Hello! I am a current ND student who was deferred REA. I know all too well just how disappointing and discouraging that can feel, but I wanted to create this forum to allow current deferred applicants and their families to ask questions about what I did in between my deferral and acceptance as well as just any questions in general for a current ND student who was once deferred. One thing I want to emphasize is that ND does not defer everyone, and most years (the stats for this year haven’t been published) it is far less likely to get deferred than rejected, so you are in a select few who have another opportunity to show what you’ve got! I definitely thought it was the end of the road, but I’m living proof that it’s not!
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How soon did you send your letter of desire after being deferred?
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Yes aside from the letter of desire, did you take any other extra steps?
Hi! So I personally sent a short quick email expressing my gratitude for the opportunity to be reviewed again in the RD round as well as expressing that ND was my top choice and I would definitely enroll if admitted just around two days after my deferral (feel free to send one of those sooner or later just note that if it gets too close to the holidays you may want to send it just after the new year but not too far in January). I waited a couple days because I was quite emotional and needed time to process what had happened in order to write something organized. Do whatever feels most natural for you! I wrote another letter that I submitted in early Feb that reiterated my desire to attend and wrote a short reflection on my first semester grades (I just very briefly talked about what grades I was proudest of/worked hardest for), expanded upon my activities and accomplishments during my senior year since I submitted my initial application, and listed a few awards/specific achievements I had merited since applying. I recommend doing one short letter of desire asap and then a longer update letter in early Feb, but make sure you do what feels most natural for you, and also make sure that your updated materials are organic and show that your deferral has only motivated you! 
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My best advice apart from an initial letter of desire (ideally soon after you’ve received your deferral) is to focus on what makes you stand apart from other applicants and capitalize on that. You obviously have a lot of your senior year ahead of you at this point so I would recommend continuing working just as hard as you already have been as well as maybe taking on an additional project that you’re passionate about. I don’t mean picking up another leadership title or something like that, but rather something that is a product of what you’re most passionate about. For me, I coordinated and led a huge retreat at my school and entered a short story into a national writing competition. I described these projects in an update letter I sent at the beginning of Feb along with all my other updates, and if I had to guess, that’s what probably made me stand out in the RD round. Hope that helps!
@domeluvr- Thank you for your kind words and advice. A deferral adds to the uncertainty, especially during this year where college admissions are so uncertain, but counting the blessing to be given another look.
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Hi, sorry if this is a stupid question, but who exactly did you send your email to? Was it your regional councelor?
Hi, sorry if this is a stupid question, but who exactly did you send your email to? Was it to your regional councilor?
hello! thank you so much for offering your help and those kind words. i was reading your previous response regarding capitalizing your achievements…and was wondering if you had any suggestions on how to make a stand-out deferral letter in our current situation? i’d love to go out in the community and tackle big projects regarding my passions to help me stand out, but i’m not sure how to expand when stuck at home. do you know of certain qualities or ideas we should emphasize? also, do you have any knowledge of how many deferred applicants are admitted in the RD cycle? thank you again! 