If you’re here, you probably got deferred from NYU, and you don’t know what to do next. First of all, we’re sorry that happened, and take some time to process. We will wait.
Now that you’ve processed, it’s time to do some stuff! Spring into action. You need to make sure you have a good regular decision (or ED2) plan in place, and you also need to work on your last-ditch pitch to NYU.
If you didn’t put all your eggs in the NYU basket (read: you already have a balanced college list with 8-12 schools), scroll to the last part of this post for your assignment. If you did put all your eggs in the NYU basket, you’ve got a lot of work to get done in the next few weeks. Let’s discuss.
COLLEGE LIST
You’re gonna have to apply to more schools. Sorry!! We know! Don’t yell at us!! We encourage students to apply to between 8-12 schools, and that needs to be a healthy mix of reaches, targets, and safeties. If you don’t know how to categorize your schools into reaches, targets, and safeties, check this out.
When thinking about your RD college list, you want to think about what drew you to NYU in the first place. If you were going for a specific program, you need to find other programs like it at other schools, since that is the most important factor. If things like size, culture, location, etc. were all big driving factors, you’ll probably want to look at bigger schools, schools in urban settings in big cities, and schools without big sports teams or Greek life. NYU is pretty unique with this mix, so keep in mind that the other schools on your list probably won’t check off each thing you want, so note what was most important to you.
ESSAYS
Now that you have your list, you need to take a look at what each school is gonna need from you essay-wise. Each school has anywhere from one to seven+ (here’s looking at you, Stanford) supplemental questions, and most of them are iterations on the same theme. We have guides on how to tackle almost every school’s application here, but the two most common ones will be the community essay and the why essay.
Word to the wise: you also may want to rework (or rewrite) your Common App essay. Yeah, we know, more work. But here’s the deal, if you wrote a really cliche essay (or wrote about a topic that was better suited for additional information), you’re gonna need to go back to the drawing board. Creative essays stand out – braggy ones don’t.
The biggest thing for these supplements will be just getting the words out. It’s okay for your first few drafts to be bad, because you’re going to spend a lot of time editing these for clarity, grammar, and length. Make sure to have a few other people, like teachers or friends or family, take a look at them too.
GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW
You need to let your school counselors know that you’re applying to more schools, and you need to follow up with the teachers who wrote your rec letters to make sure they can do these other letters as well. Make sure all your test scores have been sent, if applicable, and check that you have all the other accoutrement that each school might require, like resumes, writing samples, etc.
DEFERRAL LETTER
Skippers ahead, this is where you stop!!
Now this is where we give NYU the final pitch. You’re going to write a deferral letter, and this letter serves two purposes:
Tell them about all the wonderful and fabulous things you’ve been up to since you first hit “submit” on the Common App
Ensure NYU knows that if you are accepted, you will attend.
NYU cares about their yield rate (% of students who enroll after being admitted), so we want to appeal to that. Colleges are, at the end of the day, businesses, and you, as a student, are a potential client.
Start your letter with a “I am writing to reaffirm my interest in NYU and if accepted, I will attend,” type sentence. Don’t copy us, write your own.
From there, jump into your updates. Did your GPA bump up? Secure an internship or research position? Make swim captain? Finish a big project? Get published? Climb a mountain??? You don’t necessarily want to rattle off every single little thing you did, you do want to focus on the 2-3 big things that matter the most and apply the most directly to your stated major. Don’t brag, no one likes that, but don’t undersell yourself either. Be confident!
Next up in your letter is talking about all the wonderful things at NYU you just cannot wait to be a part of, like maybe a particular club, or class. You could mention that one professor who does that cool thing – you know the one.
Conclude with another affirmation of your love of the ol’ Violets, and you’re ready to go.
This shouldn’t be longer than 350 words, maximum. Have the people in your life who are good at grammar look over it for you. You’ll either upload it to a portal, or email it directly to the admissions office (and ask if there’s anywhere else you should send it!)
If you’re struggling with the regular decision applications, or need help with your deferral letter, please reach out to us here to get connected with one of our counselors.