I’ve been a college coach for almost 10 years and each year the number of deferrals as well as the number of colleges that execute them, continues to grow. Each time it happens to a student, I feel their disappointment as they receive the news. I understand when parents exclaim how unfair it is that their teens have to wait even longer and jump through more hoops. it’s also a reminder that the admissions process is not fair. It’s a complicated process with a LOT going on behind the scenes that has absolutely nothing to do with the student.
It's the college literally saying “it’s not you, it’s me”. And here’s why.
What is a deferral?
Let’s start with what it’s NOT, a rejection. That’s the first thing to understand. Your teen was not denied, they were just asked to wait a little longer, take a breath and regroup. That’s not a bad thing! It means that the student’s application has been moved to the next round of admissions where it will be reviewed amongst the regular decision pool of applicants. It means that the student is still in consideration for admission to the college. It means they have another opportunity to provide new information, such as new awards or activities and/or a strong performance first semester senior year, that could enhance their opportunity in the eyes of the admissions committee.
Why do colleges defer students?
In general, it’s because a college receives way too many applications in the first or early admissions round to adequately have time to read, review and make decisions. The deferral allows the college the opportunity to not lose a potentially strong candidate by moving them to the regular decision group and evaluating them again when they have a bit more time to practice the holistic admissions process they promote. That’s a GOOD thing!
But, why MY teen?
A variety of reasons, most of which we will never know. One reason is that colleges are tasked with having to fulfill a wide variety of ever-changing institutional priorities, while also being graded on yield. It’s an extremely complicated process to figure that out and the foundation is laid in the early round of admissions. The more students the college can admit that are as close to “sure things” while also meeting requirements for recruited athletes, in-state enrollment quotas or cello players for the orchestra, the more the college serves both masters. It also means the more students who get deferred to the next round. For more in-depth analysis on the entire process, you’ve heard me highly recommend Rick Clark’s blog. The Georgia Tech Director of Admissions is both entertaining and enlightening on all things to do with college admissions and crafting a freshman class.
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Hopefully knowing these things and understanding the process will help students and parents understand that a deferral provides many positive opportunities! It’s a chance to see how you feel about your deferred college, decide how you want to respond while also reacquainting yourself with the colleges you were admitted to!