What to do if you’ve been deferred to regular decision

What to do if you’ve been deferred to regular decision

By Brittany MaschalDec 11, 2019

Some colleges and universities can’t admit all of the students they would like to via early decision or early action (“ED” or “EA”), so they defer some and evaluate them again during regular decision (“RD”). These candidates have a shot (albeit small at many top schools) at getting admitted RD. However, some schools just defer everyone or almost everyone! A not so nice practice. Most students that fall into this category should move on and focus on other schools.

A few notes before doing anything to “work” a deferral:

1. Stay positive for RD, or preferably, early decision II (“ED II”), and keep moving forward!

2. Consider ED II if you are currently not. Not all schools have ED II; check your Common App to see if ED II is offered at any schools on your list. Why? because….

3. The RD round is tough and this year’s early numbers demonstrate it might be even tougher than before; it is smart to get familiar with the ED I and RD numbers and understand why ED II can present a significant advantage over RD. Read this chart. Pay particular attention to the percentage of the class filled by early plans.

4. Don’t make the same mistakes again (or again, and again…). You should be very open to doing a thorough evaluation of what might have gone wrong with your early app(s). With fresh eyes, you might find a few things you would change. Or, with the feedback from someone else, see that you missed the mark. If you’d like an expert evaluation of your deferred app, contact us.

Other Tips:

–Get your guidance counselor’s support. Have your guidance counselor advocate for you.

-Make sure updated grades/transcript are sent promptly. Your grades should have remained the same or improved, not dipped.

–Get an extra letter of recommendation*. This letter could be written by a teacher, coach, or someone else close to you who can speak to your background, performance, and potential.

*Side note on alumni letters and letters from well-known or famous people. Many students ask if these are helpful to send, and the answer is no unless the person really knows you or they have a solid connection to admissions.

–Make contacts locally and talk to students and alumni. Reach out to local alumni chapters and ask if there is anyone willing to meet with you for an informal informational interview. Use this meeting as an opportunity to learn more about the school, and demonstrate your interest in attending. Information learned in these meetings are beneficial to include in your deferral letter.

-Connect with your regional rep and consider sending a deferral letter. You should have connected with them prior to applying, so this email won’t be out of the blue. Ask if they have any specific advice for deferred candidates. Are reasons for the deferral that you can address in the coming months (grades, test scores, lack of interest or understanding the mission and values of the school)? If you had an interview and established a good relationship with your interviewer, you can also reach out to them to see if they have any tips. A deferral letter should contain information updating the school on what you’ve been up to both inside and outside of the classroom since the time you applied as a way to show your fit for the school, how you will add value, etc. It should not be a list of your accomplishments or a brag sheet. Contact us if you would like some help with your deferral letter.

Secondary Efforts:

-Visit the school and swing by admissions to reiterate interest. Sit in on a class and take advantage of any admissions events and/or programming you may not have the first time around. Keep in mind that if you already visited and the school is more than a drive or train ride away, this might seem extravagant.

-Use social media to your advantage. Don’t be afraid to follow your top choice schools on Facebook, Instagram, Snap or other social channels. Most schools also have LinkedIn pages you can follow. These touchpoints likely won’t help significantly, but can’t hurt as a way to demonstrate interest.

 

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Early Decision and Early Action Notification Dates

By Brittany MaschalDec 09, 2019

College and universities are releasing early decision and early action results this month and into January. Schools often post results in advance of their “official” notification dates.

My favorite college-admissions-related data site, College Kickstart, has compiled release dates along with the notification dates from last year, which might help you predict when a school will release early. Bookmark this page, as they post updates often.

 

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December Monthly Action Plan – By Grade

By Brittany MaschalDec 01, 2019

Seniors

• Track your application status. Once your applications have been submitted, be sure to periodically check your school-specific portals. Check your JUNK/SPAM email folder regularly (daily), so you do not miss correspondence from schools.

• Do the schools on your list require midterm grade reports? Check requirements online and talk to your school counselor about having them sent to colleges as needed. Also, re-share your RD list and make sure they know to send docs accordingly and far in advance of deadlines.

• It is difficult to write essays and complete applications between December 15 through January 1 because of the holidays, and…

• It’s always a good idea to submit apps ahead of deadlines. Aim to complete all RD/ED II apps by 12/15 so you are not in a time-crunch over the holidays and beat the RD app submission rush! Don’t forget to send official test scores, as required, to RD schools.

Juniors

• Keep updating your resume.

• Summer program applications will open over the next few months (some are open now!). If you plan on applying to an application-based summer program, get a timeline in place that utilizes your holiday vacation schedule. There is no better time than now to start summer program apps if they have been released. Not interested in a formal summer program? Consider working with us on a purpose project!

