Leigh Jacobson

Editor-in-Chief

The late early action/early decision II response season is in full swing, and many of us are hearing back from our respective schools. What some of us haven’t taken into consideration, however, is the fact that a third response exists beyond just “Yes” or “No”. That response, ladies and gentlemen, is deferral.

Plenty of us have griped about these unsatisfactory responses- we put in the effort to meet all the early deadlines, and all we got in return was a delayed decision.

So what do we do now? Read more to find out.

TOP FIVE WAYS TO HANDLE COLLEGE DEFERRAL

1. Become the school’s biggest enemy

Vow to take revenge on the school for committing the grievous offense of not making their decision about you now; withdraw your application to spite them, or refuse to accept their offer of admission if you get in in the spring. Honestly, it might not be the best idea to do so (if you originally applied to it as your first choice, wouldn’t you be happy that you got in later?), but hey, if you want to stick it to the man, go for it. Note: sending hate mail is not advised (unless you like lawsuits).

2. Spam the school with your work for the next few months

Send them multiple additional letters of recommendation (your parents or even your dog could contribute!) , art projects from 3rd grade, MP3 files of you singing “I Love College”, videos of you sobbing for acceptance while wearing their college’s apparel, etc. There’s no such thing as showing too much interest!

3. Take it to the next level by planning a road trip to the school and tracking down the admissions rep who made the decision to defer you and attempt to persuade them to let you in.

Or not, that’s kind of creepy.

4. Run around in circles until your decision comes in the spring

Let me know how that goes.

5. Fall in love with another school

This is by far the best option- as hard as it might be, try to find another school that you like nearly as much and focus on getting in to there. It works out either way- if you end up getting accepted to the first school in the spring, and the second school too, you now have two very viable options. If you end up getting rejected to the first school, you could be accepted to the second, leaving you with another great option. And if you get rejected to both…sucks.

To read our previous article in the college series about the top five things you will hear on every college tour, click here.

To read our previous article in the college series about the top five mistakes to not make on the Common Application, click here.

To read our previous article in the college series about the top five thing questions you shouldn’t ask a senior, click here. 

To read our previous article in the college series about the top five reasons to not apply to a college, click here. 

To read our previous article in the college series about the top five ways to celebrate college acceptance, click here. 

To read our previous article in the college series about the top five ways to handle college rejection, click here. 

To read our previous article in the college series about the top five ways to wait for college decisions, click here.

All graphics by Leigh Jacobson.