Reasons you may not be admitted EA

[roseinbloom]

<p>Dear Scottj,</p>

<p>First of all, thank you very much for all the time you put into replying.</p>

<p>There is no doubt that my essay is s/w generic, but I relied on my college admissions counselor to lead me along the right path. I worked with her a lot, and she was very pleased w/the essay. She reads essays for another college’s admissions dept., so I trusted her judgment, but it may be that she just wasn’t as on top of the generic issue as she should have been.</p>

<p>I have absolutely no sports background or ability. It is disheartening to me that you asked that question, because I have been so active in so many other things, but I realize that it is a very real possibility in terms of my deferral.</p>

<p>My app was definitely complete. I still cannot help but wonder about the role of the Nat’l Merit Scholar selection; it really puts you in a bind when you can only pick one school. It was a decision that I made with my parents, and it was a tough one, but there is another school that I think is a better fit. I just hope I get in there!!! have not yet heard. I guess a part of me understands why BC would wonder why they are not listed as number one, tho I do wish they had given me a chance.</p>

<p>Thank you again, scottj, and best wishes to all in finding the college of their dreams.</p>

[NRG21B]

<p>Trust me, you were not deferred because you have no sports background. BC looks for well-rounded individuals, but that does not mean you need to be athletic.</p>

[vinceh]

<p>As deferrals and rejections roll in it feels almost natural to put your application through an autopsy. I also think that that kind of self-flagellation is a tremendous waste of time and emotional energy.</p>

<p>Yes, there are a number of candidates with lower, in some cases much lower, statistical profiles than you, but you certainly aren’t alone on board the SS Deferred. Maybe the lower “statted” accepted had a hook, maybe their essays were awe-inspiring. Maybe they’re CC ■■■■■■ just making it up. Maybe your essay was too generic or your recommendations not quite as glowing as you’d want to believe. Maybe you should have listed BC as your NMF first choice. All that second-guessing is worthless because it in no way changes your current situation. </p>

<p>Work on what you can affect - your current classes - and see how the RD plays out. You were deferred, not rejected. You’re still in the game, you’re just having to play a little longer is all.</p>

[scottj]

<p>Dear roseinbloom : Our commentary (included below) was not intended as a checklist to answer the question “What steps can I take that will gain me acceptance?” Instead, they were intended as points to stimulate your own thoughts as to what you might include in a follow-up to the University to express your continued interest in admission at a level beyond “it is still my number one school”. </p>

<p>vinceh, as usual, is well placed with his view that acceptance/deferrals are often very difficult to explain since there is no single scoring rubric as used in your High Schools courses. Also, do take vinceh’s view to heart that comparisons based with others expressing acceptance statistics are useless since (a) you do not know if their data is accurate, (b) you should question someone suddenly posting for the first time, and (c) it does not change your status one bit which should be your focus.</p>

<p>So.</p>

<p>Rule #1 : Starting right now, you have to seriously get on with your regular decision applications. If Boston College comes back around, great for you; however, right now, you need to be working on those other applications.</p>

<p>Rule #2 : Never react in the heat of the moment. Allow a couple of days to pass before you contact Boston College with a follow-up.</p>

<p>Rule #3 : Think about what you want to communicate in your follow-up letter. However, only spend time on that after you finish Rule #1 :-)</p>

<p>In closing, take another look at your essay - see if you can think what Boston College specific details might be missing from your generic content. Therein, you might get some insight for Rule #3!</p>

<p>Hope that this helps - and remember, the college chase is still early.</p>

<p>

Dear roseinbloom : Your profile’s deferral is an interesting case in how things that seem to be completely on track can result in a deferral. Our guess is that you will still be exceptionally well placed in the regular decision round. However, now is the time to start asking some serious questions about what might have gone wrong in your application to this point. Some ideas follow for you to consider.</p>

<p>[1] Your profile screams “College of Arts and Sciences”. Is that the school to which you applied? Be sure that you did not accidentally place an application with CSOM, CSON, or LSE. (Now, if you actually wanted one of the other schools, we can discuss how you might better position your application.)</p>

<p>[2] You need to pass a critical eye over your personal essay. One might conclude that your essay did not discuss what you would add to Boston College but rather was a personal discussion. Since your post acknowledges that BC was not your first choice, was your eesay generic or targeted at specific elements of Boston College? Did you accidentally includes attributes or language targeted for another school?</p>

<p>[3] Did you form a connection in your essay/application between your high school passions (theater, performance, academics) and the Boston College major of your interest? Did you show a knowledge of the Boston College environment? Perhaps, did you tie a visit to the campus over the summer to your application?</p>

<p>[4] Have you read your letter of recommendations? Did one of your teachers/counselors accidentally include language that would have cast doubt on your fitting into the Boston College community? A subtle statement like “roseinbloom is really interested in the west coast and midwestern lifestyles” could be taken the wrong way by a reader. (Now, this is just an example of the type of subtle language to consider.)</p>

<p>[5] Immediately write a letter to your admissions counselor to restate your interest in attending Boston College, but do not write that letter unless you would attend if given the option. Do not write now if you were to get a thumbs-up that you would only turn down! You need to really soul search now just how much you want a Boston College acceptance for your future education.</p>

<p>[6] Are there any sports in your background?</p>

<p>[7] Can you tie your volunteerism to actual changes that have been effected in the community? In other words, did you explain the impact of your volunteerism?</p>

<p>[8] Finally, did you spell check your application? Are you sure that all of the components were completed? Did you Agora page state that your application was complete?</p>

<p>If we can offer additional thoughts, please feel free to write here on College Confidential. Can you offer the other schools in your EA/RD list? That might help us offering additional guidance. (You might want to start a fresh thread to avoid further hijacking this discussion.)

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