What to Do if You’ve Been Deferred

Unfortunately, deferrals are becoming more common than ever as universities are receiving record numbers of early applicants. Instead of deferring a select number of students who were not accepted, some universities are simply deferring all of them. Georgetown tells students explicitly on their website that if they are not admitted in Early Action, they will be deferred. USC announced this week that they deferred ALL 38,000+ unaccepted students from the early action pool.

Receiving a college admission deferral can be disheartening, especially when you've invested time and effort into crafting the perfect application. However, it's important to remember that a deferral is not a rejection but an opportunity to demonstrate improvements and your continued interest and commitment to the school.

Here are some tips to help you navigate this frustrating situation and increase your chances of ultimately securing admission.

1.     Understand the Decision: Take a deep breath and consider that a deferral is not a reflection of your worth or capabilities. Colleges defer applications for various reasons such as not wanting to turn town so many highly qualified students until they see the regular decision applications or trying to create a well-rounded class. View this as a chance to enhance your application and showcase your determination.

2.     Demonstrate Continued Interest: Show the college that you remain enthusiastic about attending by promptly confirming your continued interest. Write a thoughtful letter to the admissions office expressing your ongoing commitment, updating them on any relevant achievements or activities since your application, and reiterating why you believe the school is the perfect fit for you. You can also use this as a chance to visit the college if you haven’t already.

3.     Submit Additional Materials: Some colleges allow deferred applicants to submit additional materials, such as updated grades, new test scores, or letters of recommendation. If you've improved academically or achieved noteworthy accomplishments, absolutely share this information to strengthen your candidacy.

4.     Follow Instructions: Along with the deferral decision, colleges will send instructions for next steps. Often, this includes completing a form or submitting a letter of continued interest. However, sometimes schools specifically ask students NOT to send additional materials or have very strict guidelines on what to submit. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS. Do not waste their time by sending unwanted materials or repetitive emails.

5.     Explore Alternatives: While waiting for a final decision, explore other colleges and consider your backup options. It's crucial to have alternative plans in place although you may still be admitted to your first-choice school. Stay open-minded and evaluate other institutions that align with your academic and personal preferences.

6.     Stay Positive and Focused: It's natural to feel disappointed, but don't let a deferral derail your academic and personal pursuits. Focus on maintaining a positive mindset, continue working hard, and stay engaged in meaningful activities. A positive attitude can make a significant difference in your overall well-being and may even positively influence your future endeavors.

Being deferred from a college can be disappointing, but it's essential to approach the situation with resilience and a proactive mindset. Use the additional time to evaluate other options, strengthen your application, showcase your achievements, and demonstrate unwavering commitment. Remember, the college admission process is complex, and your journey doesn't end with a deferral or denial—keep pushing forward with determination and optimism. There are so many great options out there!

The Importance of the College List

As of the end of January, the Common Application reported an increase in application volume of nearly 20% and an increase of 13% in the number of single applicants from the 2019-2020 application cycle. With the increase in number of applications due to reasons such as the ease of applying to more schools via the Common Application and more than 75% of colleges in the US now going test optional or test blind, it makes sense that the acceptance rates at some popular universities are going down. But how do you explain to a student with an excellent resume and top academics that they didn’t get in to a school they have worked towards for years?

The college admissions world comes with no guarantees. Every day, I hear stories from fellow counselors of top students getting turned down from schools they thought they were more than qualified for. But there are many factors considered beyond the basic application criteria often discussed such as the geography of the applicants, number of fellow applicants from the same high school, financial need, major applied to, demonstrated interest, predicted likelihood of a student enrolling if accepted, etc.

I recently lost a potential client because I would not ‘guarantee’ them admission to the schools they suggested to me. How could I ethically do so? While I can not guarantee admission to a certain university or the award of a certain scholarship, I can give my word that I will do my best and that includes helping students find additional schools which are great fits and helping them understand the factors to consider both within our control and beyond.

