‘Tis the season…for early application decisions!

Over the next few weeks, many schools will release their early application decisions - especially those with binding early decision plans (some non-binding early action decisions will not come in until January or even February). If you aren’t sure when to expect decisions from the schools on your list, check out this website for expected dates and times.

Make sure to consider where you want to be when you receive your decisions. We recommend you log into your portal or open your email or letter in the privacy of your room or home, not in your high school cafeteria ​​or while with a group of friends. You need to be able to have an honest, emotional response. We have seen a trend developing in which students record themselves opening their admission decisions and then post the video on TikTok. We definitely do NOT recommend this approach!

You should also take some time to decide how you want to share this information, whether positive or negative. Tell your parents. Tell your counselor at school. And of course, tell us! Beyond that, remember that YOU get to decide if and when you choose to share your news with anyone else.

Read on for some helpful tips, broken down by decision!

• If Accepted:

• First of all, congratulations!

• Be gracious. Congratulate yourself. It is ok to celebrate—but be appropriate. Remember there are many of your peers and friends who have not heard anything, are still applying to schools, or have been deferred, waitlisted or denied ​​(sometimes by the same school that just accepted you!).

• Be grateful. Thank your parents. Thank your recommenders. A hand-written thank you note goes a long way for an educator who cares about your success and puts the effort in to meet your school’s deadlines. 

• Be engaged. Your acceptance is not the signal to check out or give in to “senior slide.”

• Be proactive. If you have been accepted early decision, be sure to withdraw your applications from the remainder of your schools. You agreed to do this when you signed the early decision form.

• IF Deferred:

• Continue to work hard in your classes. Many schools will ask you to submit midyear grades in the portal, on the SRAR, or from your counselor.

• Check with us or your school counselor before sending additional submissions. More is not necessarily better. Follow the school’s directions for submitting materials.

• Compose your letters of continued interest (LOCI). Write brief (seriously: brief!) letters that state why you want to attend the schools and why you would be a great fit. Check out our prior blog post: Writing an Effective Letter of Continued Interest: Instructions and Samples, and again, only do this if the schools at which you were deferred will accept them (most will!).

• If Waitlisted:

• Respond. Be sure to follow the school’s instructions to accept your place on the waitlist. 

• Redouble your efforts and study, study, study. These schools will see your 3rd and 4th quarter or winter and spring term grades, which, if strong, can help you.

• Refocus. Be sure to deposit at another school by May 1 to ensure you are going to college somewhere, even if you remain on other waitlists.

• If Denied:

• Process the news. It’s ok to allow yourself time to be disappointed (for a day or two). What you feel is real and needs to be expressed, but cannot take over your life. This sounds impossible, but don’t take it personally. Read our previous post:  5 Steps to Take After Being Deferred or Denied Early Admission.

• Maintain perspective. Remember you have a balanced list for a reason.

• Pull yourself together and submit your remaining applications. Do not allow a denial to paralyze you. You need to continue to work hard in your classes and make sure all of your remaining applications are submitted.

• Prioritize self-care. Got a shredder? Print out your letter and shred it! Have a fire pit? Invite friends over and make s’mores out of your denial letters! Be creative and find a way to move forward!

If you ARE A CURRENT CLIENT:

• If you need help adding new schools to your list or reviewing application materials over winter break, make an appointment with Colleen or Sally to review it and discuss whether or not you need to make any changes

• If you need more essay coaching meetings, book them as soon as possible (but don’t add new schools without running that by us first)!

If you need help now but didn’t work with us earlier in the process on an ongoing basis, it’s not too late.

• If you need help adding new schools to your list or reviewing application materials over winter break, you can book one of our Class of 2024 Strategy Sessions.

• If you already know where you want to apply and just need help finishing up all those essays, you can book pay-as-you-go essay coaching sessions here. 

NOTE: We may be able to add additional essay coaching availability depending on demand, so the earlier you let us know you need help, the better! Please send our admin team an email to discuss options if you can’t find a session that works for you using the links above.

REMEMBER: We are rooting for you just as much as you are (maybe even more!). Stay smart, stay positive, and enjoy the rest of senior year! 

