<p>Please remember that there is hope. Getting deferred broke my heart and beat it into the ground, but come April 1st, when my computer started singing the Yale fight song when I logged in, it didn't matter that I'd had to wait a little longer than the other EA people, because I was in.</p>
<p>Bear with me while I tell you all a little story. Around this time last year, Yale was my top choice college. I didn't even have any real second choice, even though I had lists of schools in order of preference; I really only wanted to go to Yale. To make it even worse, everyone I knew was confident that I was going to be accepted and continually reminded me of the fact; my dad was so sure of it that he bought me a Yale hoodie before decisions were released. Logging onto Yale's website at 5:03 on December 14th and seeing just a short letter pop onto my screen where the admissions committee expressed their regrets absolutely crushed me. I had no idea what to do with myself...I put off telling anyone as long as I possibly could, but in the end, of course, I had to, and saying the words, "I didn't get in" just made it all too real.</p>
<p>After moping around for a few days, I finally summoned up the courage to look at my application again, this time from a more critical point of view. Re-evaluating my application made it obvious why I didn't get in (my personal statement, which I had been so proud of, was really embarassingly bad), and so after spending the next two weeks desperately reworking all my college applications, I submitted them all online on December 31st at 9:45 at night and put college as far from my mind as possible for the next four months. Then, in early March, I sent my regional admissions officer an email expressing the fact that Yale still remained my top choice and that I hoped that this new personal statement (which I attached to the email) would help them make their decision. And, come April 1st, I got in everywhere I'd applied, including Yale. (well, except Harvard, but considering the fact that I'd gotten into Yale and Princeton, both of which I liked better than Harvard, I wasn't exactly heartbroken).</p>
<p>That's a lot to write for a post where basically my point is that DEFERRAL DOES NOT EQUAL REJECTION. Yes, getting deferred does suck. But just because you didn't get in doesn't mean you're out. Unlike the RD people, you get a second chance to improve your application and make yourself more appealing to the admissions committee, and unlike the EA people, you get to get accepted at a whole bunch of colleges instead of just one. So, to those of you who get in, congratulations. To those of you who don't, you have my condolences, but also my congratulations on your future acceptances to many other schools which you will doubtless come to love more than Yale. And to those of you who get deferred, please, please remember that you can -- and many of you will -- get accepted at Yale. You'll just have to write a few more essays and get a few more acceptance letters from other schools, but let me assure you that, in the end, it will be worth it.</p>