Building a college list the student ‘loves’ and a balanced list is more important than ever. While it may be difficult to convince some students to add a few colleges  they don’t consider ‘top’ or colleges they may not have heard of before, it is important to open their eyes to the options available to them. When I work with my students, I strive to help them create a list which goes beyond the obvious. I have had many students apply to and/or end up attending schools they had not even heard of before working with me. It is an important part of my job to help them consider ALL options available to them and help them build a balanced list of schools – a list that is not ‘top heavy’, a list which includes schools who do not turn down more students than they accept. Most importantly, I help them build a list which includes schools where the student can be successful both socially and academically, a list of schools the student is truly happy with before they hit ‘submit’.

While reading the most recent article by Brennen Barnard, I was struck by the wisdom and optimism in some of the quotes such as this: “finding the college that will help one be successful isn’t a matter of gaining admission to X school, it’s a matter of going somewhere that can take you down the path to your goals and working hard when you get there.”…“admission is a door to a path and there is more than one door and more than one path. Getting an acceptance isn’t the ultimate goal and denial (or waitlist or deferral) isn’t the ending.” 

Yes, it can certainly be frustrating and stressful, but there are so many wonderful options out there if you are willing to look and open your mind to the possibility of them. And if you plan ahead and build a solid list, you will find your place. More than half of colleges in the US accept more students than they turn down. Keep your head up!

 Additional Articles to Consider:

https://www.collegeconfidential.com/articles/college-applications-in-2022/

https://www.collegedata.com/resources/the-facts-on-fit/understanding-college-selectivity

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/all-time-record-high-number-applicants-apply-uc-chicanolatino-students-comprising-largest

https://www.ppic.org/blog/college-admissions-in-an-era-of-uncertainty/

Advice for Deferred Applications

If you applied early to colleges, you may soon be very familiar with the word deferral. While most of the nation’s colleges noted a decrease in early applicants this year, early applications to the elite schools actually increased significantly. Some schools such as Duke, Yale and Dartmouth actually received historical high numbers. As these numbers of applications rose this year, so did the number of deferrals. Getting deferred is unfortunately quite common and this year even more so.

What does it mean? Being deferred basically means the school wants to reconsider you along with the next pool of candidates in regular decision. It is not a denial. They will take into context the profiles of the regular decision applicants along with any additional information you send about yourself and make their final decision in the next round. While the regular decision pool is typically not quite as strong as that of early application, there are many more applications to consider. Many colleges typically defer around half of their early applications to the regular decision pool. Some such as Georgetown actually defer all students who were not accepted in the early application period (nearly 90% of their early applicants this year). Statistics on the percentage of students deferred and then eventually accepted are hard to come by, but in general, the numbers are not high.

What should you do? Many schools will give you specific requests for more information such as updated grades, additional letters of recommendation or details on activities. Whatever they ask, make sure you follow. If they do not make any requests, you should be certain to maintain or improve your grades and submit any new materials which would enhance your application along with a letter to admissions reaffirming your interest.

Keep in mind that if you are deferred, you are no longer required to attend that college if eventually accepted. You can continue to apply to other colleges of via regular decision. If you no longer wish to be considered, inform the college of your decision and free up that space for another student. Remember, being deferred is basically a second chance for consideration, but you should definitely give yourself other options.

What Happens After You Hit Submit?

After applications are submitted and the giant feeling of relief has subsided, there are a few things to keep in mind. Each school has their own timeline for when they will inform applicants of their admissions decision. In general, schools which have rolling admissions take 2-3 weeks, schools with Nov. 1 EA will inform you between mid-December and end of January, and schools with RD in January will inform you by end of February or March. So what do you do while you wait?

Within 2-3 days, most colleges will create an account on their website for you to check the status of your application and submit additional materials needed. Check your email consistently and make sure you do not miss these emails from your colleges. After receiving them, log in and check that the colleges have received all of your application requirements. While doing this, keep in mind that it may take some time for the websites to be updated as colleges are inundated with materials around their deadlines. If about a week after the deadline you still see that your application is missing something you have already sent, follow up with the admissions office. Although some colleges will send you a reminder that something is missing, you do not want to rely on that.

