I just got an email from my first choice college saying this:
"Thank you for applying to UIC’s Early Action program. We are writing to let you know that your application will be deferred to the Regular Decision process. We’re sorry to ask you to wait longer for a decision, but we require further evaluation time and information to make our final decision.
To best prepare your application for Regular Decision, please send us:
Mid-year senior grades
Any updated ACT/SAT scores you may have as soon as they become available
Decisions will continue to be issued on a rolling basis between now and the end of March."
What the heck?!?! This is awful!! What does this mean?? Did it mean they aren’t going to accept me? I applied for Computer Science, my GPA is 3.2 and SAT 1250. Lots of extra curriculars but still I got into other harder schools like Loyola and DePaul.
It is called a “deferral”. It means exactly what it says. They need more information and time in order to make a decision regarding your application in comparison to those they have already received. It does not necessarily mean they are not going to accept you.
It could mean your stats aren’t as high as others who applied EA.
It could mean that your stats are so similar to those who applied EA they are looking for something to set you apart.
It could mean they don’t think you are “serious” about accepting them and they are trying to see if you are serious enough to go the few extra steps to get admitted.
At this point if you are serious about them go the extra mile. Send what they asked for, send a note to the admissions rep telling them you are interested and if you were accepted you would want to attend, have a teacher or guidance counselor send a letter.
@labegg should I send a letter now or what? It’s in my top 3 and I am 100% considering going there. I just need a decision soon. I’m so frustrated and upset!! This is awful.
I think I am set apart from others in that I am an Eagle Scout and have an internship related to my career/major.
I think that you mean that you want a decision soon. Unfortunately you can’t always get what you want.
To me your GPA and SAT seem sort of borderline for computer science for UIC, so this should not be a big surprise. In any case you are going to need to wait. I think that there are really only two things that you can do right now: (i) Work hard to keep up your GPA so that when you send in your midyear grades they will be as strong as possible; (ii) Make sure that you have applied to a good range of match and safety schools so that you will have an alternative if you don’t get into your first choices.
Why do you need to decide now? Most colleges have a May 1 deposit date? The school won’t give you an answer now just because you say you “need” to know. You can write a short letter of continued interest stating that UIC remains one of your top choices you cannot demand an admission decision now.
It may be frustrating but it isn’t “awful.” It sounds like have already been accepted by two fine schools.
I don’t know the stats for UIC but deferral is common in many Early Action programs. Since you don’t commit to attend the college, some colleges just cherry-pick only the very top candidates for EA acceptance while deferring many others.
If UIC is a top choice then follow their advice – work hard this semester and wow them with your mid-term grades, If you feel you can improve you standardized tests then re-take them (if not don’t bother). Also let them know of any significant achievements/awards that may come up after your application was filed.
When you apply EA, there are three possible outcomes:
Accepted
Denied
Deferred to RD
While this may not be the acceptance you were looking for it is not the worse case scenario as they haven’t declined you. (My son was deferred from EA and accepted in the RD round to the school he is now attending so don’t give up hope.)
If they allow you to, do send a letter of continued interest. It doesn’t have to be long but just a note saying you are still extremely interested and maybe you can add some information about something you are doing now that is CS related. If your mid year grades show an upward trend that will help also.
all good points above… also look at it like a glass half full … atleast you are not denied… they will llook at the #s of other stuednts as in if they take the admission or give up their seat. its CS. arder major to get in with the scores but be patient, you only know what yo uhave dont know what the admission pool looks like… good luck…
I think that you were not familiar with what a “deferral” is and did not know that deferral is a pretty typical outcome for an early action or early decision application. This is not something “weird” that happened just to you, but something that happens to many applicants. In fact, at some colleges, more early applicants are deferred than are admitted or rejected early.
There are three possible decisions for an early action or early decision application.
The admissions office may determine that the student is not a good match for the college and reject them.
Or they may be confident they want the student and accept them.
3.Or, they defer the decision, waiting to see how the student compares to other applicants and/or how the student’s senior year is going. They look at the needs of their college relative to the whole pool of applicants and then make a decision as to which applicants will best fill those needs.
Deferral is disappointing, but very, very common.
You can tell yourself that at least it means you are a competitive applicant at that level of college. If you were not, you would have been rejected outright.
Good luck! And congratulations on having been accepted to two colleges already. That is great!
If they requested your mid-year senior grades and any updated test scores, then they may be concerned about your academic readiness.
Have your grades been consistent throughout high school? Started strong but going down? Started lower but going up? Showing strong mid-year grades and improved test scores will help you.
Almost every regular decision applicant needs to submit a mid-year report with senior first semester grades. It is probably a generic deferral letter, sent to all the students the college is deferring, not something unique to the OP.
Sure, but it is very common in EA admissions to defer. It may mean you are right on the cusp of being admitted, so your grades, any updated test scores, and new accomplishments might tip the balance. There are schools that defer almost everyone they don’t accept EA and eventually reject almost all of them (cough UChicago ). You should be prepared to possibly not get in.
Hey guys. If anything my grades started weak and are finishing strong. This is my best year so far grade wise and class rigor wise.
You guys are right, it isn’t awful, in my head I’m just trying to visualize the worst and best outcomes of this,
I already have been accepted to my top 2, UIC would have made it top 3. Even then, UIC is easier to get into (statistically) compared to Loyola and DePaul correct? I’m sure it’s because DePaul and Loyola are both private schools while UIC is a state school and has many more applicants.
Also the UIC Computer Science program is lower on the list than DePaul and Loyola if I’m correct. My plan with my parents was that I apply to everything for EA, Figure out which colleges accept/deny me and THEN make the decision of where I want to go. I “needed” a decision by mid-december so I could decide where I want to go.
Can they take away my acceptance if I don’t commit right away? I also got scholarships. Can they take those away? IDK if it’s worth it to wait for UIC decision.
With early action, you have until May 1st to decide. May 1st is the universal decide-by date… All US colleges wait until then, and you will not lose your acceptance or scholarships.
(Unless one of your schools was early DECISION instead of early action, and you/your parents/ your counselor all signed an ED agreement— in which case, you are required to go to that college and your acceptance letter will indicate a January response-due date instead of a May 1st response-due date.)
It seems like no one had previously reviewed the process and expectations with you. Do you have a guidance counselor with whom you can talk it all out?
“Can they take away my acceptance if I don’t commit right away? I also got scholarships. Can they take those away?”
It should say in the acceptance letter that you get from the university. However, sometimes students hear first on-line and then get the acceptance letter with all the details in the mail a few days later. In all the cases that I have heard of for EA, RD, and rolling admissions the acceptance letters give you until May 1 (it is likely earlier for ED).
No one has to decide until May 1. Is suggest you plan to go to accepted student days at your top 3 choices – where you are most interested and can afford to attend. Sometimes things look different on those visits. Don’t rush this.