The earliest of the ‘Early Bird’ decision notifications are beginning to trickle in… Pitt, UCF and a handful of others, and I know that students are huddled over their various devices obsessively refreshing the screen. I hope that if this is you/your child that you are happy with what you find in the inbox. But just in case you’re not… I hope that this email will help ease your stress and assure you that deferred is NOT denied, and that there is a ‘seat for every tush.’
Over the years, we’ve identified a substantial upward trend in the number of deferrals for objectively qualified applicants. This uptick is something that we first commented on in 2015 – and is indeed, occurring more frequently, particularly at large state universities such as FSU (last year), Michigan (years past), UVA and others. Not surprisingly, this trend is consistent with the corresponding rise in the sheer number of applicants at these schools.
If you happen to have a deferred and disheartened student at home — or a student who will be applying to college at some point, please note that getting deferred does NOT mean the same thing as being rejected. Every year many, MANY students go from ‘deferred’ to ‘accepted.’! That said, getting deferred does mean that you’ll have to live with the ambiguity of ‘wait and see’, which we know is much easier said than done! But truth is… ambiguity is PART of the College Admissions process and part of life!
Now there are many reasons, and rumored reasons, for a ‘deferred decision’. Among them: they want to see your 1st semester grades, perhaps they want you to take the SAT or ACT once more, they had more applicants than anticipated — once again, we expect to set NEW records for the number of applications received in the early rounds (remember, Northeastern University in Boston is expecting 100,000 applicants for 2700 seats). It is reasonable (and discussed in off record conversations we’ve had) that schools have in years past become truly overwhelmed by the number of applicants and will defer students whom they haven’t yet reviewed.
Other possible reasons for a deferral: Maybe they’re waiting to see the size of their overall applicant pool to manage their ‘Admit Rate’. Perhaps they are waiting to see who withdraws now that binding Early Decisions have been received to manage their ‘yield.’ We’ve discussed all of these with our colleagues and with admissions officers directly, and we’ve heard all of these reasons floated. Perhaps we’ll never know the exact reason a particular applicant is deferred, but we do know that if you are deferred, there is something you can do about it to help your case.
If you have been ‘deferred’ AND it is truly a school that you want to attend, you could/should a) let your school counselor know and b) maybe send a brief, polite note to your Admissions rep (you should already have been corresponding) that lets them know that you are still very much interested in attending. c) If feasible, plan a visit – anything that demonstrates your continued interest can help move the needle. Some colleges ask for more information and/or that deferred applicants complete an additional form or a written statement of interest. You should comply with all requests quickly.
If you’re reading this and frustrated, we get it. We know that there is a glaring lack of clarity in College Admissions and Funding that is confusing at best, and disheartening at worst. It may even seem to you as if each school has invented its own secret criteria of what makes a good applicant, and in some ways they have. The good news is that this information is attainable…and can be analyzed.
Let’s face it – most of us have at some point in our lives felt as if there was a game being played around us where we weren’t given the rules to win. We hear this a lot about the college admissions process.
As in, ‘it’s just NOT fair.’ For the most part, they’re right. The College Admissions ‘Game’ (which includes both access and affordability) is NOT played on a level playing field.
So if you’re thinking that this entire process has become increasingly over-heated and irrational, we are inclined to agree. But I think we’re at an inflection point with college today and a correction of sorts is inevitable — if not already underway. In the interim, however, we’ve done a ton of research and modeling and we can help you cut through all the noise and shed some light on what really matters most in college admissions decisions.
Bottom line is this: those students with greater access – to test prep, to good guidance, to an engaged parent who graduated from the college they’d like to go to – do have a leg up on those who don’t. It doesn’t mean they are necessarily smarter or better students, but they do have more resources or leverage and they are utilizing them to be better prepared for this particular process, which ultimately makes them better candidates for admission. And therefore the odds do seem to tip in their favor.
Decades of standards, pricing models, procedures, and relationships are fully baked into how admissions decisions are made by competitive colleges. If you don’t meet those standards; if you neglect to follow those procedures; if you cannot benefit from those relationships, then quite simply you may feel as if you’re playing a game with a huge disadvantage.
Which is frustrating. So what do you do? Do you complain, get angry, rant at the system? I’d certainly understand if you did. I’m not the guy who will tell you NOT to get mad. I’m mad. Which is why I do what I do for a living. But, as a parent and a professional who is working to democratize the game, I know that it’s far better, and more productive, to get educated (about the process) than to get angry about it. I guarantee you that your ranting won’t move the needle on your admissions chances – at least not in a good way.
Learning the rules of the game with enough time to make the rules work in your favor – now that can make a deferred student in November an accepted one in February…or help parlay a relationship with an admissions representative into a yes when 92% of the applicants being considered have the exact same stats…or even convince a school that you’re deserving of a five-figure institutional scholarship. So while it may not seem fair to you at the moment, there are a lot of things (other than ranting) that you can be doing right now to learn how to make it ‘fair’ for you and/or for your students.
Unfortunately, the average public school student will receive just 38 minutes of individual college/career assistance from their school. It’s not enough. While many small public and private high schools do provide their students with in depth support for every stage of the process, large public high schools across the country struggle with staggering ratios of students to counselors (nationally, the ratio is nearly 500 to 1, a proportion experts say has remained virtually unchanged for more than 10 years).
We’re trying to level that playing field. So if you have a child who is deferred and freaking out, please give us a call and we can discuss your options together. (Rest assured, there are ALWAYS options available… you just need to know which ones are available to you and your family).
AND, if you have a child who will be applying to college in the next few years, I suggest you start the process NOW. If this is you, please join us on December 3rd for a free and expert-led discuss of how to interpret your child’s PSAT scores and create a test strategy that will maximize your college admissions and scholarship opportunities.
The reality in higher ed today is that there are more applications submitted than ever before, and therefore there will always be some head-scratching moments when it comes to what moves the needle on multiple, equally qualified candidates. BUT, MANY schools will also compete for you as much as you will compete for them. How they compete is the key to building the right strategy. And with a strategy, you will find that your child could have multiple great colleges competing to match your criteria and your budget. After 18+ years and thousands of students, we know that a great and appropriate post high school education, one that will meet your child’s unique needs and your family’s budget, is out there for you.
