I was deferred yesterday from my dream school, Virginia Tech. My Grandfather, Dad, Uncle, and two of my cousins attended VT. I wasn’t expecting to get in (or deferred) based on my gpa and sat scores. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on what I should do next? Should I take the sat again in January? Or is there anything I should add to my application such as another extra curricular activity, or an additional essay, etc.?
Thanks!
Hi I’m sorry you got deferred from VT, I understand what you are going through because I got deferred too 
what major did you apply for?
Real Estate!
Well you never know, you might still have a chance during regular decision! It would be great to apply to other schools too. I wish you the best of luck 
Thank you, you too!
Do everything you can to strengthen your application including improving grades and scores, write and tell them about these accomplishments and any awards you win, etc., and emphasize that this is your first choice. Sometimes a meaningful change can help. But for this to work, you need to be squarely within spitting distance of the average of what they normally accept.
The only caution I will give is that some schools defer legacies rather than reject them outright to help everyone get used to the idea (and avoid anger that would result in a withdrawal of future financial support.) If you really feel that VT would have been a stretch without legacy status, you might want to make a little room in your heart for a school that’s likely to accept you.
Thanks for the feedback!
I am guessing based on some of what I am hearing and what historical data I have been able to find that the ED acceptance rate is around 28%. I think if there are a large number of students from the same school that apply, you probably have a 1 in 4 chance of ED acceptance.
But keep in mind the overall acceptance rate for VT is around 73%, which is quite high overall. So if you have the GPA and test scores in the proper range, you have a 3 in 4 chance overall of getting in.
But also realize that some majors are more desirable, more competitive and more selective than others.
I would speak with your counselors, keep your grades up and if you think you are borderline on test scores, consider retaking some of the standardized tests. You have time to decide if you really want to submit additional test scores depending on the outcome.
If it makes you feel any better, I know someone what had a 800 Math SAT score and a 4.3 WGPA that was deferred.
I think this person was a very good candidate, so unclear how and why decisions are made.