What To Do If You’re Deferred?
Have you been deferred from Early Decision? Up until Dec 15th at 7pm EST, everyone who applied Early Decision and submitted their college applications in time for the Nov 1 deadline has been in a holding pattern. In other words: just waiting.
But, what does being “deferred” actually mean?
And what everyone really wants to know: what are your remaining chances of getting in to your top choice school?
Here’s the good news: being deferred, while not the full-out acceptance you were looking for, is actually GOOD!
Take that in for a second — in lieu of a full-out acceptance from Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, MIT, or any other highly competitive school, being deferred is actually not a bad thing, and this is why:
Being deferred from college Early Decision, especially when you’re talking about the Ivy League or Ivy League “equivalent” schools means you actually have what it takes to get in!
In other words, it means you have what it takes to be competitive, not only at the highest Ivy League (if you were deferred from Harvard, for example), but from that particular school.
That’s HUGE news if the college you applied to is in the top 20, let alone the top 10 or even top 3!
If Harvard defers you, that means the Harvard admissions committee thought you were good enough to put “on hold” for the moment, as they wait to compare you to the rest of the regular admissions applicants.
That’s what’s going on when you get deferred. You are deemed “competitive” enough, because otherwise you would have been flat out rejected outright. Admissions officers don’t need to make even more work for themselves. They have no problem rejecting unqualified applicants.
The fact that you were NOT rejected though, is GREAT NEWS!!!! Don’t you see? It means they thought you “competitive enough”. Again, GREAT NEWS in terms of your chances and opportunity.
It means regardless if you don’t get in to THIS particular school, and there is still a good chance, you now know in your heart that you are at the level this TYPE of school is looking for, and that you’re still in the game.
So, if you get deferred from Columbia, for example, that means that comparable level schools like Brown, Dartmouth, or UPenn might still find you interesting.
That means if you get deferred from Stanford, MIT just might want to snatch you up!
Don’t let a deferment dampen your spirits as though it’s not the ultimate that you were looking for, you are STILL IN THE RACE!
And, yes, that’s a race that you absolutely can still win.
I get many students into top Ivy League colleges every single year who were initially deferred. Your hope is delayed, NOT shattered by any means.
Many of my students into Harvard and Columbia last night! This morning, many new students contacted me wondering how to maximize their chances now.
So, what can you do if you got that deferment email? Contact me and let me help you navigate the new situation. You have to know how to respond to a deferment properly.
AND, you need to now maximize your strategy for all of your other regular decision schools.
Want more information? Contact me today for a free consultation. I’m a former Harvard admissions interviewer + Harvard graduate and run the award-winning Ivy League College Admissions Firm: www.IvyCollegeEssay.com
Contact me today, and get into the school of your dreams!
Check out my other article too: What Does It Mean to Get Waitlisted: https://ivycollegeessay.com/2022/09/10/what-does-it-mean-if-you-get-waitlisted-2/
