Deferred from a top choice college? There ARE things you can do.

It happens a lot these days because more and more students are applying Early Action and Early Decision to their favorite colleges. And if colleges can’t decide whether to accept or deny you from the Early pool, they may defer you, which means hold off and evaluate your application again with the rest of the Regular applications.

But keep in mind that sitting and waiting for the Regular Decision may not be the best thing you can do. There ARE things you can do now to help your chances of being accepted come time for the Regular Decision to be made.

Also note that this blog is about what students can do to help their chances of being accepted. Parents, other than offering support and encouragement to your student, you have to take a backseat at this stage.

1. Respond Quickly.

Likely, when the college notified you about the deferral, they asked for a response from you about whether or not you would like to be considered Regular Decision. They either sent a postcard in the mail, or a link in an email where you can respond. Do so quickly and let them know you are still interested.

2. Write a LOCI (Letter of Continued Interest)

A LOCI is a letter (likely in email form) you should write and send to the college right away. It should: a) let the college know you are still very interested and why and b) notify the college of any new awards, achievements or accomplishments. For more information about this, see our previous blog post, here.

3. Talk to your High School Counselor

There are two things to ask your School Counselor to help with at this point: ensure that any new grades/report cards are sent to your colleges and ask if the School Counselor will make a phone call on your behalf to your #1 choice school. Note: not all School Counselors will do this, but it’s worth asking.

4. Look Ahead

It’s important at this stage to look closely at your other options and not get hung up on the one college that deferred you. Stay positive. Visit the college(s) you were accepted to and stay optimistic that everything will work out the way its supposed to.

Getting deferred is not the end of the world, and it’s not a rejection. There are things you can do to help your chances. But, it’s also a smart idea to focus on the schools that admitted you and get excited about what the future holds.

For more information about college admissions, contact us today.