After applying, Florida students will need to connect their Student Self-Reported Academic Record to their applications of the schools which require them. These instructions will be on the Admissions website or sent via email. Also, financial aid forms such as the FAFSA and CSS Profile will need to be completed if they are not already. For some schools such as FSU, proof of residency will also be completed after the application is submitted. You will be able to see which of these materials you need by checking your new student account assigned to you.

If you do indeed find out that something is missing, do not overreact. Remember, with so many documents and emails being sent back and forth during such a short time span, it is very easy for something to get lost in the shuffle. If what is missing can be taken care of by you, do it right away. If it is something a counselor, teacher, or testing agency should have taken care of, politely follow up with them yourself. Whatever it may be, respectfully ask them to resend the materials as soon as they can. Confirm with the admissions office that you have taken care of it and verify if they have received the missing materials. While doing all of this, it is important that you advocate for yourself and be patient. Colleges would much rather hear from the students themselves than from a parent or counselor. You want to show them you are ready for college.

It should go without saying, but keep working hard and maintaining or improving your grades. Colleges ask for mid and final reports from your counselor for a reason! If you are given admission to a college and your grades sink, they have the right to revoke their offer. On the other hand, if you end up getting deferred or waitlisted, you want to be able to show progress to improve your chances of acceptance. No matter what your situation is, continuing to work hard and get good grades can only help.

Now try to relax and wait for your acceptance (hopefully) letters to roll in! Remember, there is a school for everyone and it WILL work out. Stay posted for my next article on what to do if you are waitlisted or deferred and how to weigh your options.

Additional Help:

FSU Admissions FAQs - https://admissions.fsu.edu/images/pdf/2019%20First%20Year%20Admissions%20FAQ.pdf

FAFSA Tips: https://www.nasfaa.org/fafsa_tips

Deciphering Financial Aid Award Letters

After coming back from a fantastic training with uAspire on award letter review, now is the perfect time to share some of what I learned or was reminded of. As I receive copies of my students' award letters, I continue to be astonished by how complex and confusing these letters can be, especially for those not familiar with the financial aid jargon. It is disappointing that some schools continue to take advantage of the students and families by presenting their packages in very deceiving formats leading families to believe some colleges are more affordable than they actually are. An important part of the work I do with my families is helping them decipher these letters and make an informed college decision.

Award letters arrive sometime after the student has been accepted and completed the financial aid information such as the FAFSA and/or CSS Profile. Each school has their own timeline for when they send out financial aid information and it can arrive any time up until the May 1 decision day. Although we still refer to it as a 'letter' it is now usually an email or web page the student can access within their college portal.

First off, it is crucial that you understand which types of expenses you will incur and what the different types of aid are. Total cost of attendance should be broken down into several categories such as tuition & fees, room & board, and books & transportation. The tuition & fees and room & board are Direct Costs which are paid directly to the college. The other expenses are Indirect and can vary significantly depending on which classes the student takes, what activities they participate in, where they purchase their materials, and how and when the student will be traveling between home and college. The Indirect Costs are more controllable by the student.

Financial aid can be broken down into two distinctive categories – Gift Aid which consists of grants & scholarships and Self-Help which consists of loans, family contribution, and work study. Unfortunately, colleges often bundle the Self-Help into their financial aid package which leads families to believe they will be paying less. However, the loans and work study are entirely on the student and family to take care of. It is important to know that a Direct Parent Loan also known as Federal Parent Plus Loan is something which is not guaranteed and often has borrowing terms less favorable to other loans such as the federal student loans, yet colleges almost always include it as part of their package. Work study is also not guaranteed and students have to find a qualified job on campus and work to earn that money.

So when reviewing your financial aid packages, be sure to calculate your true total cost of attendance by adding all direct and indirect expenses and subtracting grants and scholarships from that total. Do not include loans, work study, parent contribution or anything else listed on the award letter which will require payment from you. This final number will be the amount you will need to fund yourself whether it is via federal loans, private loans, work study, or finding additional scholarships. If you feel that the financial aid office made an error in calculating your aid, your financial situation has changed or another school has made a more competitive offer, you can always consider appealing.