• Start to think more about your major (or majors!) of interest and how your activities support this interest. Don’t forget: you should be exploring your interests outside of the classroom/school. But what if I do not know what my interests are?!?!

Interests are not necessarily inherent, waiting to be found—they need to be cultivated. You have to get out into the world and work to determine them, and this can take time. We believe this is why it is important to start exploring early in high school. Explore through after-school programs, clubs at your school, a summer job, free classes online, by reading books, academic journals, or even watching Ted Talks. What we are getting at is, to really determine your interests, which might someday turn into your focus of study in college—or who knows, maybe even your passions later in life—you have to put some thought into it and do the work!

• Plan Winter/Spring college visits. Please note, there are not many students on college campuses during December/January, so plan accordingly.

Sophomores & Freshmen

• An impressive academic record is the most important admissions factor at most colleges. How are your classes going? Review interim grade reports, and take stock of where you have room to improve.

• Beyond academics, colleges look to admit students who take part in meaningful extracurricular activities, and summer is a great time to do something fun and meaningful that possibly explores what you might study in college. You might want to consider a purpose project!

• As we excitedly approach the holiday season, think about how you might be able to help out those in need. The holidays can be a tough time for many families, and high schools and community centers often have food drives, toy drives, coat drives, etc. where you could give some of your time (or food or coats or toys!). Get involved, give back!

• Enjoy the holidays and winter break! Take some time to relax.

 

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Give Thanks

By Brittany MaschalNov 28, 2019

We are grateful for awesome clients that trust us to guide them through the college and graduate school admissions process!

If you recently applied to college, my guess is that you did not do it alone. When I work with a family, I often am not just working with the applicant, but parents, other tutors, and sometimes (though not as common), another counselor! Show some gratitude this Thanksgiving holiday by sending a heartfelt thank you to the people that helped you make it happen. People you might want to consider giving thanks to are your parents, guidance counselor, teachers, letter of recommendation writers, anyone else who read your essays/app, and of course, your tutors if applicable, just to name a few!

Oh, and PS, keep working on your ED II or RD apps! Putting in a few hours over the break could be a gamechanger come mid- to end of December. You will be thankful to not be working on apps after 12/15!

 

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New Program Announcement

By Brittany MaschalNov 21, 2019

We’ve got new programs launching in 2020!  To stay up-to-date on program announcements, please subscribe.

The first is a collaboration with Strategy Girl. Please reach out via email or the contact form for more info.

 

 

Not a girl in high school, or not located in NYC, but interested in pursuing a purpose project? Please email us!

For information about one-on-one college counseling, please visit this page.

 

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College Counseling versus College Coaching

By Brittany MaschalNov 19, 2019

Jim Jump does it again! I encourage you to read his latest in Inside Higher Ed, Ethical College Admissions: Counseling vs. Coaching. I started my career as an IEC as a “college counselor” and though that role does involve coaching, I love Jump’s distinction and that he raises questions that I also think a lot about: Do our students, parents, and schools want college counseling or do they want college coaching? Is the aspiration to transform young people’s lives unrealistic, even naïve, in a landscape that is increasingly transactional?

From his article:

What is the difference between college counseling and college coaching?

College counseling sees the college process as part of a larger quest to help young people figure out who they are and what they care about. Admission to college is the product of that process of discernment. College counseling is developmental, educational, relational and process-oriented. It is more about asking questions than providing answers.

College coaching, by contrast, is transactional and results-oriented. Admission to college is an end in itself rather than a means to self-discovery, and a coach serves as chief strategist for the student in the application process.

Of course, as Jump notes, it’s not that simple. All college counselors help students navigate a process that’s complex and confusing and not at all transparent, to say the least. So in that way, college counselors are college coaches. To me what is important is how much I counsel versus how much I coach, and more importantly, why I do what I do in the first place. Hint: it’s not to help kids who aren’t a fit for college X “win” admission to college X.

 

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Why to Reconsider Applying to Schools with Under 10% Admit Rates in RD

By Brittany MaschalNov 15, 2019

College admissions can be heartbreaking on many levels, but what’s “the worst” is the number of applicants who think they can get lucky in regular decision—especially at schools with ED II, and who report RD admit rates under 10%. Even for students with a strong resume and “great” numbers, the odds are against you. At the most selective schools, there is not much luck to be had.

You’ll need something special (or a special combination of things) to get a fair look at a top-top school in RD: be at the top of your class with perfect or near-perfect grades, have little/no competition from classmates, be a legacy, and often very important, attend a high school that has an already established pipeline to these schools. You’ll need some awesome essays, too.