Best of the Blog: Not the Decision You Hoped For? Read This!

ADVICE SO GOOD, IT’S WORTH REPEATING!

While we love to celebrate with our clients who receive positive decision news, we also know that this can be a challenging time for many students when they don’t receive the news they hope for. In this installment of the Best of the Blog, we’re bringing back our post that provides tips for students and families after defer or deny decisions.

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It’s Decision Time!

ORIGINALLY POSTED DECEMBER 2020

The decisions began pouring in shortly after last Friday’s blog post was published, and we have absolutely loved hearing more and more good news from our students! Sending a number of kids to UVA and VT as they hoped, yay!

That said, I’m a total stress case while writing this because it’s Tuesday afternoon and we will learn a whole bunch of ED results over the next few hours: NYU, Columbia, Vanderbilt, Davidson, Swarthmore and Villanova. We have multiple ED applicants at some of those schools, so there’s a lot riding on this evening!

Even with a stellar track record, it’s hard not to feel anxious with this particularly unpredictable cycle in an always-uncertain process. As I mentioned in my last post, applications at top schools have continued to skyrocket and it’s statistically inevitable that some kids will learn disappointing news this week.

If you find yourself in that category, read on for more about deferrals, denials, and where to go from here!

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1. Take a moment to process

If you were denied or deferred from your dream school, you may be feeling a lot of emotions. Whether you are disappointed, sad, angry, or some combination of the three, take a day or two to process those feelings. If it takes some time before you are ready to talk about your decision, that’s okay! Giving yourself the space you need will prepare you to tackle next steps with new energy.

2. Tell the people who need to know

You may not want to shout your denial or deferral from the rooftops - if and how you share the news is your decision. But beyond your parents, there are two people who should absolutely know this decision sooner rather than later: your school counselor and (if you are a client) ME! I will be able to share this news with the rest of our team so that we can immediately help you consider your options and give you some more information on next steps.

3. Strategize

At this point, and this is particularly the case if you are not a client of ours already and put your list together without expert help, you may need to look at your list critically to make sure that the schools you have selected are realistic. Yes, we’re up against the clock, but it’s not too late to consider how you might change your list in light of new information. The longer you wait, though, the more difficult it will be to do this. If you are a current client and want to talk more or rethink your strategy, go ahead and book a session with us immediately. If you are not a current client but want some extra help in the next round, you can book one of our emergency strategy sessions to help get you on the right track.

4. If you were denied, let it go and move forward

It can be tempting to follow up with a school to ask questions or attempt to provide more information, but the hard truth of this process is that a “no” essentially never turns into a “yes” unless a true error was made. While there are certain situations in which asking for feedback can be useful - and we can discuss this individually with students if that is an appropriate course of action - it’s important to know that the chances of reversing a decision are extraordinarily unlikely. It would have to be a “my counselor sent the wrong student’s transcript” type of mistake for something like that to happen - not “you are missing out on the best student ever” kind of mistake! It is a more productive use of your time to let this one go and focus on your other applications. Whatever the decision, it will all work out in the long term, and this one rejection will not define your next four years.

5. If you were deferred, gather more information and make a plan

If you read our blog post from last year about turning a deferral into an acceptance, you know that the first step is to talk to your school counselor. That person will be able to reach out to the school and provide us with more information that we can use to help you come up with a plan. Your plan is going to be specific to your application and the school - some students will need to retest, others will need to work hard on making sure their grades are the best yet, and so on. The only way you will know the best path for success is by understanding the objection you’re trying to overcome.

6. Write your Letter of Continued Interest

Regardless of your strategy, it will likely include a Letter of Continued Interest to let the school know that they are still your top choice. Make sure to talk with us or with your school counselor about writing this letter, and if you don’t know where to begin, you can check out our blog post on LOCIs for a template.

7. Keep going!

Fatigue can definitely set in at this point - you have done the hard work of applying, you aren’t sure whether writing that LOCI will really help or whether applying to another school or two is really worth it. This is not the time to shrug it off or give up, though. You’ve come so far! Focus on your other applications and your deferral strategy, and keep pushing forward. Your hard work will pay off in the end!