Be sure to weigh your college and finance options carefully before making a final decision. If the letters are not clear to you, do not hesitate to call the financial aid office and ask for clarification. In the end, you may need to ask yourself some difficult questions such as if a certain school is worth that high final price tag or if you would prefer to save that extra money for attending grad school later. Make use of some of the free online calculators to get a better idea of what your monthly loan payments would be. Remember to look into the terms of each loan such as if it is subsidized or not, when the repayment begins, if repayment plans are income based, what the interest rates and loan fees are, and if payment can be deferred. Whatever you decide, ensure you are making a financially safe decision.

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For a breakdown of some of the financial aid terms, check out my previous post here: https://www.acmcollegeconsulting.com/blog/2018/10/22/all-about-the-fafsa

If you still have not filed the FAFSA, do it NOW: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa

If your school has requested additional financial aid forms or verification, be sure to complete them as soon as possible to ensure you receive the highest amount of aid possible. Remember, some aid is given on a first come, first serve basis.

The Decision Season Panic

As admissions decisions continue to roll in, some students are celebrating while others are unfortunately beginning to panic. What has become clear so far this year is that most if not all 'upper level' schools are increasingly difficult to get into and the number of early applications has once again jumped. The unpredictability of it all has become more evident than ever. Highly qualified students are shocked to find out they did not get into their colleges and are beginning to worry that they will not get in to any that they want. While it is perfectly normal and reasonable for the students to be concerned about not getting into their favorite schools, there is a lot which can be done to get these students into a more stable situation during this confusing college application season.

1. Make a BALANCED List They LOVE - an idea that is by no means revolutionary, but still not entirely understood. Students continue to make very top heavy college lists. Even worse, they are putting back up schools on their list which they would not be happy with. It is worth the time and effort to do the research early on and establish a list which is balanced and which does not include schools the student merely added to have a safety. They need to understand that nothing is a guarantee and a safety school should still be one they would be happy to attend. As with any of the schools on their list, it would be even better if the student has had the opportunity to visit their safety schools and know what they are like before including them on their list. The last thing anyone wants is to end up only getting in to the 'mystery' school they added in a moment of panic. If students make a balanced list they love, they will be able to get through application season with less anxiety over the possibility of not getting in anywhere or only getting into a school they are not even interested in attending.
   

2. Understand the Options – students need to have a clear understanding of the application options and what they can do with the decisions they receive. This plan should be established before application season, not after the decisions are already coming in. Students should be aware of the true meaning of applying ED and EA and have a plan set in place for the possible denial from those schools. (Check out my previous post for tips on what to do with the decisions for how to handle deferrals and waitlists.)
   

3. Stop the Comparison – as mentioned, the unpredictability of college admissions is more evident than ever. The stories of highly qualified students getting turned down while their counterparts get accepted are countless. Students with nearly identical credentials are getting very different responses. Although easier said than done, students, their parents and counselors need to stop the comparison and big name game. One's college acceptance is not a determination of their future success or in many instances, an accurate assessment of the work they have done thus far. There are so many factors which have to do with enrollment quotas, diversity, distribution of financial aid, and massive increases in the various application pools that make the admissions system much more complicated and difficult to predict or even understand. Being a top student is no longer an automatic in and there are so many great schools which may not be well known, but nevertheless provide top notch education. Students need to understand that they can forge their own paths to success at any college they choose, and not getting into a top school does not make them any less of a person.

While not getting into a top choice school may be a shock and of course a disappointment to any student, we can all play a part in reducing the stress, anxiety and panic surrounding college applications and decisions. We have to assume the admissions counselors are making the best decisions they can with the time, demands and resources they have. We can not begin to try to understand the reasoning behind each decision they make and need to prepare our students for any response they may receive.

Admissions Decisions

As the admissions decisions are rolling in, students could be faced with several different responses. It is important that you weigh your options and make a decision you are happy with. While you may be disappointed with some of the responses you receive, remember that there is a college for you! This is why you created a 'list you love' to start with.

