What If You Are Rejected or Deferred Early Action/Decision?

As the early decision results come flooding in there is a mixture of feelings in the air. While some happy students settle in for the holidays with their acceptance letters in hand, others will be disappointed and stressed in discovering that they have been deferred to regular decision or, worse-case scenario, rejected. For those who are deferred, their applications will be re-considered along with the thousands of Regular Decision applicants. In the Regular Decision pool, the selection process becomes even more competitive and selective. The likelihood of acceptance is even lower.

Many students try the strategy of applying to what they perceived to be safety schools because they think the school will likely accept them early, only to discover that they are deferred or rejected. In either case, deferral or rejection, SOMETHING WENT WRONG. The problem is that the early application mistakes that caused the rejection or deferral, if not discovered, will be repeated on the regular decision applications and cause multiple rejections.

With only a few weeks left in the application season, I recommend that students scrupulously reevaluate their deferred or rejected early/action application and carefully plan a workable strategy in this crunch-time. (1) Prepare more applications. (2) In the case of deferral, see what else the college might need. (3) In the case of rejection, especially if this was your safety (non-reach school), you seriously need to review your application. (4) In all cases, you may need to hire an educational consultant who is an expert in post-decision admissions advising.

For parents who engage our services after the disheartening news of deferral or rejection, I use our post-decision strategies. I discover what the student did to be rejected or deferred, build upon their current student profile and accomplishments and re-energize their application so that they are removed from the deferred list and placed on to the accepted list. Additionally, I assess the student’s Regular Decision applications (due by January 1) to identify mistakes on their Early Decision application so that their mistakes do not become viral and affect the student’s Regular Decision applications. The worst thing a student can do is to settle for a safety school after all their hard work and find themselves (and their parents) in this unhappy situation of being rejected from their dream schools and reach schools.

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“Top qualified applicants, after all their hard work (and parents' work) and preparation deserve the best and should not settle for less"- Dr. Paul R. Lowe

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Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director and lead admissions expert at Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group and co-founder of its affiliate: College Application Rejected. Pinnacle is headquartered in Woodbridge, CT. Dr. Lowe provides in-home consultations on weekdays, weekends and during school holidays throughout Connecticut.

Dr. Lowe specializes in providing exclusive concierge-type admissions advisory services for families and students who are interested in applying to Ivy League and highly selective colleges and combined BS/MD programs. Dr. Lowe also helps students gain admissions into their top choice colleges after they have been deferred, wait-listed and rejected.