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Questions about defer or deny decisions that weren’t answered in this post? Send us a message or let us know in the comments!

Writing an Effective Letter of Continued Interest: Instructions and Samples

If you read our blog post from a few weeks ago about the best actions to take after a deferral, you know that Letters of Continued Interest (LOCIs) are typically a central part of most deferral strategies. Of course, it’s important to remember that some schools do not actually want LOCIs.

UVA, in particular, has specifically indicated that they do not want to receive these letters this year - so don’t send them! That said, for schools that do consider demonstrated interest, this is the best way to let them know you are still interested and provide any updates since you submitted your early application.

We’ll start off with sharing some steps to get started before moving on to sample letters. Remember, don’t copy these directly (or even indirectly!). These are just examples that we hope will be helpful as sit down to write your own letter.

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1. Introduction

Start the letter by introducing yourself and letting the admissions officer know that you appreciate their continued consideration in the regular decision round, if applicable. The introduction is also a great place to reiterate your interest in the school and confirm that you will attend if admitted (only if that is truly the case!)

2. Personal Connection

It is helpful to include a personal story to demonstrate your interest in your top-choice school. This should not be something you’ve mentioned in the application, but if you were able to visit campus since you applied, or speak to a current student or alum, this is the place to mention that interaction. Your goal here is to demonstrate how your values align with the school’s values, and why you think you would be a good fit. You might also mention a specific program or organization that interests you, especially if your application did not include a “why this school” essay.

3. Updates

Try to include 1-3 updates along with your LOCI. You likely submitted your application between August and October, so now is the time to let them know how the last couple of months went for you. If you earned an award or became president of a club, great! But even if you don’t have a big accomplishment to share, you can still let the college know how you have been spending your time. Are you working hard to participate in online classes? Did you do any volunteer work over the holiday? Admissions officers understand that updates will look different during the pandemic, so don’t be afraid to include activities that you have worked on at home, virtually, or on your own.

4. Conclusion

Finish the letter by reiterating your interest in the school, particularly if it is your first choice. You can also offer to include additional materials, meet with the admissions office, or answer additional questions if appropriate - if you do, make sure to include your contact information as well. Finish the letter off with your name, high school, and applicant ID number (usually available through your applicant portal) to make it easier for the admissions officer to quickly add the letter to your file. 

Here are a couple examples of LOCIs from different types of students to help guide you through your draft:

This student mentions clearly that the school is her first choice, and has some impressive accomplishments to share!

This student doesn’t mention that the school is his first choice, but still expresses his interest and updates the admissions officer on his last few months!

As we have also mentioned in past blog posts, if you are a student who is not working with us directly as a client, you should make sure to reach out to your school counselor about your deferral. They will be able to let you know whether or not a specific school accepts LOCIs, and they can also make a call to the school to see if there are any particular areas that you should focus on improving or emphasizing in your application. This information will help you to tailor the LOCI to a specific school. 

For our own clients, we will instruct you to contact your school counselor if appropriate, depending on the college involved (some schools will provide useful information to school counselors and others will not). Don’t forget to book a meeting with us so that we can discuss the situation and help you write your LOCIs.

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Questions about LOCIs that weren’t answered in this post? Send us a message or let us know in the comments!

Not the Decision You Hoped For? Read This!

The decisions began pouring in shortly after last Friday’s blog post was published, and we have absolutely loved hearing more and more good news from our students! Sending a number of kids to UVA and VT as they hoped, yay!

That said, I’m a total stress case while writing this because it’s Tuesday afternoon and we will learn a whole bunch of ED results over the next few hours: NYU, Columbia, Vanderbilt, Davidson, Swarthmore and Villanova. We have multiple ED applicants at some of those schools, so there’s a lot riding on this evening!

Even with a stellar track record, it’s hard not to feel anxious with this particularly unpredictable cycle in an always-uncertain process. As I mentioned in my last post, applications at top schools have continued to skyrocket and it’s statistically inevitable that some kids will learn disappointing news this week.

If you find yourself in that category, read on for more about deferrals, denials, and where to go from here!

