I’m a senior and haven’t been accepted or rejected anywhere yet. But I got deferred at Georgetown, Notre Dame, Michigan, Boston College, and Tulane. I have a 3.9 unweighted / 4.95 weighted. All 5s on my AP exams. And a 31 on the ACT (33 at schools that super score). I’m also very active at my school (3 varsity sports, etc.) (that said, I think the common app limits on much you can really describe your ECs…). I have multiple friends who were accepted at Michigan, Gtown, and BC with lower gpas, test scores, and fewer ECs (but I didn’t read their essays). My close friend got into Michigan with a 29 ACT and a 3.6 UW gpa (from the same high school as me). So, I’m starting to wonder if my essays stunk?! I know my recommendations were solid. Anyone else going through this? Most application deadlines have passed, but my confidence is so shot that I may apply to a few more schools. One of my friends said I should contact the colleges to “demonstrate interests.” But I assume the admissions offices at these schools would just be annoyed with me. Totally confused and nervous now.
Talk to your GC. The schools you list are all pretty selective, and your test scores are not at a point where you’d be a big likely at those schools, so I would not be freaked out yet. But you should have some good safety possibilities. The EA process is a good litmus test for that. The problem is that one can say or write this, but living it is nerve wracking as you are finding out. But discuss this with your GC and see if s/he can maybe contact some of the schools and see if there is any issue, look over your app and your recs and give you some directed advice in the event there is something that is a problem.
Have you applied to any admissions (and financial) safeties? If not, it would be a good idea to apply to a few rolling admissions schools, possibly public universities still accepting applications with automatic admissions for certain stats. I agree that discussing the situation with your guidance counselor is an excellent idea.
Thanks for the advice. I recently submitted an application to Indiana and Kentucky. When I spoke with my GC in November, he basically warned me that I could get into all of my schools…or rejected to almost all of them. I realize being deferred doesn’t mean rejected, but still painful!
Their is some “yield protection” happening at schools who are waiting to see if higher stat applicants get in anywhere ED before they accept them. I can’t say this is happening in your case but what you can do is continue to show interest. Email the admin rep for your region at each school and let them know of your continued interest; also hopefully you earn A’s in your 7th semester courses and you submit them as soon as they are available.
Our high school tells us it’s easier to get in if you apply early. But I think that’s changing because of yield rates and applicant numbers. There’s an article about Michigan pushing more people into regular decision to deal with the issue of too many early applicants.
OP, if you are truly interested in Tulane, then definitely contact your admissions rep and let him or her know that in very clear terms. They do track interest and this would help you. Both BC and ND specifically tell students that applying EA is not a boost, and they are very very selective in EA admissions. Definitely add some true safeties that you will be happy to attend. Hang in there and good luck!
look at the Common Data Set filings for your schools and see how many take demonstrated interest into account. Be sure to show them some love. Also did you show up at college fairs when they sent reps? Accept invitations to meet with local interviewers?
Your choices are heavy Catholic, nothing wrong there-All are great schools, however it might be a demographics problem, too may like kind students applying for too few seats. If you are Catholic and active in your church, why not see if your local priest could make a call or two. You never know, he just might know the right person. GL
Maybe its courseload rigor or breadth/class rank? A 4.95W tells me nothing as I don’t know your school
I feel your pain. I was put in a similar situation and it is very annoying and confusing. You should absolutely get into at least one of those schools. Don’t lose hope; you just have to wait a little longer. Your chances are still good!
what about Michigan State as a safety? you would get an invitation to the Honors College which might include in-state tuition if you are OOS. My son has similar stats to yours (34 ACT first sitting/35 second and his 2nd in his class) and was deferred at ND.
You need to read everything CC has on deferrals and get your GC fired up to contact some of those schools as a start.
A little off topic - but how does someone have a 3.9 GPA and 4.95 weighted?? That means every single class is an honors/AP class? and your school gives more than 1 point extra for honors?
I go to a selective enrollment school that’s rated by us news as number one in my state. Every class is honors or AP. It is a 4.0 scale (so my 3.9 is out of 4.0). But they give more points for honors and even more for AP. That’s how my weighted is more than a point higher. Our school thinks weighted is irrelevant though. They don’t rank at our school but my grades are very good. My problem is most kids at my school did way better than me on the ACT.
Have your guidance counselor give a look through your application, including essays and recommendations.
You should apply to schools that’d be good fits for you but have at least 40% admission rates and whose NPC indicates they’re affordable, then schools that admit more than 50% students and are affordable.
This way you’re sure to have safeties and matches if your highly selective colleges don’t pan out.
Check out UScranton, UEvanston, Villanova, Holy Cross, Fairfield, Providence, Fordham, Santa Clara, Marquette, LMU-LA, Loyola-Maryland, Loyola-Chicago, dePaul, St Michael’s, Molloy, Stonehill.
then perhaps it would be a good idea to have a chat with your counselor about your application and chances
Hi…everyone on this post has given you great advice, I agree with all of it.
I have to say I am shocked that you didn’t get into Tulane based on your stats…the others could have gone either way (did kids with worse stats including lower scores from your school actually get into Gtown and UND? What was their hook?), but Tulane should have been a yes and I bet will be RD, but you can’t count on that.
Just curious, did you indicate that you would be applying for aid? Sometimes that can sway them, rumor has it.
I would also have someone look at your essays because if what you are saying is correct and kids from your school got in with lower stats, something isn’t right. Is it possible something wasn’t right in your GC rec?
Might be too late but there are some good schools with 1/15 deadlines…how about Bucknell and Richmond? Both fabulous schools that are about the same caliber? Not Catholic but they are really nice schools. Loyola Maryland and Providence are safeties and also great choices.
I also think the demonstrated interest suggestion is a great one…just make sure that if you are giving them new information it is truly new and different than what is in your app…did you send them a resume? Any news clippings?
Good luck…your stats are great I really feel that at least will come through for you, if not a few.
I did indicate that I would be applying for financial aid. I gave my essays to two of my teachers last week to help with a few more apps I submitted. Hopefully that helps. I did not send a resume with my apps – maybe I can send one with some updates? Also, I sent in an app to Richmond and a few other schools. In terms of my classmates, I don’t know any who got into Notre Dame with “worse” stats than me. But definitely BC, Michigan, and Gtown. My GC told me that happens all the time – he said he sees all the data for the class each year and he’s always surprised by a few of the outcomes. And, yes, Tulane was the one that really shocked me. Nothing is guaranteed, but that caught me off guard. Overall, my GC’s advice was to relax and let the process play out. He spoke to some schools (not about me specifically) and apparently the early decision and application numbers were way up. He said some of them admitted up to 45%-50% of their class through early apps and then pushed the rest of the apps into the regular decision pool. Also, I thought I did a good job completing the common app. But I did it all on my own. Yet several of my friends used private companies to help them with their common app and essays. Presumably, they did a better job than I did…
Thanks for all the tips.
Don’t be shocked about Tulane’s deferral. Looking at Tulane’s EA result postings, most high scorers seem to be deferred, probably because of yield protection as another poster noted. You fit squarely in that category.