DEFERRED

If you applied early to colleges, you may soon be very familiar with the word deferral. Getting deferred is not necessarily a bad thing. It just means that the college would like to reconsider you along with the next pool of candidates. Chances are, the pool of candidates in regular decision is not quite as strong as those in early action or early decision and as the numbers of early applications continue to increase, more students will be deferred. Unfortunately, statistics on the percentage of students deferred and then eventually accepted are hard to come by, but in general, colleges defer around half of their early applications to the regular decision pool. For example, last year Yale deferred 55%, Middleburg deferred just 17%, and Harvard deferred over 70% of the early applicants.

What should you do? Some colleges will give you specific requests for more information such as grade reports or additional letters of recommendation. Others will straight tell you not to send anything else. Whatever they ask, make sure you follow. If they do not make any requests, you should do everything you can to improve your chances. Keep your grades up and write a letter to admissions reaffirming your interest. Basically do as you would if you were waitlisted (read below).

Keep in mind that if you are deferred, you are no longer required to attend that college if eventually accepted. You should continue to apply to other colleges of interest. If you no longer wish to be considered, inform the college of your decision and free up that space for another student. Remember, being deferred is basically a second chance for consideration, but you should still keep other options open.

WAITLISTED

Almost 40% of colleges use a wait list and they put an average of 10% of all students applying on to that list to fill spots of students who do not accept their offers of admission. Unfortunately, these lists often give students a sense of false hope as the chances of actually being taken off of the waitlist are very slim. In 2016, an overall average of 23% of students on waitlists eventually got accepted and an even lower 14% were accepted from the lists of highly selective schools. So as can be expected, the more selective the school, the lower the chance that you will be taken off of the list.

If you are one of the the small group of students waitlisted, there are several things you can and should do. First, decide if you are truly still interested in the school and even want to be on the waitlist. Consider your chances of actually being taken off of that list. You can also contact admissions and find out where you stand on the list. Are there different pools? If so, are you in the priority? Do you really want to wait it out? Colleges may not inform you of the final decision until after the May 1 National Decision Day when they have a good idea of who has accepted their offers of admission. If you do decide to wait it out, make sure you have your backup school lined up and are ready to submit the deposit before the deadline if you are not pulled from the waitlist in time. Second, do everything you can to improve your chances of being taken off. Write a letter to admissions reaffirming your interest in the school and your hopes of attending. Continue to remain in contact with your local admissions representative and keep them updated with your grades and test scores, particularly things which show progress/improvement since you applied.

ACCEPTED

Congratulations! You officially have until May 1 to make your deposit and enroll in your chosen college. It is important to pay attention to applications and deadlines to enroll in extras such as orientation programs, spring accepted student events, and different housing options. Some of those go on a first come, first serve basis, so do not wait until May 1 if you are sure of where you want to go! It should go without saying, but as always, continue to keep up your grades and send in any final reports requested.

ACCEPTED TO BRANCH/PARTNER CAMPUS, INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM or SUMMER SEMESTER

Some students may open their acceptance letters to find unexpected responses. There are several types of non-traditional acceptances various colleges currently offer. Some examples include acceptance to one of NYU's international campuses for the first year, Notre Dame's Gateway program at Holy Cross College, or a summer semester before you join the rest of the freshman class on campus. While you may be disappointed or confused by these offers, they are definitely worth consideration. They are indeed still acceptances and offer great experiences to bond with a smaller group of students before merging with the rest of your class on the main campus.

DENIED

While it certainly isn’t a decision you were hoping for or in some instances expected, chances are you are going to get a few of these. Allow yourself a moment to be upset and then MOVE ON! Consider your other options and decide which remaining colleges are the best fits. The whole purpose of applying to a balanced list of colleges was to give yourself several different options for when decisions like this come in. You should have many other great options on your list and if you do not, it is not too late to apply to more. Many schools have application deadlines which span into the Spring. Also, if you are denied from an ED I or EA pool, you could consider applying ED II to another school. Various top colleges have ED II deadlines early to mid January, so there is still time to get those applications in.

Whatever those admissions letters may reveal, you ALWAYS have options. Take the time to make a decision which is in YOUR best interest. There is a school for everyone, you just have to look for it.