This year, we’ve seen a big increase in the number of Diversity questions – ones that ask about your background, identity, culture, etc. Last year, we predicted you’d see an increase in these types of prompts in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, because colleges are, above all, reactionary. The decision left a big loophole, which allows colleges to consider race if it’s mentioned in an essay, and many colleges decided to help you take advantage of that loophole by adding this prompt.
Deferred by the University of Pennsylvania Early Decision 2024-2025
Getting deferred can be a real bummer. You worked hard on a great application to one of UPenn’s four undergraduate schools: The College, Wharton, Engineering, or Nursing. You took your time to research the school and write your essays. More importantly, you probably fell in love with Penn (at least, enough for it to be your early decision choice). For all that work to be met with a deferral letter feels really disappointing. However, we want to highlight the silver lining here: you weren’t rejected. You still have options here, and there are a few steps that you 100% should take.
Applying to Princeton as a Student Athlete
Deferred by Tufts Early Decision 2024-2025
If you are reading this post, a deferral was not part of the plan. You applied to Tufts early decision because you wanted certainty. If you got in, you’d be set. If you didn’t, you’d know Tufts wasn’t in the cards. But now you’re on the receiving end of a deferral decision and it’s not a yes or a no, but a very unsatisfying maybe.
Deferred by Middlebury Early Decision 2024-2025
You were a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed prospective college student when you applied to Middlebury Early Decision, or something like that. Now, the struggle of getting into a top college has thrown you for a loop and you’re on the receiving end of a deferral. Boooooo deferrals. A no is at least certain. You know where you stand with a no! This deferral business is so much more unstable, but it’s important to know that it is not a soft ‘no’. A deferral from Middlebury means you still have a chance.
Summer Strategy Ideas for Tufts
Tufts University is a “student-centered” research university on an idyllic New England campus just minutes from downtown Boston. They offer over 90 undergraduate majors across three undergraduate schools united by a shared philosophy that education should be about “collaboration, rather than competition.”
Deferred by Notre Dame Restrictive Early Action 2024-2025
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.
The Disagreement College Essay Question Guide and Examples 2024-2025
If you’re here, you probably are trying to figure out how to ask this year’s hottest new addition to college supplements: the disagreement questions. And guess what? You’re not alone. This question is present in a ton of supplements this year, and it trips up even the most prepared applicants. Good thing we’re here, because we can help.
Applying to Yale as a Student Athlete
Yale is Yale. There isn’t much else like it anywhere else in the world. A member of the exclusive Ivy League, Yale is widely considered one of the best universities in the world. Despite that, it still feels like a small, close-knit school. Based in New Haven, Connecticut, Yale has an urban campus with a classic collegiate feel.
Why This College Essay Question Guide and Examples 2024-2025
Why do you want to go to school here? If there’s one prompt you are certain to write more than once, it’s this one. This prompt comes in a few different flavors, but at the end of the day, they all want to know why their school is the perfect school for you and why you’re the perfect student for them. No pressure or anything.
The Best Programs (Majors) at Brown University
Brown is the innovative Ivy — that is, the most innovative member of the vaunted Ivy League. The Open Curriculum is actually an open curriculum, which is worth underlining because most self-described open curriculums are just sorta, kinda open. At Brown, it’s really anything goes as long as you are pointed in a clear direction, are collaborative, community-oriented, and also totally brilliant. The campus is home to 6,500 of this type of student, alongside 1,429 faculty. Students have nearly 2,500 courses to choose from, and more than 80 programs (or what other schools tend to call majors).
Deferred by Northeastern 2024-2025
College admissions is stressful, and a deferral from a dream school doesn’t help. When Northeastern deferred you, it probably felt pretty icky. It’s not a no — which is awesome! But it’s also far from a yes and now you’re in this uncomfortable middle-ground where you can’t count on anything, but you also can’t count yourself out.
Deferred by MIT Early Action 2024-2025
The Best Majors at Duke
Duke is a prestigious university in Durham, North Carolina with 6,500 undergraduates and almost 17,000 students overall. Despite being a larger educational institution, Duke offers a hands-on and intimate learning experience with an 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Students in both undergraduate colleges, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and Pratt School of Engineering, are supported in trying new things, taking calculated risks, and pushing boundaries. “We look for students,” the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions says, “who operate at the intersection of imagination and impact.”
Deferred by Duke Early Decision 2024-2025
This was not the plan. You were going to get into Duke Early Decision, and that would be it. But that isn’t how it worked out. You’ve been deferred, and now you’re in a really awkward spot. You’re not rejected, which is awesome. But you’re also not in, which is awkward. What you do next will chart the course for your future in college, so let’s move carefully, but with confidence.
Deferred by the University of Chicago 2024-2025
You applied to the University of Chicago early, and it hasn’t worked out like you expected. A yes is ideal, but at least a no is definitive and clear. Being deferred, though, is like the worst of both worlds. You aren’t in, but you also can’t grieve not getting into a dream school. That said, we don’t want you to wallow for too long. It still is possible to get into the University of Chicago after a deferral, and it’s absolutely possible to have an outstandingly successful college application experience—if you’re willing to put in the work.
Deferred by Stanford Restrictive Early Action 2024-2025
Stanford University is widely recognized as one of the best universities in the world, and they only offer one early application option. Restrictive Early Action at Stanford is extremely competitive. All admissions options to Stanford are insanely competitive, to be honest, and now you’re on the receiving end of one of the most frustrating possible outcomes: a deferral.
Deferred by Dartmouth Early Decision 2024-2025
Getting a deferral decision is a bummer no matter where you applied, but it’s especially frustrating when it comes from a dream school. Dartmouth is a highly-competitive Ivy League university that receives around 30,000 applications each year, boasting an overall acceptance rate for the class of 2028 of only 5.3%.
Deferred by Princeton Single-Choice Early Action 2024-2025
If you received a notice of deferral from Princeton, you aren’t alone. The renowned Ivy League university has historically deferred a large number of single-choice early action applicants, even the majority. This is frustrating, because you still don’t know where you stand and don’t even really have a hint towards how they feel about your application.
Deferred by Yale Single-Choice Early Action 2024-2025
Once upon a time, Yale deferred a massive number of early applicants. As a result, being deferred didn’t really tell the applicant anything about the status of their application. But now you’ve been deferred, and you’re probably wondering what this means. Luckily, things have changed in recent years. As the number of first-year undergraduate applications to Yale soared, they had to change their strategy. Instead of deferring upwards of 50% of early applicants, they began only deferring applicants who truly have a chance of getting in through the regular decision round.