What is the difference between deferred and rejected

Most applicants assume that eventually, they will receive a letter with one of two simple outcomes: acceptance or rejection. Should you be concerned? The answer depends on a number of factors.

Waitlists and deferrals are two different things, but they share some similarities. While neither is an outright rejection, they both mean you will have to wait longer to see if you will be admitted. Being deferred can mean a wide variety of things.

Deferrals typically fall into two categories:. Being waitlisted is unlike being deferred; the college has finished reviewing your file and made a decision to put you on a waiting list for admission. Whether you are deferred or waitlisted, avoid the temptation to begin a flood of recommendation letters and phone calls to the admissions department. In almost every case, this can have an adverse effect on your chances for admission.

If the admissions office does need more materials, they are generally interested in concrete information test scores, grades, etc. Remember that if you have been waitlisted or deferred, you have not been denied admission.

As with any waiting period, use the time wisely. The deferred students must now wait a few more months before they receive their final decision from Duke University. At Duke University, of the applicants who were deferred, 99 of those students ended up getting accepted during the regular decision round.

Make sure to follow what the university says, especially if they tell you not to do something. Some schools request that you do not send any additional information.

This might decrease the likelihood of your acceptance. Some schools want you to confirm that you would still like to be considered during the regular decision round. By not acting, you could be taking yourself out of the application pile.

If you applied to a school during the early decision round, it likely was your top choice. However, things might have changed. You are no longer bound by the strict rules of Early Decision applications and therefore obligated to attend if accepted. If you have changed your mind and think another school might be a better fit for you, this deferment could be a good thing.

Now your options are open, and you can consider other schools. This is also the perfect time to reevaluate all the other colleges you want to apply to this application season. If your list is filled with only reach or match schools, consider adding a few safety schools.

A safety school—a school where your academic scores are above the average admitted freshman—is a smart, conservative idea to give yourself options. Even if your college list is already balanced , it is wise to give it a second read to make sure you want to move forward with the remaining applications.

If that is the case, you will need to update the college with that information. You should consider sending an additional letter of recommendation. You could ask a supervisor or manager at a job or internship, a coach or a teacher who can add something new to your application.

When asking for a new recommendation, try to identify the gaps in your application. This is a myth that needs to be debunked. A deferral is only a rejection if you treat it that way. Colleges are businesses and should be viewed as such. A deferral is your chance to prove yourself even more. A deferral is not a rejection but a second chance. For that reason, we love deferrals. Colleges know that you might not have had everything figured out your freshman or sophomore year so sometimes they want to see how you further develop over the course of your senior year.