<p>So... what does this mean? I know that I'm being put into the Regular Decision applicant pool, but how does that reflect on my chances? Is deferral a "You suck pretty bad but not bad enough to reject you outright so let's just see" message? Or is it a "You're a cool kid and we like you, but we want to make sure you pull through on your AP classes" message? Really, I just have no idea and I'm vacillating between despair and fierce hope. Plz assist.</p>
<p>I'm a freshman at Pomona and although I didn't apply to Pomona ED myself, I've talked to a few freshmen this year who did, were deferred and then admitted RD. So I think a Pomona deferral is more of the "you're a cool kid and we like you, but we want to make sure you pull through on your AP classes" vein. What I would do is really work hard for the rest of the year (try not to let senioritis get to you!) and really show your enthusiasm about wanting to attend Pomona. Call the admissions office and ask to get connected to the admissions officer that reads your region. Talk to him/her about what you could do to improve your candidacy and ask if there's anything you could send them to improve their understanding of you. And then you could just talk and let the admissions officer get to know you a bit more. And then follow through with it - ask for the admission officer's e-mail address and every month or so send him/her an e-mail update of highlights of your life. If you win any awards or achieve any significant extracurricular accomplishments, let them know of this in writing and/or e-mail. Good luck!</p>