<p>Stanford has always been my top college choice, so I applied Restrictive Early Action. Good news, I wasn't rejected! Bad news, I wasn't accepted. I'm in the "deferred" category right now, and I really want to get in Regular Decision.</p>
<p>In the email they sent me, it said this: "Although we cannot predict the likelihood of gaining admission, in each of the past four years approximately fifteen percent of deferred candidates have been admitted."</p>
<p>15% is still a low rate, so I want to make sure I'm in that percent who gets admitted RD.</p>
<p>I will definitely be sending in the Optional Update Form, but I wanted to hear advice from you CCers (and hopefully some current Stanford students) if there is anything I should say in particular or anything else I could do.</p>
<p>The Update Form asks this:</p>
<ol>
<li>"Feel free to list and elaborate upon any major awards or honors for academic or nonacademic achievement you have received since submitting your application."</li>
<li>"Please indicate any new activities or areas of interest (in or outside of school). If you wish, you may elaborate on your participation in these new activities or on what you have learned from them."</li>
<li>"Are there unusual circumstances or is there other pertinent information that you think we should be aware of in evaluating your application for admission?"</li>
</ol>
<p>There’s not too much you can do besides gunning for awards or maybe picking up an activity. You should have time starting soon to at least do the latter. I personally wouldn’t work too hard at it, there are probably more enriching things you can do with your time than devote your energies to turning that 15% into 25%. If you were deferred, chances are you’ll get into some fine schools RD.</p>
<p>Also in my optional note I said something along the lines of “This is definitely where I want to go, but I can totally understand if you guys pass me over and, in that scenario, I’ll carry on and be happy someplace else.” I don’t know if that helped or not, but I’m sure the admissions officer would appreciate that more than “I really want to go here and I’ll like die if I don’t get in.”</p>
<p>Don’t let your grades drop (or, if you don’t already have a 4.0, try to improve them). Don’t drop out of important activities and maybe try for some awards/extra EC enrichment. Not much else to say. If your standardized tests were low you could retake them I guess. Or if any of your essays weren’t up to par you could rewrite them (in their personalized notes to admittees they often mention impressive essays). </p>
<p>I’m not a current student though (accepted REA for class of 2016), but those are what I’ve heard from kids who’ve been deferred from colleges and gotten in.</p>
<p>Has everyone who was deferred already sent in their additional information? The letter said we have until March 15–I don’t want to wait that long, but does anyone have any advice about when to send it? I have some minor sports awards and academic info–prob will get more sports awards in Feb. Suggestions?</p>