It might help to see that a 5% admit rate = 95% rejection rate

I know this sounds negative, and anyone who knows me knows that I am a glass half full type of person, but it’s time to start seeing rejection rates for what they are, especially if your list is full of schools with admit rates under ~25% (meaning the RD rate could dip to under ~10%).

Sometimes [insert uber-selective school here] just needs a new library, or full-pays, or more women from Idaho, or a flute player. So…

Don’t take it personally if you don’t fall into that tiny, tiny pool; you are, I promise, still enough.

 

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Tips for 11/15 and 12/1 Deadlines

By Brittany MaschalNov 12, 2019

It is time to press submit (if you haven’t already!)! A few things to keep in mind as you finalize applications:

  • Have official standardized test scores sent ASAP. If you are waiting on recent test scores, you do have the option of submitting apps with the future date noted, but make sure you remember to send official scores when they are released. Double-check score reporting policies. Some schools require you to send all of your scores and do not participate in score choice. Some schools don’t require that you send official scores at all (at the time you apply). You can review the list of colleges that do not require official test scores at the time you apply here: https://www.compassprep.com/self-reporting-test-scores/
  • Meet with your high school counselor and have them review all of your applications before you submit them. After any final changes, print all of your applications and review them the old-fashioned way (using a pen, on paper). When you press the review/submit button (on the Common App) a PDF is generated, which is very easy to print. This is not environmentally friendly, but worth it. Don’t final review apps on a screen. Print them and read them backward.
  • Follow up with the teachers writing your letters of recommendation and encourage them to submit their letters on time. Don’t forget to say thank you!
  • If you added “Other” recommenders to your applications—for example, a coach, work supervisor, or research mentor—shoot them a friendly reminder, too.

And though not exactly related to submitting your apps, don’t forget to:

  • Study for any remaining standardized tests (SAT, ACT, SAT Subjects).
  • Interview where possible. Check to see if the schools on your list (even those you are applying to in the regular decision round) have priority interview deadlines.
  • Write interest letters or follow-up emails to top choice schools.

 

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Launch a startup this summer

By Brittany MaschalNov 08, 2019

The Early Application Round is open! The LaunchX early application deadline is December 15, and this is your opportunity to be compared with a smaller pool of applicants.

If you didn’t know already, LaunchX is a 4-week experience hosted at top universities around the United States. Students collaborate with other motivated and skilled peers to plan, design, and launch a real startup! In previous years, LaunchX has been held at the University of Michigan, Northwestern University, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania.  The locations and dates for summer 2020 will be announced in January, though please note, you are applying to LaunchX, and not to a specific university location.

Unlike many other business programs, LaunchX focuses on entrepreneurship and getting real, meaningful results. Throughout the program, students are provided advisory boards and mentors with real-world experience, plus students learn from and engage with many industry experts in fields from product design to marketing strategy. “Launchies”, as we like to call them, work together in an intensive and collaborative community to discover unique opportunities, conduct market research, prototype, user test, and more, finally culminating in Demo Day, where they showcase and demonstrate their hard work.

Wondering what the admissions committee looks for in a great applicant?  We’ve got you covered!  Check out this blog post where we’ve shared more about what matters to us.

Concerned about being able to afford the cost of the program if admitted?  We offer generous financial need to domestic admitted students!  Check out this post for more on last year’s financial need, plus note that we offer application fee waivers with proof of financial need, and waive application fees to students who have applied previously!

Don’t forget to check out our new Summer Program guide, filled with tons of super helpful information.

Additionally, make sure to follow and check the LaunchX Instagram page @launchxed. New this year, our interns will be hosting live Q and A sessions where you will be welcome to ask any questions you have about the LaunchX experience and application process.

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Cornell Winter Session Online – Open Now for High School Students

By Brittany MaschalNov 03, 2019

Get a head start on college by taking a course online during Cornell University’s Winter Session.

High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors can choose from a wide range of subjects, from economics to psychology—all taught by members of Cornell’s exceptional faculty.

Studying alongside Cornell undergraduates, you’ll earn from one to four transferable credits and receive a Cornell transcript.

See the Precollege Studies online courses page for the complete list of courses and to enroll.

Registration ends November 29.

Classes:

  • Anthropology: ANTHR 1300 Human Evolution: Genes, Behavior, and the Fossil Record
  • Classics: CLASS 2604 Greek Mythology
  • Economics: ECON 1120 Introductory Macroeconomics
  • Human Development: HD 2600 Introduction to Personality
  • ILR: Human Resource Studies: ILRHR 2600 Human Resource Management
  • Nutritional Science: NS 1150 Nutrition, Health, and Society
  • Plant Biology: PLBIO 2400 Green World/Blue Planet
  • Psychology: PSYCH 2750 Introduction to Personality

 

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