In previous years, I posted a thread just after SCEA decisions were announced, however in hindsight I think students who were deferred were a bit too depressed to process everything. So, I’m going to start earlier this year, when everyone’s hopes are high, to give students more time to absorb why they might have been deferred and what they might be able to do about.
First off, Harvard defers more students in the early round that it accepts or rejects – so the majority of applicants who applied SCEA will be deferred. That’s not to depress everyone, that’s just the reality.
Please take the time to read the above link, so that you’re prepared when decisions are announced and understand what course of action you can take if you are deferred. Best of luck to everyone!
“The waiting is the hardest part” – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
As difficult as it is to accept — a deferral is as good as a rejection. If you can wrap your head around that fact, you’ll be in a much better frame of mind to embrace the colleges that actually accept and want you!
Of course, you can try to have your guidance counselor contact Admissions and find out why you were deferred. Will it do any good? (Most likely not.) Sure, you can write an update letter to Admissions. Will it do any good? (Most likely not.) Yes, you can try to get another teacher to write you a recommendation letter. Will it do any good? (Most likely not.) Sure, you can write another essay that’s better than the ones you’ve already submitted. Will it do any good? (Most likely not.)
Best of luck to everyone whatever you decide to do, or whatever school you ultimately will attend.
@gibby But following your logic no any sense at all to apply RD. Because acceptance rate was 2.43% for RD. Not so big difference.
So college counselor from school can contact Admissions and they will give him some feedback about applicant? Does I understanding correct?
@Alezzz: An RD applicant actually has a BETTER shot of acceptance than a deferred SCEA student, but yes both have about the same chances.
And with those kinds of odds – a 97.5% chance (or more) of rejection – IMHO it’s best for students to move on and focus their time, energy and thoughts into attending another college. (FWIW: I think RD applicants should do the same as well after they press the submit button.) Then, if Harvard knocks on your door at the end of March, a student can re-evaluate what they want to do. I very strongly believe in Jeffrey Brenzel’s thinking over at Yale: https://admissions.yale.edu/after-colleges-accept-you
Yes my daughter graduated from Harvard, but she would have received just as good an education (maybe better) by attending any number of colleges she was admitted to including Northwestern, Georgetown, Wesleyan etc.
And yes, if a student’s guidance counselor has an established relationship with Harvard Admissions, your GC could call and try to find what gave them pause with your application. Often times, there isn’t one thing to point to other than the #1 of 52 reasons.
In which case, there’s not much a student can do besides submit an additional essay or teacher recommendation and hope that it gives the Admissions Committee a better feeling about how cool this kid would be to have on campus.
Our guidance counselor for sure haven’t any relationship with Harvard Admissions, no established, no depthless. No one time anybody from my school tried to apply to Harvard.
But in common case, without using established personal relations, does it possible to get feedback from Harvard Admissions? Or for guidance counselor, or for applicant himself?
That is not about desperate attempt to be admitted to Harvard. That is about feedback itself.
@Alezzz: An Admissions Officer is going to be more willing to disclose information to a guidance counselor rather than a student. It’s a comfortability issue, as a GC is a fellow adult, pedagogical professional; someone who can listen without being judgmental or confrontational; someone who DOES NOT have skin in the game. In addition, an AO can never predict how a student might react to what is actually said, so they’d be less likely to disclose specific information directly to the applicant.
If your GC is willing to call and give it a try, it might work. Your GC might also receive no feedback, as your high school and GC do not have the same personal relationship as a GC from a well known public/private high school does that receives multiple acceptances each year from Harvard.