I’ve created this thread for all Class of 2026 EA applicants and their parents, who were deferred by Georgia Tech.
Please use this thread to share information, ask questions, provide updates, and generally - just support each other.
Curious if there are any specific numbers on how many people got deferred? I saw that in years past it was roughly 20% but it feels like it might be higher this year.
Thanks for creating this thread.
Think my D is getting over the deferral (GT was one of her top choices and she worked hard for it). I am trying to not give her any hopes even though GT states that 20% of their current freshman class is either from deferred or waitlisted students. I would rather have a pleasant surprise than another disappointment.
She is going to wait a few days before thinking about what to write in the DSF. She has continued to excel in her senior year and has a 4.0UW with 4APs and 2 Honors courses this year.
Being a NMSF (hopefully NMF) with a 4.0UW GPA and tons of ECs, if she doesn’t get into any college that has a less than 30% acceptance rate, something is wrong - I can’t imagine more than 30% of the student population having better stats than her.
Sorry for ranting 
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No worries. This is exactly the place for us parents of deferred GTech kids to rant (and support) each other 
Yield protection definitely played a big part in these deferrals.
Hang in there - and do your best with the DSF.
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Yes, it does seem to be a lot higher this year - at least based on all the CC posts.
FWIW: kids from my D’s school with stats and accomplishments similar to those who were admitted last year, were deferred 
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Hang in there. Our approach has been to consider admissions as a lottery. Basically our backgrounds give us a chance to buy ticket. Then it is out if our control. We applied to 20 schools and assume that we will be admitted to perhaps a handful of them.
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Yes, college admissions - especially EA - has become a lottery. But the type of lottery where if you win, you pay 
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Indeed some of the stats of deferred kids I saw were really strong. When they shared their accomplishments and ECs I have no idea how one can do any better as a teenager!
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Just one kid from my D’s school got accepted in EA, with 4.0 uw, 1570 SAT, Robotics and Eagle scout. I guess its for CS. Few kids deferred and 1-2 rejected.
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My rant is that based on our high school applicant pool and even what I’ve seen on CC — many, many qualified girls were deferred while “it seems” boys have been accepted.
My daughter is CS. I know it’s a competitive major. But we hear time and time again how few girls are in computer science. And when I see these deferrals, it’s very disheartening.
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Thanks for creating the thread. My son doesn’t know what to add with this 150 word option. He has a resume he never submitted- he will do that, but we have no experience with LOCI and what is appropriate to put for GT.
S20 was deferred OOS and admitted RD. He was the only one deferred from his HS.
About a dozen kids applied from his HS. There was no apparent rhyme or reason between acceptance and rejection. Stats didn’t matter. I really believe GT uses the holistic approach for admissions. Maybe a dash of yield protection and full-pay mixed in but no proof.
If it’s one of your top choices send the LOCI. Having been through the admissions process twice I’ve learned there’s always a couple of curveballs…good and bad. The other thing I learned is that it isn’t personal.
Good luck.
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Indeed. I’ve heard the same but also heard some schools are gender blind in admissions. UCLA CS for example has less than 30% women. The “benchmark” is 25% which is extremely low for the year 2022 in my opinion.
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Think of it as another chance to shine. I would highlight any new awards, certifications, accomplishments, etc. it is like going into halftime with an even score and a chance to make adjustments! Sorry for the sports analogy!
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My D22 was deferred as well. She has the same stats like majority of kids in here: 4.0/36/9 APs/Multivar calc/2 Dual Enrollment in CS/long term volunteer with awards/state level awards in science/debate, capitan/president of a few science clubs (all in similar areas) - all of that being 15 years old. So not sure what else can show her interest and capabilities. But again, we understand that all of the kiddos have the same stats, so we just playing lottery here.
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I also believe that GT has changed admissions this year or last year. They now have an EA in-state which just started. Probably still working on the mechanics of how that impacts enrollment.
Yes, it’s holistic but also very opaque which causes a lot of frustration and disappointment. My D (CS applicant) has strong ECs, high stats, etc. and with GaTech being among her top choices she expressed strong interest in her essay, with details, about why she wants to go there, why it’s a great mutual fit, etc. Plus full pay.
She thought she had done everything that she could.
She’s very disheartened and needs time to get over it. After that she’ll write her DSF and hope for the best. Let’s see!
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Mine applied to math and have a strong backing for that with her ECs. Got her reco from her Math and French teachers. I’m still super surprised. Not that we are upset but can’t figure out where we went wrong.
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GT puts a great deal of effort into stressing that its applications review process is very holistic-focused. Quite a few top applicants like NM scholars and kids with 36 ACT scores are denied. The bottom line is that the school received over 50,500 applications this year, most from students with very high GPAs and wide arrays of impressive ECs. Since it’s primarily a niche school (broadly construed to include numerous engineering disciples and CS, among other math and science fields), the applicant pool tends to be more accomplished. Combine this with GT’s status as a top school and there you are. It’s a very tough thing for kids to accept, especially if they put a lot of effort into their applications and are used to being at the top of the class. It can be a sad time, but they move on and get through it. Also, some of those deferrals will turn into acceptances.
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Do they think, these kids would go to MIT/Caltech or Harvard/Princeton? I see some kids who got into Stanford, UT Austin (all CS) and likes from our school got deferred as well.
Interestingly, 5-6 years ago one of my colleagues son got accepted to GT (Aerospace engg) through RD, not very high stats as he would put it.