#Urgent help needed
hello guys,
I had Applied to Vassar for the Ed2 but I have been deferred. I am really devasted by this because Vassar is my top choice. I wanted to know what percentage of people get deferred at Vassar and what is the acceptance rate for the Deferred students like is it lower or higher?
Also, the last paragraph of the deferral letter said"
Before we review your application during our Regular Decision round, we will need to receive an official report of your grades from the most recently completed term. If you wish to submit additional materials that shed new light on your studies or activities, you must do so by mid-February. This will ensure our ability to review the new information with your original application."
but I have completed my class 12 and have already sent all the grade reports while applying. Also, some friends suggested I should write a letter of continued interest. so should I send It or not and how to write one? Please help me.
Also if you know some who got in after deferred, please contact me.
Sorry if it is a silly post and thank you for your time.
@Samir_Hussain - Vassar does take kids off the wait list, in the past it has been 10-20 to fill out their class, but with the popularity of the common app which makes it easier to apply to more schools and now COVD you’ve seen those numbers jump up in the 50-80 range.
If you look at last years data ~900 were offered spots, ~450 accepted spots on WL and 60 eventually were admitted and enrolled. Keep in mind they likely have to offer a more than 60 to get to that numbers.
Here’s some good advise on letters of continued interest
the number one thing students can do while on the waitlist is communicate clearly, firmly, and respectfully to the admissions office that, if offered, you will accept a spot at the school. Admissions officers like knowing that they have students who will enroll if called upon. A sincere letter to the admission office and an occasional check-in from a guidance counselor will suffice. Waitlisted students who obsessively pepper the Dean of Admission’s inbox with crazed inquiries typically do not do themselves any favors. Remember, colleges are looking for the next productive member of their freshman class, not the next deranged campus stalker.
I am expecting that you have also applied to a variety of other universities, including safeties. Is this true?
When I was applying to graduate schools, I was rejected by my first choice, which was Cornell. I was dejected when I got the rejection. A couple of weeks later I got an acceptance from Stanford, and I pretty much completely forgot about Cornell. Years later, long after graduating with a master’s, I realized that Stanford had always been a better fit for me. It seems likely in retrospect that at the time the admissions staff at both universities had understood this far better than I did. They do understand their own schools quite well.
If you have been deferred rather than rejected at Vassar, then you are most likely a very strong student. There are many, many universities in the US (and some more outside the US) that are a very good fit for many very strong students. Assuming that you have applied to a good range of universities, then I expect that you are going to get accepted to multiple schools that are a good fit for you.
Also the highly ranked schools such as Vassar get far more very well qualified applicants than they have spots. However, a strong student can get a very good education at any one of at least several hundred very good universities.
OP has not been offered a spot on the waitlist, they were deferred to the RD round.
Vassar doesn’t make data public re: number of deferred applicants accepted in the RD round. All you can do is control what you can.
-It sounds like you have completed 12th grade and Vassar has all your grades? Are you an international student?
-I would send a LOCI unless the portal/any communication says not to. Provide any updates to your ECs and any academic honors received since you sent in the original app.
-If you have graduated HS, provide an update as to how you have been spending your time.
-Consider sending in another LoR (again, make sure that would not be prohibited).
-Did you apply for fin aid?
-Have you been accepted anywhere yet (and it’s affordable)?
Congratulations on your deferment!
Vassar as you seem to know has a very unique history, community, and academic environment which apparently appeals to you.
I would reinforce Vassar as your first choice but also be specific in your LOCI as to why it’s your first choice. Is it the flexibility of the academic curriculum, how beautiful the school is when you walk through Main Gate, or perhaps the coed Seven Sister school or the legacy of Mathew Vassar as a brewer.
Whatever it is keep it brief and to the point.
1- Vassar top choice because….
2- I can contribute to the Vassar community…
You have a shot so good luck.
FYI I have been a alum interviewer for years so please PM if I can help.
Deferred ≠Denied.
If you are an international student and need financial aid that could be a factor. If so, that speaks well of your application- your overall app was strong enough that the amount of aid you need is not a deal-breaker. Vassar does meet full need for international students, but is not need-blind. So, they may well have deferred you until they see what the full complement of international students who need aid looks like. Vassar is generous- but it is not a rich school, and they have to spend their financial aid dollars carefully.
If you are not an international student looking for aid, then the message is 'you are a competitive applicant, but we want to know what all our choices are before making a decision". Tough on the ego- but you know whether you were a top applicant or not, yes?
