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After meticulously polishing application materials, hitting submit during the early admissions round, and enduring the agonizing wait for an admissions decision, thousands of students opened their application portals this week to find the word no applicant wants to see: deferred.
Despite the disappointment that comes with a deferral, this outcome means that students have another shot at admission to their dream school in the regular decision round. And, while facing months of waiting can feel immobilizing, there are still steps that students can take to increase their chances of acceptance.
For most students facing deferral, the playbook looks the same: write a letter of continued interest (LOCI) and send it promptly after receiving the decision.
But while the LOCI remains a staple of post-deferral strategy, here’s the insider truth that most students and families don’t realize: at many prestigious universities, a LOCI simply isn’t enough to save you from rejection.
At top schools that consider demonstrated interest, writing a letter of continued interest is the bare minimum that a student can do to show their enthusiasm for a school. Admissions officers are expecting far more than a single missive expressing a strong desire to attend. Rather than a one-step strategy, for students applying to these schools, the letter of continued interest should be just the first step in a multi-phase process of showcasing clear and actionable interest in a specific institution.
Here’s what you need to know to develop a winning post-deferral plan for schools that look for demonstrated interest:
Which top schools consider demonstrated interest?
Not every prestigious university considers demonstrated interest, which means that a student’s post-deferral plan should look significantly different depending on the school.
At all of the Ivy League schools except Dartmouth, for instance, demonstrated interest is not considered; taking steps beyond the letter of continued interest can actually hurt a student’s odds of admission.
Yale’s admissions blog explicitly states that students should not send any materials beyond their letter of continued interest: “We do not recommend that you send the admissions office piles of updates after a deferral. You should not try to re-do any parts of your application. You should not inundate your admissions officer with weekly emails and cards.”
At these schools, over-communication can be construed as desperation or disregard for admissions officers’ time, which can negatively impact your perception in the eyes of admissions officers.
Meanwhile, other top schools do take into account demonstrated interest. Some of these schools include: University of Michigan (which offered Early Decision for the first time this year), Babson College (recently ranked No. 2 in this year’s Wall Street Journal US College Rankings), Tulane University (demonstrated interest is particularly important in their admissions process), Duke University, Northeastern University, Northwestern University and New York University.
At these schools, admissions officers want to see continued and sustained engagement from students, even after the early round of applications is complete.
How to Tactfully Show Demonstrated Interest After Deferral
Showcasing demonstrated interest does not mean bombarding admissions officers with daily emails and updates, nor does it entail pleas for acceptance or impassioned insistences that a student really wants to attend if admitted.
Demonstrated interest certainly requires written articulation. Students should start by writing a genuine and thoughtful LOCI, where they can share about the specific reasons they want to attend the school, offer relevant and meaningful updates, and state that they will enroll if accepted. But it is more than just words—demonstrated interest is also about taking action.
At the most basic level, this can include signing up for email newsletters and opening emails when received. A strong post-deferral strategy will also embrace more personal ways for a student to showcase their interest and alignment with a school’s value by reaching out to regional admissions officers, attending online or in-person admissions events, tapping into your network and connecting with alumni in their region, and visiting campus if possible.
As the founder and CEO of Command Education, a boutique college consulting firm, I have empowered countless students to leverage thoughtful and authentic post-deferral action plans into acceptance letters.
One student had their sights set on Tulane and felt the sting of deferral in the early round. Shortly after
receiving the decision, they sent a letter to the admissions officer they had connected with during their campus visit expressing their enthusiasm for the school and personally requesting to join the attendance list for an admissions webinar that was already fully booked.
They attended the information session and asked thoughtful questions after reviewing their notes about the program and campus community. The strategy was restrained and didn’t bombard or overwhelm the admissions office, but it showcased the student’s personal investment in the school and their genuine connection with its culture and mission. When regular decision results were released, the student received their longed-for acceptance.
Another student who was deferred from NYU worked with my team to create a post-deferral strategy that included a visit to campus. They took advantage of every opportunity to connect with students, faculty, and admissions officers, asking questions, collecting information, and showcasing their genuine passion for the school. They made the strategic decision to wait until after this visit to send their LOCI, so that they could incorporate personal anecdotes and thoughtful reflections about their time on campus into their letter. This tactical approach ultimately helped them move from the deferral pile to the admit list.
The biggest mistake deferred students make is assuming that a standard LOCI will be equally effective at any school, but nothing could be further from the truth. A winning application isn’t one-size-fits-
all—neither is a winning post-deferral strategy.
Regular decision success for students deferred in the early round depends on tailoring a plan to each school’s individual policies. Whether deferred from a dream school or a college you assumed was a match, taking account of the school’s view of demonstrated interest can help create a winning strategy for every school on your family’s list.
Students who invest time in learning what each institution values, who take advantage of every reasonable opportunity to interact, and who show admissions officers why they belong on campus put themselves in the strongest possible position for regular decision season.
Christopher Rim is the CEO of Command Education, an education partner of the New York Post.
