If you’ve been deferred by Harvard, your frustration is palpable. Getting into Harvard is hard. With an acceptance rate of under 4%, you can be astronomically smart, caring, and inspiring, and still not get in. What you do after receiving a deferral decision, especially from Harvard, is going to make or break your college admissions experience. You can wallow in self-pity and let it negatively impact your chances of eventually getting into Harvard, or into any of your other top picks, or you can let it catalyze you into action. We suggest the latter.
In this post, we’ll break down everything you need to know to 1) increase your chances of getting into Harvard and 2) ensure you have a successful college application experience. First, though, let’s talk statistics for a second.
In recent years, Harvard has accepted about 8.7% of Restrictive Early Action applicants. This is about double the regular decision acceptance rate, but it’s important to remember that a large percentage of the 692 students accepted through early action for the Class of 2028 pretty much knew that they’d get in before they pressed submit. Many are recruited athletes, children of Harvard faculty or staff, or students supported by the development office (i.e., a parent or close relative is a major donor). These students knew, barring big mistakes, that they were getting in. You, almost certainly, were not one of these students. You were one, among thousands of others who were relying solely on your academic and personal merit for acceptance — and Harvard wants some more time to consider your application.
This is frustrating, but it also offers an opportunity. You get a chance to remind them how great you are, and to explore your other options college. First, let’s get into those other options.
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After you receive a deferral from Harvard, your options are wide open. You’re still being considered for Harvard, but you can also apply to “any institution under any plan,” which includes binding programs like Early Decision II. Applying to another college ED II is a big decision, so don’t rush into it. However, EDII is also a powerful tool that you don’t want to relinquish without careful consideration. Before you can decide whether or not to ED II a second choice school, you need to look at your college list.
Review Your College List
Maybe you agonized over your college list before submitting your REA application to Harvard, or maybe you haven’t thought much about what would come after the early admissions round. Either way, you need to take another look at your list of schools. There must be a balance between reaches (including Harvard), targets, and foundation schools. Since you’re ambitious and applied to Harvard, let’s also be clear that, even if you have perfect grades and scores, any school with an acceptance rate under 10% is a reach.
So, no, another Ivy doesn’t qualify as a target or foundation, and neither do other extremely competitive universities. They are all reaches, and a list full of them is not well-balanced.
Reassess Your Common App Essay
Once you’ve rebalanced your college list, you need to turn your attention to your essay. It’s possible that your essay is perfect, but that’s honestly unlikely. Writing is a process, and we’ve yet to meet an essay that can’t be improved. We highly recommend reaching our Official Common App Essay Guide for the 2024-2025 college application season to see how yours measures up to our acceptance-earning standards. Give yourself to tweak and adjust, or even to do an entire overhaul if that’s what is necessary for a better outcome in the regular decision round.
Press Submit
Once you’re done, though, you need to let yourself be done. It’s easy to torture strong essays and supplements to the point that they get worse, not better. We often meet with students (frequently with the help of their well-meaning parents) who know that their writing has gone off the deep end but aren’t sure how to reel things back in. Don’t let yourself get to that point (and, if you have already, ask for help). Instead, press submit once things are done and polished, and then step away from the computer and turn your attention back to Harvard.
WHAT HARVARD WANTS
A deferral from Harvard isn’t a soft rejection. If they weren’t interested in you, they would have said no. Keeping you in consideration takes them more time and energy than rejecting you, so the fact you’re still in the mix means they are seriously interested…they may just need a nudge.
In past years, the rate of admission for deferred students has approximated that of Regular Decision applicants. As they reassess your application as part of this new, and much larger, application pool, they feel like they have what they need to make a final decision. But they also leave the door open for a little more, which we highly recommend walking through.
Harvard expects to receive your Midyear School Report and grades by February 1. Your school counselor should meet this deadline no-problem, and know to do it, but we definitely recommend checking in and confirming well in advance of the deadline to ensure it happens without hiccups. Once that’s squared away, it’s time to think all things ‘updates.’
Harvard allows deferred applicants to submit additional information through the Applicant Portal. Any updates should, they say, be “limited to significant developments in your high school career.” They don’t elaborate on what they mean by “significant development,” but we can promise you it’s not a .1 increase in your GPA or an A on a math test. Updates could include a new leadership position, a recognition or award, or an opportunity related to your prospective major. This should be shared in a short letter, written in a professional voice, that also reinforces that Harvard remains your first choice and you will attend if accepted.
The only other documents you should submit are ‘evidence’ of what you’ve shared in your update letter, such as a certificate of accomplishment.
Should you also email your updates to an admissions official, or sing love songs outside, or make a TikTok begging them to let you in? No. Do not do this. Harvard is very clear that they do not want you to reach out directly. “Despite what you may hear or read elsewhere,” they say, “this is wholly unnecessary.” The subtext is that isn’t also unappreciated. You never want to become an annoyance, so follow directions.
If all of this is overwhelming, we can help. Every year, we help students get through the disappointment of a deferral and get into a dream school. So, if you’re struggling, we can help.
We’re experts at turning the tides of a college admissions setback. Email us to learn more.