I was deferred in the ED round. I sent in a letter of continued interest and an update on one of my extracurriculars. W&M is my number one, and after getting deferred ED2 from my #2, I’m wondering if there’s anything I can do that I haven’t already? My math section score is in the 25th percentile, unfortunately. I know that a deferral is essentially a polite rejection (which is why I went ahead and applied ED2 to another school) but now I’m kind of freaking out because W&M and that other school are the only ones I could ever imagine myself at. I liked some other colleges, but they’re not ones I stand any chance of getting into either.
I figure since I was deferred, not rejected, there must have been something about me that wasn’t quite good enough - but maybe not so bad that I can’t fix it? So yeah, any recommendations on what to do to improve my chances for the RD round? I know my chances aren’t good (10% or so deferred ED applicants eventually get in, right?) but would visiting campus or ANYTHING help?
In-state female. 760 CR 570 M, and 3.67 uw gpa. I had rough freshman and sophomore years because of bullying (which I did explain to them - I still took a very rigorous courseload) but I transferred to private school in 11th grade and pulled straight As. This year I’m taking the hardest curriculum of anyone in my school’s history, and since APs were not offered, the school arranged for me to take 2 online. I’m valedictorian, but there’s only a handful of kids in my senior class. My recommendations are all great, everyone who read my essays thought they were great. I know my math SAT score and my relatively bleh freshman and sophomore year grades are dragging me down, but there’s nothing I can do to correct those now. I’ve taken the SAT twice and I fared a little worse the second time on the Math section. Is there anything I can do? I sent a letter of continued interest which I’ve been told is great. I also sent 2 emails updating them about my extracurriculars - 1 about a pretty important leadership role in one activity and an award in a sport.
Your grades and test scores seem to be right around the cutoff between admission and denial. This is complicated by the fact that W&M gets around twice as many female applicants as male, so (for example), if there are 3 very similar borderline applications they will probably prefer the male applicant over the 2 female applicants.
Visiting campus might help, but don’t just say you visited. Find a professor in your intended major there who does research in the field in which you’re most interested, then write and ask him/her if he/she would be willing to meet you, explain the department’s work, let you sit in on a class, etc. Be up front about the fact that you are deferred to the RD pool. Even though this would not be an official “admissions interview,” the professor should still tell your admissions officer about your visit and his/her impression of you. Make a good impression and this could tip things in your favor. (And it might find you a mentor, as well!)
And of course emphasize your hope and excitement about studying at W&M, don’t dwell on your F/S grades. Those grades are part of the record, you’ve addressed them, so focus on what you are doing NOW and what you still have ahead of you.
@fccdad thank you, that’s a really great suggestion! I’ll see if I can locate the emails of some professors.
@austinmshauri I have 3 other colleges I should get into, but then, I really thought I’d get into my ED2 college, so I’m not quite sure if I can trust my judgment anymore. My safeties are, eh, I don’t hate them, but I’m definitely not in love with them. Actually, I have an appointment already scheduled with my GC for this morning. She called W&M and Bryn Mawr to see why I was deferred at each, so we’re going to talk about what they said and what I can do.
It’s great that you have your GC involved. Follow up on whatever she suggests. And find something to love about your safeties, just in case. Good luck.
Is it possible to bring up that math score in one of the testing dates? That is a flag unfortunately. I f my son had not been accepted to his ED school, his winter break was going to be spent test prepping like crazy to bring up scores and take SAT2s and SAT1 again. His test scores were up there, but had room for improvement. Of course the mid year report card is going to have great impact too.
@cptofthehouse No, I couldn’t make the SAT this month because I was really really sick, and the scores from any SATs being offered in the future won’t make it in time. Honestly, I didn’t even realize it was all that bad of a score after I got it. My parents and I looked up percentages and saw that it was better than I think around 70% of people who took the test, and since I’ve never liked nor been particularly good at math, we figured that was pretty darn good. I have a job that requires a lot of math and am in an honors math, so we thought everything was fine on that front. It was only after being on collegeconfidential that everyone started making it seem like it was really awful, and by then only the January test date was open, and since I missed that being sick… well, no options there now.
My DS was also deferred during ED. He wrote the continued letter of interest, retook the SAT last weekend and will retake the ACT in a week. He just wrapped up first semester with solid grades. Like you, math is his weakest subject, but he’s taking one of the hardest courses available, Calculus BC. His dual enrollment English and AP government grades prove the humanities are his better subjects and that’s helpful because he wants to study pre-law and public policy.
In some ways, at this point, there isn’t much you can do but your very best on current courses. You do need to find a solid safety. Fortunately my DS has received acceptances from two of his safeties - one that he likes very much.
It is not a bad score. It’s a good score; as you so state, you are in the upper 30% of those who took the test. However, when you apply to a school where the student tend to be in the upper quarter of those testing, (or whatever lower percentage), and you are not in the upper quarter of those accepted, it comes down to a lower chance of acceptance.
My son had W&M on his list for RD, and even with test scores well in the upper quarter and a 4.0 average, I would have given him about 60-70% chance of acceptance. W&M is a highly selective school. Even with a 90% chance of acceptance, there is that possibility of being in the small group of not being accepted and so you never really know what your chances are. You know the weak parts of your app, and it comes down to how many applicants are stronger than you are this cycle. Not much you can do.
Have you looked at Elon? Similar in some ways to W&M and a little less selective. Beautiful campus, lots of study abroad options, a great Jan Plan and emphasis on experiential earning so lots of internships etc… Also although bigger, the kids at JMU are wildly happy and there are so many great options here. I’m sure you’ve checked that out if you are in-state but maybe reconsider it. Don’t stress about weaknesses, emphasize your strengths and hope for the best. It will all work out.
Good luck.