Fingers crossed, you await the response from your favorite college to the application you sent 2 weeks ago. You certainly don’t want to get rejected, that’d certainly hurt. Acceptance is the only positive response.Or is it? You see, acceptance and rejection aren’t the only responses the college can give to your application, there is a third form of response – deferment.Call it a stalemate, or a mere putting-off, the college can choose to consider your application deferred. While this is not exactly a negative response, it certainly increases stress and causes frustration among aspiring students.
What to do if you get Deferred from a College?
A deferred application is neither a positive nor a negative response to the college application. It is the postponement of an application, there could be many reasons for this postponement: It could be that the college needs to review the application, or perhaps the college wants to compare your application to those of other applicants. Getting deferred from college doesn’t have to get you all worried, it’s rather a sign for you to follow these important steps that’ll help you secure that coveted seat in your dream university:
Be pushy, and demonstrate deep-rooted interest:
Once deferred from college, you need to get to work as soon as possible. Go all out on the assertiveness (if you’re passionate about the college, that is). This is your cue to do the following:
- Draft an e-mail or a letter
You need to draft an e-mail or write a letter to the head of admissions of the college. Make sure that the letter is written in an assertive, yet non-desperate tone that is written to convince them of your interest in the institution and your caliber.
- Network with school staff, teachers, students, etc.:
A visit to the college you applied to is paramount to this process, meet with staff and students and converse about topics relevant to you and your admission to the college. This will help you gain insight into the application and (hopeful) admission process. You can also interact with students who got in despite getting deferred and take pointers on how to score your dream seat.
The deferral letter
The deferral letter is your gateway to the college, this letter is extremely useful in the process. The majority of colleges ask for your confirmation of interest about joining the college. Write an impactful, compelling essay on why the college interests you and why getting a seat in the college is critical for you.
The Letter of Recommendation
This is the trump card when it comes to getting into your dream college after deferment. The letter of recommendation is a powerful resource that can catalyze the process of admission in a positive way. A good LOR from an influential person or a reputed university or some organization you interned for is perfect for your application and can increase your chance of getting in by a huge margin.
Hone your repertoire and build your resume
Use the time granted by the deferral to build your resume and take up new courses to sharpen your skills. You can also intern at multiple organizations to increase your experience in a particular field. All of this will make your application stand out from the rest and increase the chances of your admission to your dream college while helping you use the time resourcefully.
Explore other options
We do not want to sugarcoat this, so we’ll give it to you straight: All these steps will not necessarily get you that seat you’ve been longing for. These options can only help you improve the chances of your admission. Therefore, you need to diversify your options and explore other colleges that could perhaps be better than or equal to your dream college. Remember, if you aim for the moon, you’ll hit the stars, even if you miss.
Does deferment mean you’ll get in at a later date?
Deferment is a neutral response. In no way does deferment guarantee you admission at a later date, it simply means the college has put off your application to a later date. You need to know that the universities scrutinize a huge number of students during deferment, so it does not depict much about your application. But keep your head high, you can improve your chances by following the above steps!
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
- What is the acceptance rate after deferment?
The acceptance rate after deferment on an average lies anywhere between 4-10% in the US. This is a small, but promising statistic for thousands of deferred applicants and a cue for them to keep their hopes up.
- Is it advisable to keep a backup plan?
Undoubtedly so, it is very important to keep a backup plan and apply to all other colleges that you might take interest in, given the acceptance rate of deferred applicants, it is pivotal to the process to keep other options open with equal importance as deferment does NOT guarantee acceptance at a future date.
