If you are reading this post, you were probably recently on the receiving end of notice of deferral from Notre Dame. First, let’s wallow in how this is a huge bummer for a second. You wanted to get in and you didn’t want to have to think about this whole college application thing anymore. You aren’t rejected, and you do still have a chance of getting into Notre Dame, so it’s time to get out of that puddle of disappointment and reorient yourself towards action. Before we begin on what comes next, let’s talk statistics.
Notre Dame had a record low acceptance rate for the Class of 2028, continuing a record of a decreasing acceptance rate year-after-year. At 11%, the Class of 2028 acceptance rate is intimidating. We expect the 2024-2025 statistics to shake out about the same. This means the acceptance rate will probably be even lower than 11%, and getting in after a deferral will be even more difficult. But a deferral is also an opportunity.
Through this deferral, you have been given a chance to improve your application, and in this post, we’ll tell you exactly how to capitalize on the opportunity. But there are also a number of other things you need to be doing, most notably all the other college applications you may have been hoping you wouldn’t need to complete — or even start.
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Before you address your deferral from Notre Dame, you need to set the pieces in motion for the rest of your college applications. Hopefully, you’ve been drafting essays since August. We recognize, though, that many students put off starting regular decision applications because they want to see how the early round shakes out. Maybe they won’t even need them, the thought goes, so why start? Well, you are currently living in the “why.” We advise students to work on applications early so that they aren’t in a position where panic sets in. If you don’t need them in the end, that’s totally fine.
Even if you did start applications in advance, though, it’s likely you may need to rethink exactly what schools you have on your list. Notre Dame REA isn’t binding, so if you had received an offer of admission, you could have shot for the stars in the regular decision round, packing the rest of your college application experience with reaches. But now that’s not the way forward, so let’s create a new plan.
Review Your College List
As we said, you’ll probably need to take an editing pen to your college list. As you enter the regular decision cycle, you need to recalibrate your college list to be well-balanced between foundations, targets, and reaches — including Notre Dame. If you are struggling to figure out which schools fit where, remember that Notre Dame is now confirmed as a reach for you, so another similar school, with a similarly low acceptance rate, would also be reach. For targets, look for schools with acceptance rates between 15% and 20%. Foundations should have acceptance rates over 20%, and we highly recommend applying to at least one state school (in the state you are a resident of) if there are schools that offer your proposed course of study. In-state schools are a great way to undergird your application with options that you can attend at a discount, and transfer out of if the whole of the application process doesn’t seem to go your way.
Reassess Your Common App Essay
After you have your college list squared away, it’s time to take a fresh look at the common app essay, or the essay of the college application. It isn’t the only essay (for most schools), but it is the only essay that goes to every school. This makes many students anxious, and they try to make the essay as ‘much’ as it possibly can be. As a result, they end up with a piece of writing that says a lot, but communicates it weakly. We guide students towards writing essays that say less, but say it loudly.
The only common app essay prompt that we recommend is #7, the ‘do anything’ prompt, and, in this guide, we break down the why and how of an exceptional college essay. The secret is story. If you can hook the reader with a good story, they’ll be kept at attention through your entire application. If you try to grab their attention simply by sounding impressive, you are liable to make them yawn. That would be bad, so read these real successful essay for inspiration and start editing.
Press Submit
Once your editing is done and your applications are ready, you need to submit. Waiting until the deadline doesn’t hurt your chances of admission at all (literally, not one iota). However, we’ve seen the worst edits happen after an application is *chef’s kiss* perfect…and then the student gets antsy. Sentences get changed not because they need to be, but because of anxiety — and that isn’t a good approach. So, submit.
WHAT NOTRE DAME WANTS
Notre Dame didn’t defer you for fun. They don’t defer a ton of applicants, and they deferred you because they are still genuinely interested. “We are very serious about which students we choose to defer,” they say, “and we only do so if we feel that they will be competitive later in the process.” What comes next, though, will determine which way Notre Dame decides to go with your application.
They say, “keep us updated with any changes to your application.” With that in mind, this is what you need to do.
Update Your Grades
The number one thing you need to do is to send Notre Dame your updated grades. These grades should underline for them that you are an impressive applicant academically, and we love it when these grades can be even better than the earlier set they had when they made the deferral decision.
You should also know that this is required of deferred Restrictive Early Action applicants, and they expect to see grades that are equivalent to, or higher than, what was included in your original application.
Your school counselor should send your grades in automatically, but it’s worth following up with them just to be sure. This is also a good time to ask your counselor if they’d be willing to make an advocacy call on your behalf.
Letter of Desire
Notre Dame ranks your new grades as number one post-deferral, but we put what they call the “letter of desire” right alongside it. What Notre Dame calls a letter of desire or letter of interest, most schools call a letter of continued interest. This letter is a literal typed letter, submitted as a PDF, that must state, with no question, that you will attend if accepted. If you don’t do this, you will not get into Notre Dame.
In addition to making it super clear that you will go to Notre Dame if accepted, you need to update them on “any significant extracurricular accomplishments or awards that you have or will receive after our Restrictive Early Action progress.” While you can submit this as a separate document (or multiple documents), we highly recommend including it in this letter and only giving the admissions officers one more thing to look at. Focus is your friend, and the Letter of Desire is an opportunity to give the admissions office a focused and distilled update in a compact package. Saving them time will improve their attitude reading your application and ensure they actually see everything you want them to see. Ideally, in less than 400 words.
When writing the update portion of the letter, be sure to include anything that involves leadership or service to your community. Notre Dame cares deeply about building community and seeks out student leaders who prioritize helping others. Emphasizing this in the letter will strengthen your case in the regular decision round.
And Don’t Do This
There are also a few things you definitely don’t want to do. Most urgently, don’t bug them. They do not like direct emails. When you add something to your Applicant Status Portal, they are automatically updated about the addition. So, you’ll just need to be patient.
Don’t keep yourself busy trying to add more to your application, either. They do not want more additional letters of recommendation. Instead, focus on the other application and remember that the absolute deadline to submit updates is February 1. However, we advise submitting your letter of desire by January 1st.
Being deferred by Notre Dame is disappointing, but your journey isn’t done yet. If you handle this right, you can increase your chances of turning your deferral into an acceptance while also pursuing a successful college application strategy.
Every year we help students pursue successful college application strategies leading to exceptional acceptances. Email us to learn more.