Dear Student,

We’re writing to you three weeks before you get deferred from your early decision school. You did everything right, but we’re here from the future to tell you that you’re going to get deferred. Don’t panic.

We won’t downplay it: it feels like rejection. Worse, even. That sinking feeling, the disappointment, the agony of realizing you have to wait even more months to finally get an answer. At least with an outright rejection, you know where you stand. Deferrals are the like getting left on “read” while texting your crush. We know. It sucks.

But let’s look on the bright(er) side: you’re not alone. Many, many students get deferred. Deferrals often make no sense at all. Last year, we had a student get deferred from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and get into the University of Chicago. It didn’t really make sense in the end, and you can be sure our student felt awful in December. In the Wild West of college deferrals, stories like that are par for the course.

We know these stories won’t make you feel better in the wake of your deferral. But we’re here to help. Now, the best thing to do after you get deferred? Sulk and watch Netflix. Just kidding (kind of). The best thing to do is to keep going.

Take a look at your list of schools. We know that your early decision school was obviously your favorite, but there are so many amazing schools out there. Your attachment to your ED schools needs to end now.

Distract yourself by getting ahead. (Now. Right now. When you’re reading this in November.) Just because you got deferred doesn’t mean you won’t get into a school on the same level. Put your head down and get the rest of your regular decision applications done-zo. We know this deferral probably feels like the end of the world and is soul-and-dream-crushing. But trust us--the feeling will pass, and you will get into the right school for you.

And even though this might be a blow to your confidence, do your best not to let it affect your list of schools. This isn’t necessarily a reflection of your potential as a student. Remember, deferrals aren’t rejections. They’re basically like pressing “pause” on your application. Oftentimes, the school just wants more time to look over your app to compare them to the regular decision pool.

But what else can I do, you ask? We’ll help you put together a deferral package. It’s basically just an update to your application and another letter of recommendation. But what if I end up getting in? Won’t I have wasted all this time? Dear reader, trust us. The best offense is a good defense, and by getting your regular decision apps together during the Deferral Purgatory Period, you’ll thank us later. We want you to avoid stress, not feed into it.

So, all in all, don’t fret. Deferrals are a natural part of the admissions process. We know it sucks but together, we’ll get through it.

Love,

TKG