
Early university admissions decisions are starting to reach our hard-working and expectant students. We’ve been thrilled to see many acceptances already and know more good news is on the way! However, some students have already or will be deferred, and others receiving a frustrating rejection. To help everyone stay calm, optimistic, and well-informed, here is a brief summary of what to do in all three cases.
Accepted
Congratulations! If you applied under the binding early decision (ED) application, you are off to your dream school next fall. After you finish celebrating, you will need to withdraw your applications from all other universities. The ED contract is binding globally, so you must withdraw from US and international universities. You will also need to watch out for information from your university about the next steps. Here are a few action items to expect:
You will need to make a deposit by the deadline given by your university. Don’t miss it!
Make sure your counselor sends any required interim grade reports.
Don’t get senioritis. Your final grades matter and your offer could actually be rescinded if your final transcript shows results that are significantly different from your application grades.
If you are an international student, you may need to provide evidence of your family’s ability to finance your first year’s studies by submitting a statement or letter from your bank. Some universities ask for this information at the time of applying.
Over the coming weeks and months, you will need to provide information related to campus housing, medical history, and class selection.
If you have self-reported your testing, you should send your official SAT/ACT score from the testing agency.
If you want to receive credit for any AP classes, you should send your AP scores to your university when they are released in July. Some universities accept advanced standing for IB and A-level subjects as well. Expect to have to show your certificates.
Both you and your parents should join Facebook and other social media groups for admitted students. You might just meet your future roommate! Parents will certainly appreciate this forum to share and receive information among other admitted families.
Deferred
While disappointing, this result is not all bad news. Every year, we see deferred students receive offers in the regular decision rounds. On the other hand, you should look at the deferral statistics. Some universities defer large numbers of their early applicant pool. In this case, you are not especially likely to get a positive decision in March. Either way, you would be wise to focus your attention on the other great universities to which you have applied. Here are your next steps:
Check if your university accepts a letter of continued interest. Follow the instructions in your deferral letter, on the university’s portal, or the website explicitly.
If they accept one, write a compelling letter of continued interest acknowledging that while you would’ve loved to have been admitted, you still believe that you are a great fit for the university – and briefly tell them why. You can also mention any exciting updates since you submitted your early application.
Consider whether a second early decision application in the ED 2 round makes sense for you. Every year, we have students who successfully apply in the ED 2 round and couldn’t be happier with this outcome.
Make sure you’ve submitted all of your regular decision applications and continue to check your portals for each school. Interim grade reports should be sent when required, so keep in touch with your school counselor to ensure they are submitted.
Keep your grades as high as you can and stay involved in meaningful activities and projects. In February, you can share any noteworthy updates via email with your regular decision and deferral universities.
Rejected
Sadly, some students will not be admitted to an early application school that they believed was a perfect fit. In this case, we recommend that you focus on your other colleges and remind yourself why they are so exciting to you. Apart from the letter of continued interest, your next steps are exactly the same as if you were deferred. Consider an ED2, prioritize your grades, and continue your activities. Finally, stay in touch with your universities through their portals, on social media, and by email if you have any updates to share.
Please speak to your Ivy Options counselor about deferral letters, update emails, or any other questions you might have. We can’t wait to hear the news over the coming weeks!
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