“It ain’t over ‘till the fat lady sings.” I don’t know who this fat lady is, and why she has so much control over all major life decisions, but I do know that it “ain’t over” ‘till it’s over.
This year, bright-eyed, bushy tailed seniors applied Early Decision and Early Action to their “dream” schools, and their “I really want to know if I can get into college” schools. A lucky few have been accepted, and to those I tip my proverbial hat. Others have been rejected like a nerd in 1950’s sitcom. But, what about the others?
There’s a third option when students apply Early: they can be deferred for the regular rounds of decisions, therefore receiving their final status in the spring.
Some see getting deferred as the kiss of death – a postponement of rejection, used for some sadistic plan these universities are concocting. However, there is hope.
While it may be true that most of those who are deferred still do not get in in the regular applicant pool, that is not true for all. Here are some tips and tricks – that have been gathered from admissions officers and college students – to remind those lucky Universities why you applied early, and why they shouldn’t let you go:
1. If you applied Early Action, and were deferred, your chances are much better than Early Decision, but either way there’s still a chance.
Remind your Admissions Officer that you are alive – find out who you’re regional Officer is. Don’t just tell them that you’ll go there if you’re accepted – they know that – tell them that you’ve only grown more fervent for (insert school here.) The best time to send this letter would be around February.
Be yourself in the letter, if you’re not, they’ll see it. Write what you have achieved since then, but this shouldn’t just be repetitive of what’s already in the application, but subsequent information that could be helpful.
Think of it like this: when people are in a relationship with someone, they don’t just give up when the going gets tough, they stick it out and remind that person how important they are to them.
2. Have your counselor or administrator write to them about how amazing you’ve been since the last time this college met you.
3. This may seem obvious but remember to keep your second marking period grades as best as they can be. If the college sees you’re improving and excelling in rigorous courses, what was just a schedule in the early rounds is now a successful reality.
4. Take a standardized test one more time. Boosting your scores shows the college that not only are you a great applicant but that you’re getting better.
For those interested, the SAT’s registration deadline for the January SAT is December 27th. For some schools the ACT in February can still be considered for the regular applicant pool. The deadline for registration for the ACT is January 10th of 2014, so get to it!
5. Round yourself out. If you were deferred it was probably because there was one Achilles heel in your application. Think, really think, about what the school wants to see, and then apply that to you. This may be the time to start a community service project. A good option is having a teacher from one of your senior year courses write a recommendation letter; this shows the school that you are not the average lazy senior. If you show them that you don’t give up, they may not give up on you.
There are a lot of reasons why applicants are deferred. Don’t get bitter and start going on a social media rampage that could come back to haunt you. Be smart in your decisions until spring and beyond.
But, the most important piece of advice I can give is that college does not define you or your successes. It doesn’t matter where you get in, where you don’t get in, or where you wish you could be but never had the testicular fortitude to apply. Because, remember this: magnificence, true brilliance, is not decided in a room of old men talking about GPA’s; it’s decided in every act of kindness, in every person you love, and in every moment of how you live your life. Life, real life, is too short to live it wishing somebody else had made it happen for you. Good luck class of 2014.
