<p>I was deferred early decision and my college counselors told me that I could write a letter telling them that I was still really interested in attending, etc, and I was jsut a little confused abou the format. SHould it be an actual letter or like an essay? is this even a good idea at all? is this not a little naggy?</p>
<p>help appreciated</p>
<p>this is an excellent idea, definitely recommended. you have a lesser chance of getting in if you don't write this letter than if you do. when i was deferred (ok, from barnard, but still) i wrote a 2 page letter (double typed) and submitted an extra recommendation from the top teacher in my school, i also submitted an updated resume because several things had changed (being accepted to a selective out-of-school seminar, etc). and i got in. so they definitely didnt think i was a nag. it's important for you to let columbia know that it's still your first choice and that you'll go if you admitted. maybe show them a more creative side - use your letter as a chance for them to get to know you better aside from the numbers. i took a lot of risks with my deferral letter and i think they liked that, although if you cant pull it off then dont try it. it should be a letter addressed to the admissions committee, not an essay, and dont make it longer than 2 pages. and don't make it boring. "hello i was deferred but i still want to go to columbia i have a 4.0 please let me in thanks." none of that!</p>
<p>Send them a letter with NEW information. There's no point in wasting their time with information that they already have. Just write a letter saying that Columbia is still your 1st choice b/c you think blah blah blah. You wanted to bring to their attention blah blah blah.</p>
<p>Scarf mentioned a creative side so I'll give my example. When I applied to NYU, my counselor told me to do the "why nyu" essay in a more creative format. So I created a online chat between me and a made up person. In the conversation we "talked" about NYU and what I liked about it. At the end I had the other person tell me something new about NYU and I responded with something like, I know that NYU is a great place and I can't wait to be able to learn more. Something like that. </p>
<p>Basically it showed my interest in technology information and computers in general. I also think it showed a more social side.</p>
<p>I wrote a letter as well (but then again probably a good deal of deferees did). Thankfully, I had several resume updates, which I included; I probably wouldn't have sent the letter just as a "I would love to go to Columbia" thing, since admissions officers probably get that all the time (even though it's genuine!). Having meaningful updates will probably help you more than a letter.</p>