How to Handle College Deferrals, Postponements, and Waitlists: 8 Tips

With college admissions season in full swing, many students are getting news about their college applications—whether it’s an acceptance, deferral, postponement, or waitlist status. These different words all say the same thing: You’ll have to wait even longer for the good news you’re hoping to hear.

It’s hard to emotionally accept a college deferral and, even for us, hard to understand why a student has received one. For example, last year, we reviewed the GPA and SAT or ACT of four students assisted by Essay Coaching who applied to numerous schools, including the University of Michigan. Each student had test scores above the 95th percentile and grades 3.8 and above, along with strong essays.

Yet two were accepted from the University of Michigan, and two were postponed.

The admissions process is complex and sometimes frustrating, but the good news is that you can take action:

How to respond to a college deferral: Write a Letter of Continued Interest

A deferral means the college needs more time to decide if you’re a good fit. Now is the time to show them! Many schools provide opportunities for students to say that they still want to attend. For example, the University of Michigan has a Expression of Continued Interest Form (ECI) for you to write a 250 word letter of continued interest.

When you write this new essay, be sure to:

  • Reaffirm your interest: Mention your strong attributes, fit for the college and potential contributions. Make sure you tell them as clearly as you can why you would love to attend, and why they are your first choice school (if they are).
  • Highlight new accomplishments: This includes any new extracurriculars, awards, projects, jobs, courses, etc.
  • Be specific and personal: Describe what you saw or heard during your visit there. Give the name or relationship of a person, and quote what they said that has you excited you about your possibility of attending the school. Compare what you saw or heard to an experience that you are having now. Use names, dates, places, program and course names.

If you would like help writing a letter of continued interest or feedback on what you’ve written, reach out for a free consultation.

Seven more steps if you are deferred, postponed, or wait-listed for college…

  1.  Stay positive!  A college deferral doesn’t mean you aren’t qualified. Admissions officers unfortunately cannot accept all candidates, even the highly qualified.
  2. Review your college list. Make sure all of your “best fit” schools have received all your application materials. “Consider updating your list of colleges, in case you missed a couple that might fit well,” recommends John B. Boshoven, College Counseling Coordinator for Ann Arbor Public Schools. Some schools accept applications late in the season. Search online for an updated list.
  3. Contact your admissions representative to ask about how you can improve your application. (First read the letter/website carefully!) Be polite and professional, and ask if the school will accept any additional materials, such as a letter of recommendation or an art portfolio.
  4. Visit the campus again to sit in on a class and/or meet with someone in admissions.
  5. Send your midyear transcript.
  6. Consider transferring later.  If you don’t get in, you can always transfer later. (I personally transferred to the University of Michigan from the University of Delaware and immediately felt like it was a place where I belonged.) Your chances of getting accepted at schools often go up if you apply as a transfer student. (For example, U-Mich has a 39.1% acceptance rate for transfer students and a 22.9% acceptance rate for first year applicants).
  7. Above all, stay positive! This bears repeating!  You have already done the hardest part—deciding that you want to go to college and applying.  There is a college for everyone.  Keep your fingers crossed and attentive to your applications.

A final note on college admissions

Understanding the college admissions process can be complex. After interviewing University of Michigan admissions officers, I learned that sometimes, admissions decisions can feel as mysterious as understanding why two people fall in love. In fact, I wrote an article about the University of Michigan admissions process, which provides insight into how they make their decisions.

Read the full article on U-M’s college admissions.

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