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1. Take a moment to process

If you were denied or deferred from your dream school, you may be feeling a lot of emotions. Whether you are disappointed, sad, angry, or some combination of the three, take a day or two to process those feelings. If it takes some time before you are ready to talk about your decision, that’s okay! Giving yourself the space you need will prepare you to tackle next steps with new energy.

2. Tell the people who need to know

You may not want to shout your denial or deferral from the rooftops - if and how you share the news is your decision. But beyond your parents, there are two people who should absolutely know this decision sooner rather than later: your school counselor and (if you are a client) ME! I will be able to share this news with the rest of our team so that we can immediately help you consider your options and give you some more information on next steps.

3. Strategize

At this point, and this is particularly the case if you are not a client of ours already and put your list together without expert help, you may need to look at your list critically to make sure that the schools you have selected are realistic. Yes, we’re up against the clock, but it’s not too late to consider how you might change your list in light of new information. The longer you wait, though, the more difficult it will be to do this. If you are a current client and want to talk more or rethink your strategy, go ahead and book a session with us immediately. If you are not a current client but want some extra help in the next round, you can book one of our emergency strategy sessions to help get you on the right track.

4. If you were denied, let it go and move forward

It can be tempting to follow up with a school to ask questions or attempt to provide more information, but the hard truth of this process is that a “no” essentially never turns into a “yes” unless a true error was made. While there are certain situations in which asking for feedback can be useful - and we can discuss this individually with students if that is an appropriate course of action - it’s important to know that the chances of reversing a decision are extraordinarily unlikely. It would have to be a “my counselor sent the wrong student’s transcript” type of mistake for something like that to happen - not “you are missing out on the best student ever” kind of mistake! It is a more productive use of your time to let this one go and focus on your other applications. Whatever the decision, it will all work out in the long term, and this one rejection will not define your next four years.

5. If you were deferred, gather more information and make a plan

If you read our blog post from last year about turning a deferral into an acceptance, you know that the first step is to talk to your school counselor. That person will be able to reach out to the school and provide us with more information that we can use to help you come up with a plan. Your plan is going to be specific to your application and the school - some students will need to retest, others will need to work hard on making sure their grades are the best yet, and so on. The only way you will know the best path for success is by understanding the objection you’re trying to overcome.

6. Write your Letter of Continued Interest

Regardless of your strategy, it will likely include a Letter of Continued Interest to let the school know that they are still your top choice. Make sure to talk with us or with your school counselor about writing this letter, and if you don’t know where to begin, you can check out our blog post on LOCIs for a template.

7. Keep going!

Fatigue can definitely set in at this point - you have done the hard work of applying, you aren’t sure whether writing that LOCI will really help or whether applying to another school or two is really worth it. This is not the time to shrug it off or give up, though. You’ve come so far! Focus on your other applications and your deferral strategy, and keep pushing forward. Your hard work will pay off in the end!

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Questions about defer or deny decisions that weren’t answered in this post? Send us a message or let us know in the comments!

How to Turn a Deferral into an Acceptance: Everything You Need to Know!

Students are beginning the college admissions process earlier and earlier, and it’s not rare anymore for my work with a student to begin in middle school. There are certain parts of the journey that I enjoy more than others, of course. But throughout all of our time together, I think that my absolute favorite part (or at least the most fulfilling) is working with deferred applicants - and especially those of the “Hail Mary” sort that I referenced in my last post.

If you’ve been deferred and are hoping to turn things around, I highly recommend following the steps below:

Step #1: Ask your school counselor to call your regional admissions representative to learn more information about why you were deferred.

This is critical. CRITICAL!

And you calling the school yourself is NOT a substitute for your counselor making the phone call. Admissions officers will generally not share detailed information with an applicant. However, school counselors can typically get lots of inside knowledge about the decision and why it occurred. This is extremely valuable information.

Moving forward without it is basically the equivalent of trying to overcome an objection without knowing what the objection is! Sure, maybe you’ll get lucky and hit the right part of the dartboard, but in all likelihood, it’s going to be an uphill battle.

