Mid December Is Deferral Time For Many College Applicants. Here are some tips to keep your holidays positive and powerful. Tips to Handle Being Deferred
- Reality Check:While you are still in the running for your deferred college(s), you need to have a two–part game plan. You need to finish your other applications and then develop a deferral plan.
2. Update Your College List:Work on these applications throughout the holidays by making a daily schedule. Here are some tips.
- Revise your list. You aimed high for Early Decision–now you need to diversify your college list with some additional choices.
- Go to Naviance, if your school uses it, update your college list.
- Update your original application, including your activities and test scores.
- Write powerful supplemental essays. Do not lose your energy now.
- Prepare for alumni interviews for each of these colleges.
- Submit each application and test scores as soon as you can.
- Plan to visit some of your top colleges this winter if you haven’t visited them already.
3. Deferred College Decision Time: Now think deeply. If you know that you are in the range of admissions, then develop a four month self-marketing plan. If you know that you were not in the range, then let it go and work on your other colleges.
4. Campaign for Admission to Your Deferred College: Think back to your application and tell yourself that you did the very best you could. At the same time, think of additional information you can provide to express why you should be admitted. Plan to send one piece of new, significant information to the college each month starting now. Remember regular admissions students get to send in November and December information along with first semester grades. Now, you will too!!!!
- Test scores: If you took additional tests in November and December and like your scores, send them to the deferred college. Make sure to let the admissions office know you sent in the new scores.
- Email: Write a short email to the admissions officer of the college for your region and express your strong desire to still attend the college. Do not restate all that you said earlier in your application. But really express passionately your commitment to the campus. Commit to going there if you get in regular decision.
- Visit: Visit the institution one more time and revisit the admissions office to remind them of your interest. Contact anyone in the admissions office whom you met in person or via email.
- Additional teacher recommendation: Ask a senior year teacher, who has not already written you a letter to this school, to write you a letter of recommendation. This letter should really emphasize your academic talents this year and why you will thrive at that college.
- Counselor contact: Get an updated email or phone call from your guidance counselor.
- Alumni or campus interviewer: Contact your alumni or campus interviewer–if you think you had a good interview…Thank the interviewer again and then ask for any advice about moving from deferral to admissions.
- Letter: Write a formal email in February or early March updating the admissions office with your academic and extracurricular activity performance. This email will include your first semester performance, exemplary academic projects, and major leadership accomplishments.
- Updated resume: Consider updating the non-academic portion of your application. Though not required, an updated resume can always help. Just make sure anything you add does contribute in a new way to your application. Do not be redundant.
- Outsider letters: If you can think of one major person (non-teacher) who knows you extremely well and can share your leadership and initiative, ask that person to write a letter. A perfect person is someone for whom you did a major project this year…volunteer leader, youth group…only someone who can attest to new work this year and who knows you really, really well.
5. Keep a positive focus:Please do not obsess longer than one or two days on the deferred school as there are so many other colleges where you will thrive. Understand that you will find happiness wherever you attend college!!!
