Getting deferred from Yale is hard. Take a moment to feel sad, or angry, or disappointed. Whether you’re feeling paralyzed by your feelings and need someone to help you through this, or you’re a person of action who wants to know exactly what steps you should take next, this guide should help you organize your action plan.
According to the YaleNews website, 2020 was the largest admissions pool Yale had ever seen -- and we can only speculate that 2021 will also be a big year for them too. According to them, “50% of students who applied through early action were deferred for reconsideration in the spring, 38% were denied admission, and 1% were withdrawn or incomplete.” Yale Daily News reports that 10.8% of early action students were admitted in 2020, one of the lowest acceptance rates since 2008. Yale doesn’t publish the stats on how many people who are deferred are then accepted in Regular Decision, but they do have this incredibly vague blog post where they say they look up your hometown on Google Maps sometimes? Weird.
Let’s dive into some tips for getting through this.
Schools
Ok, we hope you applied to other schools besides Yale. If you didn’t (or only applied to a few others), it’s time to come up with a college list. We advise applying to at least ten other schools. You want to come up with a balanced, realistic, and smart list based on things like your interests, size, location, and difficulty. Think of schools that would be a good cultural fit for you -- if you’re from the south look at schools that won’t give you culture shock. If you’re from a city, you might not love a rural campus. If you want to study drama or agriculture or biology, look at schools with great programs that have what you want to do. Once you have an idea of what you want, make your list with three safeties, four targets, and three reaches. (A handy guide on how to determine what’s a reach or a target or a safety school here)
Supplements
Ok so you’ve made your list, checked it twice (sorry, not funny), and now it’s time to dive in to the supplemental essays for each school. One bonus of doing these all at the same time is that you’ll notice that colleges re-use a lot of themes from their supplemental essays. Essays about community or “why this college” essays are abundant, which will help you cut down on a ton of extra writing. And we have guides on our website for tons of schools and how to write their supplements. A lot of these essays are essentially research papers on the college or stories about you and what you bring to the table.
Start by brainstorming some ideas of how to get your essay off the ground, and get those ideas on paper ASAP. You’ll write a few drafts, have friends, family, and teachers edit them for grammar and clarity, and add some final polish. You’re almost ready to submit.
Make sure to ask your counselors and teachers if they’re willing to write recommendation letters for these new schools, and also make sure to send your test scores along with them. Now you’re ready to submit.
The Deferral Letter
Ok, now to the big thing. The thing you probably clicked into this article to find out. How can I convince Yale that I’m the real deal??
You’re going to draft an email that serves two purposes, 1) expand on some of your achievements and accomplishments that you’ve made since applying, and 2) declare your undying devotion for Yale. First, pick two or three things you’ve done since applying. Maybe you got made captain of the golf team, or you completed a big research project. Don’t brag, but don’t be overly humble about your work. Next, you’ll explain to Yale that if you get in, you will attend. Top colleges and universities care deeply about their yield rates, which makes them look both more exclusive and more prestigious. So by telling them you plan on attending if you get in, you show that you won’t hurt their yield rate.
Once you’ve drafted your email, cut it down to size. Anything over 300-350 words will seem like a lot to the admissions office. Keep it brief, concise, and polite. Have a few people look over it for grammar and make sure it makes sense. Then, email it off to the Yale Admissions office.
Now you’ll have to wait. You’ve done everything you can.
If you’re feeling stuck with applying to additional schools, or just need someone to guide you through the process, feel free to reach out to us here to talk with one of our counselors.