NOTE: Unfortunately, some counselors do not realize that they are able to do this or don’t know what to say. In the last week alone I’ve guided a number of school counselors through this process and am happy to do that for any of my clients. For those of you following along at home, reinforce to your counselor that this type of advocacy is a completely acceptable practice. It even has a term - a “counselor call.”

Step #2: Based on the information your counselor provides, determine which deferral category you’re in.

I find that deferrals typically fall into one of three categories.

Category #1: The student has a decent shot of getting in regular IF .... (fill in the blank with a tangible objective). The admissions committee might be waiting to see if the student ends up with higher test scores, higher senior year grades, different recommendations, or so forth. This is the best-case scenario, and you need to know what you're working with ASAP so you can solve the problem.

Category #2: The normal "too many competitive candidates, the student looked good, nothing specific" blah blah - these can be frustrating because there’s less of a clear path, but you can still forge ahead with a plan. Sometimes we might have a variation on #2 with a smidge of #1 mixed in.

Category #3: Short of a well-timed discovery of a cure for cancer, the student has absolutely no chance of getting in RD and was deferred (a) because the school defers every single person and doesn’t deny a single applicant - looking at you, Georgetown - or (b) as a courtesy to any connections who were supporting the application. This is very helpful to know so you're not banking on something that could never happen.

Step #3: Strategize and formulate a PLAN!

Plot out the next several months with a step-by-step plan of attack. The details will depend on your specific situation, but will likely involve expressing a ton of demonstrated interest, a clear indication that you will enroll if admitted despite the fact that you are no longer legally bound to do so, more recommendations, and so forth.

Some applicants should retest, others need to buckle down hardcore to make sure their grades are their absolute best yet.. and so on and so on. But the key is creating this plan in advance - I would even assign due dates for each portion of it.

One part of the plan will definitely involve writing and submitting a Letter of Continued Interest. We wrote a very detailed post on how to write these letters last year - check it out!

Step #4: Follow the plan to completion.

This is pretty obvious, right? Unfortunately, it’s not as obvious as you’d think. SO many times, students are energized and excited about the initial idea of a plan but don’t take the steps needed to follow through on it. Things come up, senior year gets busy, and managing these details can feel overwhelming. It’s easy to tell yourself that one fewer recommendation than planned won’t be a big deal, or that you don’t really need to write that extra letter to the admissions officer - don’t fall into this trap, though!

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Good luck - and stay positive!

Coming Full Circle in South Bend

Gosh, it has been such a busy fall and I have clearly been a failure as a blogger lately! I will start posting regularly again once things calm down a little. Today, though, I felt inspired.

As many of you know, I visit about 30-40 colleges per year. Often times it’s easiest to do them in spurts, on pre-conference tours with other counselors. These marathon visits are absolutely exhausting because it’s school after school after school, but we get great face time with the admissions officers, and the visits are much more in-depth than they’d be if we just signed up and toured a school as a member of the general public (although I do those too). During the past few days I have been to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago, DePaul University, University of Notre Dame, Holy Cross College, St. Mary’s College, and Goshen College. Tomorrow is Purdue University, Valparaiso University, and Bethel University. Then I am headed to Louisville for a conference and finally to check out the University of Kentucky in Lexington before heading back to DC. My feet are about to fall off :)

The reason I’m blogging today is not to share information about those schools, although I do want to post more about my visits because I have learned a TON. I’m writing a post because staying in South Bend has really made me think about the crushing disappointment of college admissions decisions and how they can be so utterly devastating for a teenager.

When I was 17, there was nothing more in the world that I wanted than to go to the University of Notre Dame.

I don’t think my desire to go to ND was based on anything concrete besides a really fun weekend visit on campus when I was a junior, but I had made up my mind and ND it was. My college counselor told me that despite my high SAT scores, it was a stretch. Obviously, though, she did not know what she was talking about. Of course I was going to get into Notre Dame! I had worked so hard!

