What do AOs want when they do this? Does this mean my application didn’t make it to committee?
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Truthfully you’ll never know other than they didn’t see fit to admit you in this round and want to compare you vs the rest.
You weren’t rejected so you have another shot.
Send in mid year grades, new accomplishments and make sure you have targets and safeties. Get jazzed about somewhere else because that’s the reality for most Ivy applicants. So you need to prepare.
But the deferral does not mean you will not get in. That would have just been a denial.
Here’s an old chain where you might find a bigger or two of helpful info.
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No. All ED applications are reviewed. A deferral means you didn’t fit what they’re looking for in this early round, but you’re still competitive in the RD round. Hence a deferral, not a rejection.
Nevertheless you should work out a plan B and not bank on getting in in the RD round.
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This is the point. Make sure that you have applications in at preferably at least two safeties. Then apply to other schools that you also want to apply to. Then sit back and wait to see what happens.
Columbia gets way more applications from qualified applicants than they have slots for incoming freshmen. I haven’t seem specific numbers for Columbia, but at one point Stanford said that 80% of applicants are academically qualified, and I have seen an estimate of 85% for MIT. I doubt that the numbers are much different for Columbia.
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It basically means that you were close. Some colleges defer a lot of students during the ED round, and others don’t defer many at all. I can’t recall the deferral rates at Columbia. But also know that Columbia waitlists a considerable portion of the RD round. Reason is that they like to have a large pool from which to draw during the waitlist.
I’ve heard of cases where adcoms will defer a ED applicant who has a hook (development or legacy) just as a soft landing. If either of these apply to you then have your parents reach out to their contacts in the university to see if they can find out more.
Hey. My unhooked kiddo was deferred by Tufts…another schools that defers only a small percentage of ED applicants. Pretty sure her app made it to committee because two days before Thanksgiving (committee week) the AO sent a personal email asking if she would consider switching to a different program at the school. She politely declined.
As others posted here, seems to mean you are certainly qualified, but others (legacies, recruits, other kids who met institutional priorities, even opposite gender kids - e.g. if they had an abundance of sis female applicants) jumped ahead of you in this round. A well-qualified friend of my D was admitted to Columbia - her mother and two grandparents are alums.
It’s IMPOSSIBLE to know your chances in regular, because it depends on who applies in the regular round. Frustrating and so hard to know whether to stay in regular pool or ED to another favorite.
Good luck and hang in there. Have faith that it will all work out.
Same situation here , deferred from ED. What complicates matter as a parent is that I am an employee of CU but seems that they don’t give preference (We applied ED). Now have to wait for RD in April, but worried that rejection might keep him from 2nd or 3rd choice schools that can do ED2. I cant find anywhere online similar case where a child of an employee was deferred. Anyone has any info ?
As an employee, you should see if someone where you work (supervisor, dept head) can inquire on your behalf as to whether this was a soft rejection or whether there is something in particular they hope to reevaluate in spring (i.e., is an upward trend sustained, are grades still good with higher level of rigor?) Feedback is often available to insiders, which you are.
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Do you thin it would be a bad idea to inquire myself with an email to the Admission Counselor ? I am not sure how to approach supervisor about a sensitive topic as this.
Yes, you could try. Often, though, admissions doesn’t want to engage with the parent, so my guess is that you would get more clarity through a 3rd party. The other alternative is to ask your GC to inquire.
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They’re not going to tell you why you were deferred other than what was stated - they want to see you vs the regular pool applicants.
You are applying to an Ivy. You can’t take offense.
That’s not always the case with fac brats and children of major donors. You’re right that they won’t give a guarantee of an outcome, but I know of quite a few kids who got feedback (through GC) such as "an uptick in grades was recent and that we need to see it sustained, so this is not a soft rejection " as well as “,we don’t think this kid will thrive and as mad as you might be at us now, you’d be even less happy if junior flunks out”.
Both these categories of "connections " need a high level of management because they want them around even if they don’t want the kid, and they need to be managed.
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Thank you . These are all very good pointers. I would add to this (just found from Counseling service) that the deferral could have also been a Courtesy for the employee rather than outright rejection.
I would bother my HS GC to reach out to the CU AC since I am pretty much sure the CU AC wouldnt’ want to bother at all. I am sure they have their hands full with 10K+ applications.
No offense taken at all that my child was deferred . As mentioned , it is an IVY League in the end with an acceptance rate of 3%. THREE PERCENT ! if my child’s was a Valedictorian with SAT > 1550, I would have pushed the matter more aggressively. LOL !
Sorry, meant “I wouldn’t” bother my GC
I guess I would wonder - why does it matter? You’ll get a final answer later.
Are you considering an ED2 but don’t want to if you still have a chance? If so, then don’t ED2.
Otherwise, and it stinks because a deferral is just ‘no news’ and no one wants to be tortured months more -but you just have to keep doing what you’re doing and make sure you have those targets and safeties…and give it time.
Good luck.
Yes, exactly (re: ED2). Good advice. We have a very close 2nd choice that we will be ED2ing in the next few days. And if it sticks, good enough ! if not, we can wait for all the other EAs and CU RD in April