<p>I was just deferred to Regular Decision by Washington University on St. Louis. What do I do now? Is being deferred good or bad? Should I be happy? Should I even try to get in through RD, or is being deferred just a nice way of rejecting me? Do I need to resubmit my application or what? What is my next step? Thanks!</p>
<p>Deferral simply means that you are now part of the regular decision pool because they did not want to make a final decision on you yet. You don’t have to reapply. You will have to submit grades/mid-year report after completion of this semester. You don’t have to do anything else but if something happens in next couple months – e.g., some major accomplishment, new test scores – you can send them to supplement your file.</p>
<p>WUSTL is one of those schools that is aggressively trying to move up in the rankings and has been rumored to really game their admission process. Consequently getting deferred carries no indication about future admission; I suspect just about everyone who is not accepted early is “deferred”. But they don’t need to worry about eventually being rejected; in the spring the majority of those not accepted will be “waitlisted”.</p>
<p>In general, being deferred means really working hard on your other applications. Chances of getting in are about the same as for everyone in the RD pool. Not good for highly selective schools.</p>
<p>Mikemacs post makes no sense. Wash U has nothing to gain by deferring you. You applied early decision, so presumably you would attend if accepted. </p>
<p>Talk to people who know something about you and who can suggest what you can do to increase your chances in the RD round. Add to your file in ways that might help you. In the meantime, apply to schools that you feel are similar to Wash U but a little easier to get into.</p>
<p>Remember that people here dont know you. Your guidance counselor and teachers will be able to give you better advice.</p>
<p>Someone on the specific WUSTL forum may know this better but it is common to have a higher chance of admission being deferred from ED once in the RD round. There are probably soft institutional limits on how many kids they will accept ED and I suspect there are marginal kids who they feel they could afford to lose who are deferred knowing full well they will be accepted in the RD round. The school has a vested interest in the RD round accepting the deferred kid since the enthusiasm was once there and the matriculation rate should be higher. Sorry for the let down and the added stress of waiting another 3-4 months.</p>
<p>Is WUSTL your first choice or top on your list? Then GO FOR IT and send any updated material to include in your RD portfolio. You will need to sell yourself and show your interest. Schools like ( and need) to know that you love them and want to attend.</p>
<p>
Let me try to help you understand. </p>
<p>A school like WUSTL that is trying to climb in the rankings puts a big effort into increasing its perceived selectivity, and the way to do that is to get more kids to apply for the same number of slots. Lots more kids. That’s why a lot of people report receiving tons of mail from WUSTL as part of its marketing campaign. And once you understand their motivation to encourage apps then a lot of what is observed makes sense. </p>
<p>In regards to the OPs situation, WUSTL has lots to gain by “deferring” students it knows it is never going to accept. Why reject them and earn some ill will? And the same when decisions are out. There are kids WUSTL takes, and then thousands and thousands more who are “waitlisted” so they end up with the impression they are just about in, just need that space to open up.</p>
<p>At this point, I’d recommend applying to a few more schools of similar selectivity to WUSTL and a few more match schools of lesser selectivity.</p>
<p>I was rejected by WUSTL ED last year and went on to be accepted at Rice, Northwestern, Emory, Colgate, and UMich. As much as it may feel like it, a deferral from WUSTL doesn’t mean you don’t have a chance at other top schools.</p>
<p>Mikemac: In early decision, the school accepts the student and the student attends. In regular decision, a school with a 33% yield will accept multiple students to get one student who will attend. If you want to lower the percentage admitted and increase yield, the easiest way to do that is to accept early decision students. </p>
<p>This student was deferred. This student was not waitlisted. Those are two different things and has no relevance to this student at this time. </p>
<p>This student wants to go to Wash U and still has a chance at being accepted. I think it makes more sense to focus on how the student can do that in this thread or to suggest other possibilities for the OP.</p>
<p>To the OP: You might want to take a look at University of Rochester.</p>