Deferred :/

Colleges and Universities A-Z Rice University
1

I was an ED applicant to Rice, and, unfortunately, I was deferred. So I’m asking for a few things if possible:

  • Stories from past deferred applicants
  • Deferred applicant acceptance rate?
    but most importantly
  • What can I do after the deferral to really help me? Obviously, I can’t retake my ACT/SAT, and of course, senior grades are important, but is there really anything else I can do besides this to help increase my chances in the RD round?
    Thank you so much!
2

Rice has a detailed FAQ page on their website about what it means to be deferred in the Rice context, and what you can do:

http://futureowls.rice.edu/futureowls/defer_faq.asp

I know of several kids who were deferred from ED and got in RD, and are now at Rice.

These articles have good advice too (but use Rice’s advice as the gold standard):
http://time.com/money/4150613/what-to-do-after-college-deferral/
https://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/defer/

Do you know who your Rice regional admission officer is? It might be a good idea to try to find out, and reach out to that person to express your continued interest. The GC at your school should have this information, or it might be on Naviance if your school uses this.

Good luck to you!

3

Rice looks for good grades, good SAT/ACT scores, good leadership ability, and whether you are a URM. If you want to improve your chances in the regular admission process, then you need to show you are better in these areas than your application suggested. If for some reason you are a URM but didn’t mention it in your application, mention it now. If you overlooked ways in which you showed leadership in high school, especially if you somehow helped your community, mention them now. And if your fall grades prove you are a better student than your freshman-to-junior grades indicated, submit them now.

The other thing you should do is honestly assess why you weren’t admitted to Rice outright and then use that information to shape your future actions. Rice won’t give you that information, but if you have teachers or counselors that you trust, perhaps they could look over your application and help you understand whether your deferral was bad luck or a sign that you may perhaps have aimed too high. Best of luck!

4

Thank you so much @ricegrad

@Faulkner1897 Thank you so much for the link to the FAQ, idk how I didn’t find myself!

5

You weren’t denied though so that’s one good thing. Update anything that can be updated.
Review your application.
Add 2-3 affordable colleges you considered low matches until now and apply RD.

6

I’m bumping this thread from last year as it applies to deferred applicants. I haven’t seen a new thread for deferred applicants in the 2018-19 cycle. The advice given last year is still applicable. One caveat, the Rice link mentioned by @Faulkner1897 doesn’t work anymore since Rice revamped the admissions website earlier this year.

Here is a link to the Rice Admissions territory managers. https://admission.rice.edu/meet-your-counselor

At my daughter’s high school, the guidance counselors suggested that deferred students send a letter of continued interest to their ED school detailing any significant events that have happened since you submitted your ED application such as new grades, honors, etc. Emphasize what you would bring to Rice and how you are a great fit for Rice. If you would definitely still attend Rice if admitted, say that in no uncertain terms. Have a guidance counselor or teacher look over your letter before you send it. I assume you would upload the letter through your admissions portal.