You’re a brave soul — you applied to Stanford. Getting into Stanford is tough regardless of what you’ve accomplished, what your grades look like, or whether you invented a new flavor of ice cream. After the Stanford acceptance rate rose (a tiny amount) in 2020, they did an about-face in 2021 with a record low acceptance rate of only 3.95%. Despite this up and down, we have no reason to believe it will be easier to get into Stanford this year.
The good news is that while Stanford doesn’t publish their deferral rate, they do assert that it is very low. “Stanford’s philosophy is to make a final decision whenever possible,” they state on their website. “As a result, Stanford defers only a small percentage of Restrictive Early Action applications to Regular Decision.”
If you were deferred by Stanford you’re in rare company, and it’s time to get to work.
What About an Update Letter?
Many colleges allow deferred students to submit updates, also called letters of continued interest, before their applications are reviewed again with the regular decision pool. Stanford is no different, although they do it in their own way. They allow applicants to update their application through the Stanford application portal, but it’s important not to take advantage of this feature.
Your update after a deferral needs to be a few things:
Clear
Concise
Specific
One page
Let’s start with the one-page part, as that’s what we see people struggle with most. It is critical that you limit any updates to one single-spaced page in size 12 font. Admissions officers are flooded with information, so if you want them to really see your update, you need to keep it short and sweet.
Clear, concise, and specific are three peas in a pod. You’re not writing a new college essay, and you’re not going to get bonus points for reiterating things they already know. Any update you send needs to clearly point to the specific things that have changed in your life in a concise format. We can help you with this.
College List Take-Two
As you work on your update, you also need to be giving your college list a second look. Stanford isn’t a guarantee for anyone, so if you were betting on getting in early you simply placed a bad bet. Instead of getting frustrated, though, use this as a lesson.
For the regular decision round, you need to make sure that you have a healthy variety of reaches (very few), targets (the lion share), and safety schools (a few more than the reaches) that you would be happy attending. There is no point in applying to a school if you wouldn’t be willing to attend.
Keep Working Hard
Applying to Stanford is a bold choice, so we know you believe in yourself, you’re a risk taker, and you’re not afraid of working hard. Now is the time to double down. If you can get your grades a smidge higher, take on a significant leadership role in an academic or extra-curricular activity, or do something else to boost your resume it’s going to make a big difference when Stanford re-reviews your application. They are looking for students who go the extra mile, and so showing that you buckled down and improved your application will certainly make difference.
Self-Care
You have a lot on your plate, but it’s important to feed your soul, too. Cheesy? Yes. But it’s true. Taking some time for yourself will make a big difference as you race toward the finish line. Read a book that isn’t for school, go for a hike, or binge-watch a new show. Give yourself the gift a little bit of relaxation — it’ll make a difference.
If a deferral has you freaking out, send us an email. We help students like you bounce back from deferrals by crafting compelling applications.