When I think back to myself as a teenager, I was pretty savvy, or at least I thought I was! I went to boarding school, was very independent, thought I knew more than everyone about everything, and I was highly skilled at convincing people to give me what I wanted. I zipped up and down the Northeast Corridor on Amtrak most weekends alone or with friends, and even had elite status on my favorite airline because I was so used to jet-setting all over the place! The thought that Notre Dame would not accept me was a concern, sure, but I really did believe that I would get in. I deserved it. Just like tens of thousands of my peers did :)

Most teenagers believe that they are invincible. The rules do not apply to them. Common sense does not apply to them. Graphs and scattergrams on Naviance and Scoir do not apply to them. Girls, by the way, are much worse than boys when it comes to this.

When I got outright rejected (not even deferred!) from Notre Dame, I was SHOCKED. Devastated. Hysterical.

Of course, it wasn’t about Notre Dame at all. It was about the fact that I really wanted something that I couldn’t have. Man, that is a really hard lesson to learn. That no matter how badly you want something, how badly your parents want it for you, or how many people you can sweet-talk, it’s not going to happen. That is absolutely crushing, but it’s also part of becoming an adult and slowly realizing how the world works.

I see this same scenario play out year after year, and what I certainly didn’t realize at seventeen is that it’s even more devastating for the adults involved than the teenagers. To watch your child be rejected - it’s like a dagger to the heart. It’s just horrible. Especially when there are lots of tears involved.

So if find yourself in this position in December (which some of you will, given the absurdly low acceptance rates that we are sure to see yet again), here are my words of wisdom: getting rejected from Notre Dame was the best thing that could have happened to me. I really mean that.

It’s like that movie Sliding Doors: if I had gotten into Notre Dame, I would not have ended up at Wash U, which had an incredibly flexible curriculum that allowed me to graduate a year early without too much trouble. If I hadn’t graduated early, I wouldn’t have decided to “take a year or two off before law school”. I’d probably be an attorney somewhere with piles of paperwork on my desk instead of having a blast on my entrepreneurship journey. I would definitely not have met my husband the week after I graduated when I was 21, wouldn’t have my kids, and so forth.

Much more importantly, though, I wouldn’t have gotten the wake-up call I needed to understand that life wasn’t fair and that things were not always going to go my way - whether I “deserved” them or not. This rejection, as painful as it was, represented a turning point that helped me become the person I am today and had a very positive ripple effect on many other areas of my life. 18 years after I first stepped foot on this campus, I can truly say that I am so very grateful that things worked out the way they did.

So while there’s not going to be any bigger advocate for a student than me, know that if the dream school admissions decision doesn’t come back favorably, all is not lost. Things will work out. I promise!

Yes, I'm Still Very Much Interested

There was a little bit of back and forth on our facebook page last week about whether it is a good idea to send a letter of continued interest (LOCI) to UVA or not. I’m actually really glad that came up, because it’s a perfect example of why it is so important to work alongside one’s high school counselor. UVA’s page for deferred students indicates the following:

Other than midyear grade updates or new standardized test results, we will not be able to review any edits to your application or additional information. Please do not send additional information, including recommendations, during this time.

I agree with the person that commented on the facebook page - this certainly sounds like they don’t want any kind of application updates. However, after years as a school counselor in which I had quite a few counselor calls myself - and many more years helping school counselors make those calls (including this year!) - I can assure students that UVA will still accept updates to a student’s application if there are updates to share. And to be honest - if you don’t have any updates to share about your senior year, that’s not a good sign. Hopefully, a student’s senior year represents the climax of an exciting an engaging high school experience - so why wouldn’t you share these new accomplishments? One of the blog comments, written by a UVA admissions officer, reinforced this message:

If you feel there is an important update, it's fine to upload that in the portal. We don't expect that and interest is not a factor, so we don't push people to do that.

The bottom line: go see your school counselor! That person will be able to help let you know the best course of action. Write your LOCI, but ask for your counselor’s help in tailoring it to the specific school(s) of interest. With a school that does not take demonstrated interest into account, like UVA, that will require a very different approach than a school like Emory, for which demonstrated interest is extremely important.

Here is our template for writing a generic letter of continued interest to solidify that post-deferral foot you have in the door:

INTRODUCTION

Your first priority in your introduction is to graciously thank the admissions officer for reviewing your application and clearly express that said school remains your very first choice.

