Getting deferred is a bummer. Applying to Wesleyan early took time and effort, and this can feel like a major setback. However, try to see the silver lining here: you weren’t rejected. Make no mistake, Wesleyan’s admissions office is still seriously considering your application. And you still have time to get in. It might just take a little work.
If you weren’t a Wesleyan-caliber student, you would have been rejected. You have the grades and resume, so what happened? Well, something gave them pause. It is hard to say what, and honestly, it might not matter anymore. The important thing is to make sure you have the best chance in the upcoming regular decision round of admissions.
While Welsyan’s early acceptance rate was around 40% last year, its overall acceptance rate was about 17%. We don’t say this to discourage you. Instead, we want to motivate you to try your hardest and beat the odds.
Getting deferred is hard, but speaking to an expert can help! Contact us here for specialized help with all things related to college applications.
The first thing you need to do after getting deferred is to take a deep breath. We know it's stressful, but you need to be in the right headspace and ready to put in the work. Once you have done that, it's time to jump in. It may sound strange, but the first steps you need to take have nothing to do with Wesleyan (don’t worry, we will get back to them.)
Review Your College List
You need to take another look at your college list and make sure it is balanced. Whether you thought Wesleyan was a reach or a 100% lock, there is a good chance that the rest of your list could use some love. Ideally, your list should have 3-4 target schools (colleges where you align with the average accepted student), 3-4 foundational schools (aka ‘safeties’ or schools that you are more than likely to get into), and 2-3 reaches (Wesleyan is already 1). You don’t have to delete all your reach schools just because you were deferred, but you should make sure you have a strong base. Don’t just choose based on a hunch. You will need to look at data from class profiles/common data sets and should ask your counselor to use probability tools like Naviance.
Reassess Your Common App Essay
Likely, your Common App Essay isn’t bad. If it was terrible, Wesleyan probably would have rejected you. However, you should 100% give it another look. The Common App Essay is your chance to showcase your glowing personality which helps differentiate you from other qualified candidates. We specialize in helping students craft stand out essays and we have compiled all our best tips to our 2024-2025 Guide to The Common App Essay. Before you submit your other applications, we highly recommend you read it and then give your essay a good edit.
Press Submit
Don’t procrastinate! Once you have an application completed, submit it! Deadlines will come fast and waiting only will make everything harder. Once you have submitted all your other applications, it's time to pivot back to Wesleyan.
WHAT WESLEYAN WANTS
Wesleyan doesn’t really publish any information about their deferrals process (annoyingly.) Thankfully, we can fill in some of those blanks.
Check the Portal
Wesleyan does almost everything through their WesCheck portal. But you probably already kind of know that since deferral letters are only available online. If you are waitlisted, deferred, or denied, the only way to see it is on the portal, so you have probably already checked it at least once. While they will mail you a letter if you are accepted, even that decision is available on the portal before it is sent out. TLDR: they really like to use their portal.
You should be checking it for updates and complete any requests for information you have in it.
Mid-Year Grades
The first thing that you must make sure that Wesleyan receives is your mid-year grades. The mid-year grave report is important for their admissions decision so it is really important that they receive it. Your counselor should already know to send it, but it isn’t a bad idea to double check with them.
Update Letter
While Wesleyan doesn’t require an update letter (sometimes also called a letter of continued interest), it is a good idea to send one. An update letter is a short communication covering any significant updates you have since applying. Wesleyan accept update letters in the form of emails sent to applicant@wesleyan.edu.
Your letter should open by introducing yourself and thanking the admissions office for their continued consideration. Then you want to include 1-3 significant updates. The entire email should be under 300 words, so you don’t need to include every little thing. Try to only include the most important updates. There are many things that could count as an important update, including getting a new job/position, receiving a reward, taking an online class, getting research published, etc. If it feels important to you, it is probably a good choice.
You should end your letter by saying, in no uncertain terms, that Wesleyan is still your top choice and if offered admissions you will 100% attend in the fall.
We probably don’t need to tell you (however, you would be surprised), but there are a couple of things that you shouldn’t do after getting deferred by Wesleyan. Don’t spam the admissions office. Don’t call demanding to know why you didn’t get in. Don’t show up on campus. Trust us, it's a bad look. Be confident in that you have taken all the steps you can and sit tight. We know waiting is hard but you will have to.
Getting deferred isn’t fun, but take these steps and you will set yourself up well. We know this process is very stressful. Do your best. Take some deep breaths and you will get through it. And if you need us, we got you.
We can help you bounce back from getting deferred. Contact us now!