Outcomes
Accept, Defer, Waitlist, Deny
Accept
You did it! You've been offered a spot in the incoming freshman class of one or more of the schools on your list. Your admission letter should indicate the date by which you must either commit to attending or let the school know you plan to enroll elsewhere (the Common Notification Date is May 1). Most colleges require a non-refundable deposit to hold your spot.
Defer
A deferral is an outcome that only takes place in the context of early application plans, and it means that the college is not prepared to either accept or deny you at this juncture, so they defer making a decision on your candidacy until they can consider you in the larger pool of regular decision applicants. Most often there isn’t a specific reason why a student is deferred, it is simply that the admission offices at selective colleges have far too many strong applicants for the number of spaces they have to offer.
Assuming you remain interested in them, it is vital that you a) keep your grades up and continue to be involved in the things you love to do, and b) follow up with a strong letter of continued interest to their admission office, sometime in early January. Especially with Early Decision II plans now offered at many colleges, admission officers are aware that a good number of deferred students will apply ED II someplace else. So you need to let them know—in a brief but positive and heartfelt letter—that you are still interested and, if it’s the case, that they remain your first choice institution. This letter is also a good place to let them know of anything new or especially significant that’s occurred since you applied. Your high school counselor can also follow up with the school by phone or e-mail, particularly if there are great new grades or scores to report.
Waitlist
Being placed on the waitlist at a school means that you are not currently being offered a spot in their incoming class, but that you might be if enough spots open up as admitted students select other schools. How likely this is to occur, and in what volume, varies from school to school and even from year to year—so your best bet is to shift your focus to your top choice among the schools to which you were admitted, take the necessary steps to secure your space there (this will generally involve a non-refundable deposit), and start getting excited! You may even prefer to withdraw your name from the waitlist(s) on which you’ve been placed.
If you would like to remain on one or more waitlists, send in your “I'm staying on the waitlist” card and then follow up with a brief, heartfelt letter that reiterates your interest in the school and updates them on anything significant that has occurred since you applied. If you would attend if admitted, tell them that directly; if you’re not sure, find language that is strong and positive without making promises you may not be able to keep. Your counselor might also want to give the school(s) a final call at this point.
Deny
Unfortunately, this outcome requires no explanation—fold up your tents and shift your attention to the great institutions that DO want you to join their freshman class.
