We aren’t going to lie; getting deferred by Rice isn’t ideal. You took all the time and effort to apply to Rice during early decision, and a deferral certainly feels like a massive setback. While no one wants to get deferred, there is a silver lining here. You weren’t rejected, and let us say in no uncertain terms, if you weren’t a Rice-level candidate, you would have been. They are still seriously considering your application and may even accept you in the regular decision round. However, there are a couple of steps you have to take if you want to maximize your chances of that happening.
Last year, Rice’s overall acceptance rate was around 7.8%. While their ED acceptance rate was slightly higher at around 16%, it is hard to get into Rice. Since it is so hard to get in, there are a couple of important steps you have to take if you hope to get into Rice after a deferral, and we want to help break them down for you.
Applying to college isn’t easy, and deferrals only make it harder. But we can help; contact us to learn more.
Take a deep breath, get your head right and once you are in the right headspace, it's time to jump in. It may sound strange, but the first couple of steps have nothing to do with Rice. While you might be chomping at the bit to reach out to Rice, you need to make sure the rest of your applications are in order.
Reassess Your College List
It is always important to have a great college list, but it is never more essential than after being deferred. Just because you have been deferred doesn’t mean you need to delete all the reach schools on your list, but it does mean you need to make sure your list is balanced. What do we mean by that? Well, you need to have at least 3-4 targets and 3-4 ‘safeties’ or foundational schools on your list. Foundational schools are schools that you expect to get into, while target schools are colleges you are likely to get into. They may sound the same, but the difference is important. Think of it this way: if you don’t get into one of your foundations, you should be shocked. You also need to base this on data, including class profiles, common data sets, and information from your college counselor. Don’t trust an “I think I will get in” feeling when it comes to balancing your list. Make sure you have checked, and that the admissions data is on your side.
Revise Your Common App Essay
The Common App essay is only one factor that admissions offices look at, but it is your best chance to showcase who you are as a person. Just because you have good grades doesn’t mean you will get into a top school. You need to be the complete package, and the Common App essay is your best chance to highlight your winning personality. Often, a “meh” Common App essay is the difference between getting in and not getting in for otherwise qualified applicants. Likely your Common App essay isn’t bad (if it were terrible, you would have most likely been rejected); however, you want it to be the best it can be. We specialize in helping students write stand-out essays and compiled our best tips as part of our 2024-2025 Guide to the Common App essay. We also write guides on how to approach college supplements for specific schools every year if you need more help with specific supplements.
Press Submit
Okay, this sounds obvious, but you need to submit your applications once they are done. Deadlines come fast, and it is easy to procrastinate. However, you don’t want to wait until the last second. It will only make everything more chaotic and messier. Trust us, don’t delay submitting your applications.
WHAT RICE WANTS
Once you have gotten all your other applications in order and have pressed submit, it is time to take another look at Rice. Rice publishes almost no information about its deferral process (really, all they say is that they do it.) It’s honestly annoying. However, from our experience, there are a couple of things that you need to send to Rice if you are deferred.
Mid-Year Grades
Rice will need your most recent grades to assess your application (hopefully, you haven’t been struck with a case of senioritis.) Your counselor should already know to send Rice your mid-year grade report; however, it is not a bad idea to remind them. This report is essential, so double-checking won’t hurt.
Update Letter
While Rice doesn’t require you to send an update, we highly recommend it. It might seem extra, but this is the time to be extra. An update letter, sometimes also called a letter of continued interest, is really just a short email that you send to your regional admissions counselor. (If you don’t know who that is, you can find yours here).
Your letter really should follow this easy outline:
Introduce yourself
Especially if you haven’t talked to your regional rep yet, you need to introduce yourself and why you are emailing them. Include your name, say that you were recently deferred, and add that you are writing because Rice is still your top choice.
Give Significant Updates
You should choose 1-3 important updates to share with them. You don’t need to tell them everything that has happened since you applied but you should choose a couple of significant things to highlight. Significant updates might include:
Starting a new position in a club or job
Getting an internship
Winning an award or getting something published
Doing research
Starting or completing an online or out of school class
There are many other updates that will work well here. Just make sure they feel important enough to include.
Wrap it up
Once you have shared your updates, you want to wrap it up! Ideally, this letter should be under 300 words, so it doesn’t need a full conclusion. However, you should thank the admissions staff and restate that Rice is your top choice and that you would still attend if admitted (even though you aren’t required by ED anymore).
There are also a couple of things that you also shouldn’t do after getting deferred. Don’t spam the admissions office. Don’t call them demanding to know why you were deferred. Don’t show up on campus. We shouldn’t have to say this to most students, but you would be surprised. Be confident in your letter and grades and just sit tight. We know it can be hard!
No one hopes to get deferred, but it isn’t the end of line. You need to be proactive and be ready to do a little bit of work, but if you follow these steps you set yourself up for the best chance at success possible. And if you still need help, we can do that!
Need more expert advice? We can help! Contact us now.