So you write a letter back, and in your case you have a bit of a gift, b/c the admissions office sent you a form letter that is not exactly relevant to your situation, which give you the opportunity to differentiate your letter from all the other LOCIs they will get. Write back a very polite note saying "thank you for letter / of course very disappointed / want to check that you are not missing anything from my file, as already completed secondary school and sent those records - please let me know if anything is missing / new paragraph- Vassar remains my first choice and I hope for a happier outcome in the RD round / [insert a (short!) reason you & Vassar are a great fit for each other] / For now I am [insert a (short!) line on what you are doing with yourself for the rest of your gap semester/year] and looking forward to [something you hope to achieve in that time] / thank you again, etc etc. Obviously, in your own words/voice, and keeping it very short.
Pretty sure that Vassar wasn’t always your #1 choice- b/c we are talking about ED2 here.
And yes, I do know somebody who was deferred & accepted RD.
LOL, no coffee yet! Well hold my advice for later just in case!
What do you do next?
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Do what the letter says - provide updated grades first and foremost and “only” if you have updated activities, etc., send them as part of a letter of continuing interst.
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Send the letter anyway (even if no updated activities) - let them know you want to attend - and why it’s your top choice and what value you’d add to the school. Send to your AO.
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Someone said you’re on the WL - but you’re not - they simply want to compare you to the rest of the class before making a decision. The letter says you’re now in RD.
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The biggest thing and you already mad the mistake - never ever ever fall in love with any school - if you’re happy at Vassar you can likely be happy at hundreds of schools around the country. Ultimately, you need to love someone who loves you back - and as of now, that’s not Vassar.
Hopefully you have targets and safeties - and in the meantime, do what Vassar asked and then emotionally move on until a final decision comes. Who knows, by that time, you may have fallen in love with someone else.
Good luck.
- Yes I am an international student.
- Can you give a LOCI example.
- Yes I have graduated from high school and after the application, I am dedicating my time teaching Sat and helping in the application process for free, I am helping others in their application process.
- I have asked for a lot of aid. I come from a lower-income family and cannot afford to pay so I have asked for almost a full ride.
- I have applied to many colleges but have not been selected to any yet. Almost all of them have not released the decision.
Thank you.
Thank you for the help.
Thank you for the advice.
Google LOCI and College Essay Guy
Have applied to any safety schools? Schools where you are sure to get in and will be affordable for you? This could be in the U.S. or in your home country (or anywhere else in the world). If you do not have a safety school lined up, then I think that is very important to do, and you are running out of time to do so.
Yes, I did apply to two safety colleges.
A LOCI should be short and sweet. Here are some things you can include:
–Confirm your interest in the college.
–If true you can say “if accepted I will attend”
–If you have anything to add about what you can bring the college/why it is a good fit you can put that in but keep it brief
–Update them on your current academics (ex. I am continuing my strong academic performance…)
–Note any changes in ECs, new awards/achievements etc. if any – or else note that you are still involved in XY activities this year.
–Thank them for their time and attention to your application.
As noted above you can google some sample LOCIs.
Vassar was among my top 3 list and I was pretty confused about where to apply eventually, I ended up applying at the other college because I thought a lower acceptance rate means better college and I wanted to use the Ed advantage. But later I was rejected and Found that I was pretty wrong thinking lower acceptance is better college. The day after rejection I applied for Ed2 at Vassar. So, it is my top choice.
Now, I am worrying because I am an international student and I have asked for a lot of financial aid. And I don’t have much confidence in my application. What will be different in late March and now? They deferred me now means they could reject me later. Also, I have applied to only two safety colleges. So, I am really worried.
Also, do you know any safety college which a good amount of scholarships for international students whose deadline has not passed? I am applying for Physics and Economics Major.
Thank you I really appreciate your help.
There really aren’t any safety schools in the US for international students seeking a lot of aid.
What can your family pay per year? Beyond tuition/fees/room/board, there will be travel and personal expenses, mandatory health insurance, etc.
Do you have a safety school in your home country?
There are really no safety schools in the US for international students seeking a great deal of financial aid. You should look in your home country for safeties
This thread might prove useful, particularly post 69. I’m not sure what the application deadlines are for those, but it’s worth a look.
Are these in your home country? Are you sure that they will be affordable? If you need something very close to full 100% financial aid then as others have said there are most likely no safeties in North America. There will be safeties for admission, but if they are not safe in terms of affordability then they are not safeties.
Vassar says on their web site that they “offer significant need-based financial aid to international students applying as first-year students” and that they meet “100% of the candidate’s demonstrated financial need for all four years”. However, they also are need aware for international students.
https://www.vassar.edu/admissions/student-faqs/international-students
You cannot know why you were deferred rather than accepted. It seems likely that you were deferred rather than rejected because they feel that you are an academically strong student who would do well there. However, they most likely have a limited maximum budget for financial aid for international students.
This is what I feel also. If Vassar is your top choice, then tell them so, and keep it short, polite, and concise.
If you could afford $20,000 per year the answer might be different compared to if you could afford $40,000 per year. If you can barely afford the visa application plus the airplane flight to and from the US, then there is no such thing in the US.