When a student applies early action or early decision, there are three possible outcomes: admit, defer, and deny. Admit and deny are pretty straightforward, but being deferred is rocky. It gives the student some hope that they'll be accepted as a regular admit, but it can also be frustrating. 

The important thing here is to  read the deferral letter (or portal) carefully. We can't stress this enough: read every word; do not skim. Each college has their own version of next steps for deferred applicants, so it's crucial that your student reads the note carefully and does exactly as it says in order to stay in the running—and even boost their chances—for admission. 

Additional Recommendation Letter(s)

This is less common if the student has already submitted rec letters, but if given the chance, students may want to consider finding a recommender who can tell the committee something different about them, something that wasn't included in the original letters. However, if it's not suggested or asked for explicitly, we don't recommend that students go out of their way to have one written and sent since it's possible it'll never be used.

“Any other updates you’d like to share with the committee.”

This includes new awards, additional work in activities, things like that—think of it as a resume update. Did your student earn the rank of Eagle Scout since they submitted the application? Was their article published in the school paper? Or how about the time they spent beginning to learn American Sign Language? This is not the time to be humble.

Letter of Continued Interest

Your student might not be asked for this, but we think it’s important to submit regardless (once they've done everything else asked of them!). They can simply reach out to the local admissions officer to express their continued interest: send them a personal email highlighting continued interest in the school, asking any additional questions, and generally demonstrating that this school is their top choice.

Submitting application updates

So how does your student go about submitting these items? Again, the first step is to re-read that deferral information, since each college will want these things to be sent in different ways. Here are some typical ways:

• Grades often need to be sent officially from the student's school. Your student should talk to their school counselor about what they need to do to have them sent on their behalf.
• If a student does have new test scores, ideally they should send them directly from the testing service. Log in, select, pay, and send! If allowed by the college, the student can download the score report with their name and identifying information and email or upload it to the college.
• Each college will ask for recommendations letters to be submitted in a specific way. Whatever they request is what your student should do.
• To update activities and awards, the school may allow for a resume upload or email, or they may ask students to fill out a form. Just follow their instructions.
• For the letter of continued interest, an email will do just fine. You can often find the admissions contact by googling “XYZ University Admissions Representative." And if they haven't already, students should attend an online visit—that can count as demonstrated interest during stay-at-home orders, so it's worth setting aside the hour for it.

Being deferred can feel like a flat-out deny, but it's truly not—many deferred students are accepted during the regular decision period. Instead, students should think of it as an opportunity to show the admissions committee their sincere, continued interest.