If you applied in the Early Action/Early Decision round, you’ve probably started hearing from some of your colleges by now. I hope you’ve opened an email or letter in your portal that starts with “Congratulations!” and confetti. I know how disappointing it is to read “We regret to inform you that we cannot offer you admission. . . .” 

Or you may have received one of those letters neither confirming nor denying your admission, but “deferring” your application to the Regular Decision round. It feels unfair. You got your application in early, in some cases as early as October, but you now have to wait until March or April to know whether or not you got in.

First, understand why colleges use deferrals. It’s less about you and more about the institution and its priorities.

1. Increased applications: The school had so many applications they couldn’t read through them all in the early round, so they deferred unread applications to Regular Decision.
2. Evidence: They want more evidence of your high school success by seeing your first semester grades and any updates that would strengthen your application.
3. Yield management and demonstrated interest: Schools want to offer admission to students who will say yes to their offer. Yield is the percentage of students who say yes when offered admission. If you’ve visited campus, attended a webinar, gone to an info session at your high school, and opened their emails, they figure you’re genuinely interested. 
4. Comparison to the larger pool: You’re qualified, but they want to see how you stack up against the larger Regular Decision pool. They could be waiting to see how well they’re able to address their institutional priorities.

The good news? You weren’t denied admission, so you still have a chance. The bad news? You’ll be compared to a larger pool of candidates, which generally lowers your chances of being admitted. 

What to do while you wait

1. First, do nothing. Take some time to process the disappointment and to understand why you may have been deferred. You’ll never know the actual reason, but it could be one of those listed above.
2. Check your portal and emails. The school has probably told you what you can and cannot do to improve your chances. Don’t send a letter of continued interest or an additional recommendation if they’ve specifically said they don’t want you to send them anything.
3. Send a Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI) if the school will accept one. See below for guidelines.
4. Call your admissions representative or ask your guidance counselor to call. You can ask why you were deferred. They may just be honest with you and tell you that you hadn’t demonstrated interest. (This actually happened with one of my high-flying students this year.) They may also tell you exactly what you can do to improve your odds in the regular round.
5. Provide true updates. Have you been elected to a leadership position?  Improved your SAT score? Were you voted MVP? Don’t rehash what’s on your activity list. Only provide new information.

How to write the LOCI

1. Start by reaffirming that this school is one of your top picks. Don’t lie. Only tell the college they’re your first choice if they’re really your #1. Tell them what makes this college special to you.
2. Provide meaningful updates, like improved test scores, significant awards or honors, or notable projects completed. Leave out updates that don’t actually provide an update, like “I’m still doing hot yoga.”
3. Show you’ve done deep research that convinced you this college is a good fit. Reference specific professors, research, programs, or a recent campus visit.
4. Keep it short, 300 to 500 words. Be positive and authentic, and don’t get whiny about being deferred.
5. Close courteously, thanking them for reconsidering your application. Express enthusiasm about the possibility of joining their community.

In college admissions, you can only control what you can control. You can’t control the institutions and their hidden priorities. Do what you can and then let it go. You will go to college and, if you engage with where you land, you will thrive.