This wasn’t your plan. You probably didn’t assume you’d get into Cornell, and maybe you even thought you wouldn’t get in, but it’s unlikely you were expecting a deferral. But here you are, wondering what to do next. Luckily, we’re here to help — but first let’s talk numbers.
Cornell has been holding back on releasing their admissions statistics in recent years, which means we have to rely on estimates based on the most recently available data. This is what we know. For enrollment in the fall of 2023, the overall acceptance rate was just under 8%. The early decision acceptance rate that same year was 17.5%. They didn’t release a deferral rate for that year, but in past years the deferral rate has been between 20 and 25%. This number is good, but it isn’t great. With a 20-25% deferral rate, you’re part of a trimmed down pool of deferred applicants, but not a super refined on. You’re still in the running, but it’s a crowded race.
We’re going to break down exactly what you need to do to get to the front of the pack for Cornell, but you also need to be thinking big picture. So, let’s start there.
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Before you focus in on Cornell, you need to get the rest of your college applications in order. This may seem backwards because Cornell is still your first priority, but your chances of getting into Cornell are slim and you need to line up other options. To accomplish that, this is what you need to do.
Review Your College List
A strong college list is the most important part of your college application process. Without a strong and balanced college list, all of this is sort of pointless. Yes, you can apply to 10 reach schools, but you may not get into any of them — so that’s a terrible idea. Instead, this is what you need to look for when you review your college list.
At the base of your college list pyramid, you need 3-4 ‘foundation’ or safety school. Safety schools are colleges or universities that you are quite likely to get into. Remember, these are not guaranteed. Some safeties may even reject your application because they have a feeling that you’re using them as backup and are not a serious applicant. So, nothing is a given.
Next, you need to have 3-4 ‘target’ schools, or schools that you are a strong fit for academically and personally. Your grades and scores should be in the top 75% of accepted students (this data can often be found in the Common Data Set) for a school to qualify as a target.
Finally, you’ve got your reaches. Cornell is one of them, and you should apply to 1-2 other reach schools that you are passionate about, but unlikely to get into. We say “unlikely” here because it should still be possible.
Once you have your college list rebalanced, it’s time to take another look at your writing.
Reassess Your Common App Essay
The Common App Essay is a profoundly important piece of your college application process. It is the only piece of writing that every school will see, and it’s often the only piece of writing that you can completely craft to tell the story you want to share. This makes it a deeply powerful tool, and you need to make sure it’s doing everything it can to support your applications before you submit any more of them.
To assess if your essay is working for you, take a look at our 2024-2025 Common App Essay Guide. If your current essay doesn’t hit the high bar we set for a successful essay, you may want to do a refresh, a rethink, or even a full overhaul. This can be overwhelming, and we get that — but it’s worth it if you are committed to getting into your dream college.
Press Submit
Finally, you need to submit. Yes, this is obvious, but please do it when applications are ready rather than waiting for the deadline. We’ve found that the worst edits happen in the ‘waiting time’ between when an application is done and when it is submitted. The more you can reduce this waiting time, the less likely you are to do edits that actually aren’t helpful at all.
Now that that’s clear, let’s get back to Cornell.
WHAT CORNELL WANTS
If you have been deferred by Cornell, you are part of a fairly small group of applicants who have been bumped from Early Decision to the Regular Decision application round. As part of the deferral, you have also been released from the Early Decision binding commitment you signed when you applied. This means that you don’t have to go to Cornell, technically. But you don’t want to remind them of this. The application readers still need to believe that you will go to Cornell if accepted.
To pull this off, there are a few steps you absolutely must take.
Opt-in
First, you need to tell Cornell that you still want to be considered for admission. In addition to any requested form, you should email your regional admissions representative — but wait to do that until you read the rest of this post!
Supplemental Recommendation
Next up is a super important one to get a head-start on. Cornell allows students to submit additional information through the applicant portal, which you gained access to after you submitted your application. They even offer a supplemental letter of recommendation as an example of something you can send — so you should do it, seriously. Ask “an individual who is not a teacher,” such as a coach, mentor, or supervisor, to write a one-page letter of recommendation that highlights 3-4 aspects of who you are that you emphasized in your application. You don’t want to hand them a script, but giving a recommender some guidance can make a big difference. Once they are done, they’ll return the letter to you (as a PDF), and you’ll upload it to the applicant portal. This should be done ahead of the Regular Decision application deadline.
Letter of Continued Interest
Remember how we mentioned reaching out to your regional admissions representative directly? This is what you need to say to them.
You need to write a Letter of Continued Interest that will be submitted both through the applicant portal and via email to your regional admissions representative. A strong Letter of Continued Interest should be short, clear, and strong. You must start with a clear statement that Cornell remains your first-choice school. If you are admitted, you will attend. Remember that this is not a binding statement — you’ve been released from your Early Decision agreement — but they should believe it.
Next, an update. You want to give Cornell a focused and short update on what’s happened since you first applied. This should include a small number of updates that are all things you would have included in our original application if they had happened in time. Maybe you received a new recognition or award, or were appointed to a new leadership position, or took on a new role in an extracurricular or volunteer opportunity you’ve been committed to for a while.
Finally, you should close the letter by repeating one more time that Cornell is still your first choice.
Edit the letter to a maximum of 350 words and submit it both to your regional admission representative and through the online applicant portal.
Advocacy Call
An advocacy call is a phone call (or sometimes an email) made by your school counselor to Cornell admissions. You can’t script an advocacy call, and your counselor isn’t required to make one — but it’s worth asking. If they say yes, awesome. If they don’t, you can still get into Cornell, but it makes all the other actions even more important.
Gaining admission to a highly-selective college like Cornell isn’t easy, but you’re still on a path that can lead to an acceptance letter. What matters most, for Cornell and every other school on your list, is taking the right steps and doing your best work.
If you want to do your best work, we can help. Email us to learn how we support students in telling their most compelling stories to gain admission to exceptional universities.