I don’t think Harvard depends on Oxford’s judgment in its admission decisions. And I think sending Harvard a note about admission to Oxford will hurt, not help you. You have a great option with Oxford. Congratulations again!
Diversity of opinion is a really good thing on any forum. Then you can make up your own mind 
Congrats on Oxford! The college office at my kids’ school advises to send schools where you have been deferred an update and, if it is still your first choice, include that. I would not include the info about Oxford.
“…taking action to put your app back in front of Admissions.”
That’s what deferral is; they put you back into the review process to get a new perspective (both on you as an individual and with regard to the rest of the RD pool.) Some may have thought they just set your app aside?
Realize that, at this point, no way adcoms are taking calls from every GC who picks up the phone.
The conventional wisdom is for the applicant to update. But only do this is you have something to report that’s truly relevant to their review at that college. (You ought to know what that is.) Try to remember they’re looking for your judgment. (And, not just your regional rep; it would be any/everyone who is looking at your file.)
For a college with such a high number of apps, review is as much about what makes you a great fit as it is about eliminating the excess masses of qualified kids. I can barely imagine it would help to say, “Hey folks, another world-renowned U already admitted me.” Adcoms are laser focused on their own U’s needs. Don’t Tufts Syndrome yourself.
The Misleading “Deferral”
Not to be a wet blanket but this piece is excellent reading:
http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/counselors-and-parents/college-counselors/blog/problem-deferrals/
It explains why getting deferred at Harvard, Princeton and Georgetown (Georgetown rejects no one!) means nothing.
" A rejection would hurt—absolutely—but why not rip the Band-Aid off, let the student grieve for a few days, and then allow them to get inspired when applying to other colleges? It’s certainly better than having them falsely believe they actually might get accepted to a school that’s out of reach. In addition, a rejection at this stage could motivate students to apply to slightly less selective schools, which may be helpful, and more realistic, in the long run."
“Stanford gets it right: their deferral really means something. It indicates to the student that they were close, but not quite there. However, there is a chance in the regular round they will be admitted. For the 81% who were outright denied from Stanford during this year’s early round, it is a harsh blow. These teens put everything into applying to their top-choice school, only to be rejected. But they will get past it and perhaps take comfort in the fact that they are in good company (81% of the applicants were rejected).”
A record 39,044 applications this year - brutal: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2016/02/a-record-high-for-applications/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=hu-facebook-general . I guess the overall admit rate will have a 5-handle…
^^ Probably about 5.1%.
Hi! So, I got deferred (surprise, surprise), and I guess I have a few questions? I’m a legacy (third-generation; my mom’s entire family went to Harvard) with solid stats (I think). Statistically, my school never sends more than three students to Harvard a year, and they’ve already admitted two–one’s also legacy (whose first choice is MIT, and he is also applying to Brown despite his Harvard acceptance!) and the other’s a faculty kid. They didn’t take anyone last year, though, so maybe that’s positive for this year?
My GC has tried to contact admissions a few times, but hasn’t heard anything about why I was deferred, and I supposedly have someone writing me an additional letter of recommendation, but, despite me asking a month ago, she still hasn’t uploaded it. Fortunately, I do have some good updates to send to Harvard in terms of extracurriculars & awards.
Basically, this was just a really long-winded way of saying I need to write a kick-ass update letter, and I’m not quite sure the best way to do that. What should I include and how should I format it? I assume I should upload it to the portal, but should I address it to the regional admissions officer (and if so, how do I find their name)? I plan to get it done and out this weekend, but I’ve been stuck and unable to find much info to help me.
Also, realistically, I know it’s a crazy gamble and the odds are slim to none, but do I still have any chance at all of acceptance, and would it be remotely helpful to mention that I’m willing to be Z-listed?
(wow that was really long i’m sorry i’m just tired & stressed out)
^^ I would FAX the letter, but that’s my personal preference, as paper spewing out of a FAX machine demands immediate attention, whereas who knows when an “upload” will actually be read. Just address the letter to “Dear Harvard Admissions” or “Dear Officers of Admissions.”
What matters most is what YOU bring to the table? That’s ultimately what goes into a “kickass update letter.”
Think of Harvard as “the employer” and you as “the employee.” What makes you different from everyone else who has applied for the job? Why should Admissions choose you over another applicant?
Everyone one of those bullet points could help you, or it could torpedo your application, depending upon what you say, and how you say it. The ball is in your court. How are you going to play this?
Swarleys, why didn’t you handle the communication sooner? Granted, some kids are just now getting updates, but adcoms have been busy bees.
I wouldn’t write an update letter at all, unless you won an impressive national competition (or maybe found a cure for cancer). Can you imagine if every deferred student did this? I think there is a possibility it could backfire. Your application is in, and since you were deferred, it is probably time to focus on other schools that you might like. Not saying Harvard is impossible, but it is unlikely, and focusing on it right now would seem counterproductive. Enjoy senior year!
…actually, I’ll bet rather a lot of deferred students do. The received wisdom at the schools in our area is to make it clear to the AdComm (via your regional rep, if possible), that the school is still your #1, and to say (briefly!) what you bring to the table, then follow that up with a note about an achievement in mid-late January (a number of awards come out between EA/ED deadlines and late January) to keep you on your regional rep’s radar and reiterate your interest.
It varies by school, but in many cases ‘deferred’ is in reality a slow version of ‘denied’- and even where that isn’t the case what few stats I have seen on ‘deferred’ being accepted later suggest that very few go through in regular. There are a few exceptions- Georgetown appears to be one where they defer all but the superstars in EA, and accept a fair number in RD- but overall, you are right that it is time to focus on other schools.
Is it really possible to know who the regional Admissions Officer is? If so, how? Thank you
Ask your GC- they should know.