Guide to Waitlists and Deferrals
If you are a senior who got waitlisted or deferred from schools, do not be discouraged! It means that the admission office did not make a final decision regarding your application. There is still a chance of acceptance. It just depends on many factors, such as whether the accepted students in the first round decide to enroll in the school or withdraw their offer. These are some of the things to keep in mind.
š°ļø Response Timeline : 1 to 2 weeks
Some schools require applicantās response through school portal. Itās a lot better when the school offers a system where you can directly express your interest regarding your application. For example, you can 1) Continue to remainon the waiting list 2) Be off the waiting list and withdraw your application or 3) For some EA/ED schools, choose to move your application to be considered in the Early Decision 2 (ED2) pool. It is highly recommended to submit the response within 1 to 2 weeks to express your strong intent to attend the school.
š¤ Send updated transcript & standardized test scores
If you submitted your Early Decision (ED) or Early Action(EA) application in early November and received the waitlisted/deferred result in mid/late December, update the schools with your Senior Year 1st Semester grades. Ask your counselor if he/she can send an updated transcript to the colleges. If there is a place in the portal for you to directly upload, then update your GPA. Itās helpful for the admissions office to know that you have improved your GPA even in your senior year. Itās providing a new data point for them to consider. Also, if your standardized test scores have improved after you have submitted your initial application, send the latest scores to the colleges. We know that a lot of schools have gone test-optional, but providing them with a new data about yourself can be helpful.
āš» Write Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI)
Appeal letter, or a letter of continued interest (LOCI) is an email you send to an admission office, typically after you've been deferred or placed on their waitlist. The student can highlight his/her recent accomplishments, and updates on GPAs or standardized testing. There will be a separate post with a Letter of Continued Interest template with different scenarios that you can customize.
āš» Write the Additional Essay (If asked by schools!)
Some schools ask applicants for an additional essay to be submitted. This is one of the ways that schools can filter those who are truly interested who wishes to be enrolled. Typically, the essay prompt will ask about how you will contribute to the school community, and what you want to achieve once you get into the program/school. Make sure that you research the school thoroughly and be very school-specific and program-specific! Itās a great way to appeal to the colleges that you will be a great fit to the school.
š Update Notable Achievements
If you received any new awards, won competitions, wrote a new research paper (and more), update your new achievements to the school! Make sure that the awards or achievements are something new that did not happen/occur yet at the point of the application, and that itās a new information for the schools to consider.