UPDATE

This may be the most important paragraph within the letter.  Most likely it’s been several months since you submitted your application, which means they are in need of an update.  Did you recently receive a scholarship?  Were you awarded an honor?  Perhaps you started a new job or became caption of the basketball team.  Think of 1-3 achievements to highlight what it is that happened since the admissions department heard from you last.

PERSONAL ANECDOTE

Have you visited the campus again? Did you meet a current student, recent grad or alumnus?  Include these topics in a personal story that further exemplifies why this school is your perfect match.  Be sure to share a new detail and not something that could be found or inferred through your initial application.

CONCLUSION

Thank the admissions staff once again for their time and consideration, while restating your intent to attend said university upon receiving acceptance.

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And lastly.. don’t forget to PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS!

You’ve meticulously combed through your application and you want to handle this letter with the same care.  

If you know whom you’re writing to, make sure to include their name.  For example, start your letter with “Dear Ms. [insert last name].  If you’re unsure which admissions officer will receive your letter “Dear Admissions Officer” will suffice.

Make sure never to convey any negative feelings you have about being waitlisted or deferred in your letter of continued interest, in any communications with the school and to any alumni or faculty of the university.  Those feelings are best shared with trusted confidants, such as your parents, counselor, or us!

Double check your deferral/waitlist letter for any instructions or requests the school may have for you.  In some cases, schools will say they do not want any further communications with applicants and will let you know their final decision by a specific date.

For further insight into creating a pitch perfect letter of continued interest, schedule an appointment at our office here.
 

#UVA23

Well, it’s been a week since the UVA decisions were released and I know that there are lots of unhappy families in Northern Virginia as a result. I get it: it’s an amazing school at an amazing price. Who wouldn’t want their child to go to UVA? What’s not to love? I meet with families all the time that actually chose to live in Virginia because of UVA when their children were very young - or before they were born! After that kind of commitment, of course an unfavorable answer would feel crushing. How could it not?

The good news, from my end, is that UVA decisions still remain relatively predictable. A student with very high test scores and very high grades that has chosen the most challenging curriculum at his high school should be admitted to UVA, as long as the essays, extracurricular involvement and recommendations are equally strong. Yes, even if he went to Langley. Or McLean. Or Madison. Or Oakton. There are no mysteries here. In my opinion, the devastating “how could this happen” stories that relate to UVA usually involve amazing, phenomenal kids who are missing the test scores, the grades, or the rigor. Unfortunately, this level of predictability is not the same at most other top schools, where rockstar valedictorians working to cure cancer can be rejected without a second thought and we are all just left to sit back and wonder why.

At this time of year, we receive a lot of phone calls from the aforementioned unhappy families who have heard the news that is sometimes even worse than a rejection: a deferral. At least a rejection has a sense of finality. Deferrals raise questions, anxieties, and all kinds of emotions, and it’s no wonder that families decide to bring in a professional to help navigate the situation.

Here’s my advice:

1. Determine what the deferral actually means. At Georgetown, literally every single student is deferred. No one is denied! Obviously, you are not in any kind of select group. At Columbia, on the other hand, very few students are deferred. A deferral means that you really may have a chance. All deferrals are not alike.

2. Ask your high school counselor for help. Beyond the information that is publicly available, such as the fact that Georgetown defers everyone, your counselor should be able to help you find out information specific to your unique situation. This takes place through what is known as a “counselor call.” Your counselor can set up a phone appointment with the admissions officer at the school from which you were deferred in order to hear insight on your decision. Independent counselors, by and large, cannot make these calls; however, I regularly work in tandem with school counselors to prepare them to make successful calls on my clients’ behalf. Teamwork!

3. Write a letter of continued interest that shows your continued enthusiasm for the school, your willingness to enroll if admitted, and any updates that have occurred since the point at which you submitted your application.

Need help on your individualized deferral game plan? Fill out our intake form and we can help. Still up for the DIY approach? You’re in luck - come back next week to find a blog post devoted to formulating the most effective LOCI possible!