Over the past few years, colleges that offer early paths to admission have gotten into the habit of deferring the vast majority of early applicants — but there are a few exceptions. Yale is one of them. In 2021, Yale deferred 31% of early applicants, while denying 57% and accepting just under 11%. 31% may sound like a lot, but compared to other Ivy League schools, it’s a minuscule percentage. We’re telling you this because this is really good news for you if you were deferred from Yale. You genuinely have a chance, and we don’t say that lightly.
We aren’t in the business of building false hope. If your Yale journey was over because of a deferral, we’d tell you. Yale would have told you too — but by rejecting you. They didn’t reject you, so you’re still in the game. The Yale admissions office has said as much themselves:
“A deferral from Yale means one thing and one thing only: We need more time to consider your application. It’s important to understand this. You were not deferred because there is something wrong with your application. In fact, it’s quite the opposite: if you were deferred it means your application is strong enough to continue to be seriously considered by the admissions committee.”
They’ve also made a podcast episode (yep, they have a podcast and it’s actually pretty good) all about handling different admissions decision possibilities that is a good listen for potential Yale applicants that might help you process this experience — after you finish reading this post, of course.
What Should You Do First?
The first thing students who are deferred tend to do is to freak out about what they can do to prove themselves to their dream school. While we understand that instinct, it’s not a good idea to immediately try to prove yourself or “fix” something about the application you submitted a few months ago.
In this moment, the absolute worst thing you could do is to send a frantic email full of “but I’m awesome!” statements to the Yale admissions office. Every year, students do that. Every year, those students do not get in. Do not be one of those students.
Yale will request and receive your mid-year grades, and they allow you to submit one letter of update if you really feel like it’s necessary, but it’s not required. It’s not even suggested, so it’s definitely not something to do unless you have a major update to report. And no, getting another A on a calc test is not a major update. By “major update,” we mean winning an award, gaining a recognition, or stepping into a leadership role you didn’t have when you submitted your application.
Also, the Yale admissions office is begging you to “act like it’s not going to happen” — and by “it” they mean getting into Yale — which leads us to the next step.
Go Back to the List
After you have processed the disappointment of your deferral with ice cream, you need to take a serious look at your college list. Being deferred from Yale doesn’t mean you aren’t Ivy League material, but you do need to be strategic as you prepare for the regular decision application cycle, and we can help with that. Make sure that your list of schools includes at least a few targets and safetys, and give yourself the time to really ace those applications. Just because a school is statistically a safety for you doesn’t mean you can phone in the supplements. A safety becomes a reach if your application is sloppy.
Stay Focused
As you continue work on your applications, remember that the most important piece of your applications is your academic profile — also known as your grades. All of the schools you applied to early and were either accepted by or deferred by will receive a mid-year report, so it’s not time to take your foot off the gas pedal. You need to keep working hard, and if there’s an opportunity to improve your grades or add an impressive item to your resume you should take advantage of it.
Be Kind (to Yourself)
As if you don’t have enough on your plate right now, we need you to do one more thing: Be kind to yourself. Applying to college is an objectively stressful and often unpleasant process. For all students, it’s a high-pressure situation that can feel like the rest of your life depends on it (alert: it doesn’t). For many, it comes with a hefty dose of rejection. Neither of those things are fun, but you can get through it if you take time for yourself through the process. Connect with friends, read a book that isn’t assigned for class, binge something on Netflix, or go for a walk. Whatever chills you out and relieves some pressure, do it.
According to Yale, they do regularly admit students who were deferred — but you shouldn’t count on it. If need help planning your next steps, send us an email. We help students like you craft compelling applications.