter that includes:
   1. Updates on grades, awards, standardized test scores, extracurriculars
   2. Details on why that school is your first choice.  Be specific and focus on the academic match. 
2. An updated school transcript that includes your fall-semester grades
3. One letter of support from a senior-year teacher, if applicable

DON’T FORGET TO…

1. Advocate for yourself, but don’t become a pest. It’s okay to send a deferral letter to the admissions officer covering your area; it’s not okay to stake out his or her office for the next few weeks.
2. Consider an Early Decision 2 option and perhaps adding more schools to your regular list.
3. Stay positive – many students get into their dream school in regular round. Play the long game.

Give us a call for more information on our Deferral Program and let us guide you. Time is critical, however, and we work with a limited number of students.

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Dr. Michele Hernández

CoFounder at Top Tier Admissions

Michele has been featured in hundreds of newspapers, magazines, radio and television programs including Newsweek, Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, Atlantic Monthly, The Today Show, CNN, and MSNBC and is an ongoing contributor to The Huffington Post. As an assistant director of admissions at Dartmouth College for four years and the academic dean of a private high school in South Florida, Michele has crafted a unique angle for assisting students in gaining admission to the most selective colleges, incorporating her “inside perspective” on the admissions adventure.

Dr. Michele Hernández has written the best-selling books: A is for Admission, The Middle School Years, Acing the College Application and Don’t Worry You’ll Get In which she wrote with Mimi Doe.

Latest posts by Dr. Michele Hernández (see all)

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