So you got deferred from Northwestern. Chances are you are feeling a lot of emotions right now, maybe disappointment or even anger. It’s natural. It took time and effort to apply to Northwestern Early Decision, and getting deferred is no one's dream. However, cue the action movie score because this isn’t over.
You weren’t rejected. And to be clear, if you weren’t a Northwestern-level candidate, you would have been. You have the grades, scores, etc., to get in; it's just something they gave them to pause, and they need more time with your application.
It isn’t easy to get into Northwestern. Last year, their overall acceptance rate was only about 7%. And while their early acceptance rate was more like 22%, that number is always inflated by groups like recruited athletes who generally apply during ED.
This is all to say that getting into and being deferred by Northwestern is hard. However, there are a couple of steps you need to take, and we want to help by breaking them down.
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The secret first thing you need to do is get into the right state of mind. You need to do some work, and if you are stressed beyond belief, you won’t be able to put your best foot forward. Once you have done that, there are a couple of things you have to do before even starting to think about Northwestern again.
Review Your College List
It’s more than likely that you need to reassess your college list. Getting into Northwestern is going to be an uphill battle, and you need to have great backups in case you don’t get in during RD. This means making sure your college list is balanced. Just because you got deferred doesn’t mean you have to delete all your reach schools, but it does mean you have to ensure that you have 3-4 targets and 3-4 foundations (aka safeties) on your list. Don’t just guess here. You want to look at some data. You can find some of this data online, but ideally, you should talk to your school’s college counselor and have them double-check your list to ensure it is balanced.
Reassess Your Common App Essay
Likely, your Common App Essay isn’t bad (you would have probably been rejected if it wasn’t at least ok), but usually, there is room for improvement. The Common App essay is only one factor that admissions officers consider; however, it is your biggest opportunity to showcase who you are and your personality. It is such a powerful tool, which is precisely why we encourage students to reassess their Common App essays after a deferral. Most likely, your essay could at least use a good edit to make sure it is the strongest as it can be,
We specialize in helping students write stand-out essays. We have compiled a guide with our best tips for The Common App Essay 2045-2025. We highly encourage you to read it over before you edit your essay.
Press Submit
This might seem obvious, but procrastination is easy! Once you have finished an application, don’t wait to press submit. You want to get your applications in, and deadlines will come faster than expected.
Once you have done that, it is time to relook at Northwestern.
What Northwestern Wants
Northwestern has a couple of blogs and documents about early decision that mention getting deferred, but we also wanted to synthesize them and give you the important next steps, especially because the information on them is a little old. You will need to send them a few important things.
Mid-Year Grades
Your school counselor should already know to send your mid-year grades; however, it is essential that the school receives them, so it isn’t a bad idea to check with your counselor and make sure Northwestern receives this report. Northwestern also allows you to send them directly if your school allows it. You will need to get the report from your counselor and then upload it through “the Common Application or Coalition with Scoir platforms or send directly to ugadmission@northwestern.edu.” They need it by mid-February at the very latest, whether it is from you or your counselor.
Update Letter
Northwestern states, “While we neither require nor expect deferred candidates to submit additional information or letters of support, students who wish to send updates may submit those via their online applicant portal.” While they say it is optional… it kind of isn’t if you want the best chance of getting in. They only “ anticipate admitting a small number of deferred candidates through our Regular Decision round.” You want to do everything you can to be a part of that small number, and part of that is sending an update letter.
Sometimes also called a Letter of Continued Interest, your update letter needs to include a couple of important factors. First, you want to briefly introduce yourself and reaffirm that Northwestern is your top choice. You then want to speak to any significant updates. Ideally, this letter should be pretty short. You really shouldn’t go over about 300 words. You don’t need to tell them every little thing; your updates should feel important.
Many things could fall into the category of “important updates,” including (but not limited to) getting a new position in a club or job, starting a new internship, taking an online class, getting research published, winning an award, and starting or completing a project.
Once you have given your most important 1-3 updates, wrap the letter up by reinforcing that Northwestern is still your first choice and that even though it is no longer binding, if admitted, you will undoubtedly attend. Again, this letter shouldn’t be long. You want to make your points, thank the admissions office and head out.
It should go without saying (but you would be surprised): Don’t spam the admissions office or demand that they tell you why you didn’t get in. Don’t show up on campus. Try to be zen and confident that you have done all that you can, and the decision is in their hands.
Getting deferred stinks. There is no way around it. However, we encourage you to take these steps to ensure that you create the best odds for yourself. Applying to college is tricky, and if you need expert help, we are always happy to assist.
To learn more, contact us here.