Once upon a time (and not that long ago), NYU was a reliable choice for strong students looking for a college decision early. It was respected and competitive, but not in the sub-10% acceptance rate category of colleges. For the Class of 2024, the acceptance rate was over 15%. Not so, anymore. The NYU acceptance rate has plummeted in response to a record number of applicants — not just for NYU, but for any private university in the US. Most recently, the first year acceptance rate at NYU was only 7.7%. For three of the undergraduate colleges, the acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was under 5%. As a result, many students who thought that an ED application to NYU was a strong, if not safe, choice, have received surprising rejection letters.

Getting deferred from your top-choice school is tough. You put your heart into your Wellesley ED application, hit submit, and crossed your fingers. And now you’re sitting in the awkward in-between – not denied, but not admitted. The “maybe” zone can be one of the hardest places to be. But before you start spiraling, let’s regroup. A deferral means Wellesley wants more time. You’re still very much in the game.

People who love business tend to know it early. They are the kind of young people who take every opportunity to run a lemonade stand, make money doing yard work for neighbors, or even start their own small business. As a high school sophomore looking to study business in college, you may have already done some — or even all — of this. And if you have business cards, a LinkedIn, or a personal website with a digital resume, that wouldn’t surprise us.

If you recently received a rejection from Tufts in the Early Decision round, we know that it can be a punch to your stomach. Tufts is one of those interesting schools that has had a rapidly shrinking acceptance rate that mirrors the plummeting percentages at Ivies. As a result, Tufts, which was once a great target or even safety school for strong students with high scores and well-expressed passions has become a reach — even in the ED round — for many of the best and brightest. The overall acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was only 10.5%. 

If you recently received a rejection from the University of Pennsylvania Early Decision, you are not alone. Penn has experienced a historic uptick in Early Decision applications in recent years, with over 9,500 students applying ED in the winter of 2024. This has coincided with a dramatic decrease in acceptance rate, which has been experienced across the Ivy League and other top-tier universities.

One of the most confusing applications of the coveted top-tier schools is the University of Chicago. If you tackled their application, you’ve experienced this already. They expect a combination of academic excellence and quirky creativity that can feel intimidating to many applicants, and simply confounding to others.

We know this wasn’t the decision you were hoping to see. You applied ED to Vanderbilt with a clear commitment, and now you’ve landed in the frustrating in-between zone of deferral. It’s not a rejection, but it’s not the early celebration you were ready for either. If you’re feeling deflated or even a little angry, you’re allowed to feel that way. Take a second. Then let’s figure out your next move.

Receiving an early rejection from Yale can feel like a punch in the gut. Even if you hadn’t thought that getting in would be smooth sailing, you hoped that the hard work you’ve put in through high school would be recognized and honored with an acceptance.

You submitted your UVA application with high hopes, maybe even imagining yourself walking The Lawn next fall. And now, you’re stuck in the waiting game. We know it sucks, you wanted a yes, but they gave you a “not yet.” However, if you're feeling disappointed or frustrated, you're not alone. Take a moment. Breathe. Then let’s talk strategy.