If you were deferred by Harvard, you are far, far, far from alone. As fewer and fewer top-tier colleges publish their admissions statistics, Harvard continues to with fairly comprehensive and transparent statistics. In 2021, Harvard deferred 80 out of every 100 students who applied early. 80% of students who applied early were deferred. Again, 80%. Only 7.4% of students who applied early were accepted. So if you applied early, it is much more likely that you were deferred than any other potential outcome.
Sky-high deferral rates are pretty frustrating. During the regular admissions cycle, most of the students Harvard deferred will be rejected. Harvard knows this, and they could easily reject a higher percentage of students early and stop stringing thousands of students along. Instead, they are being strategic by stacking their regular admissions deck. If you鈥檝e found yourself caught up in this statistical absurdity, what do you do?
The Bottom Line, First
Before you begin to take action, you need to know that Harvard is looking for a reason to reject you, not looking for a reason to accept you. If you were deferred, you are academically qualified to go to Harvard. You have the extracurriculars and areas of focus they are looking for, and they鈥檙e interested in comparing you against the regular decision applicants, but they aren鈥檛 searching for a reason to say yes. They are waiting for a reason to say no.
The fastest and easiest way to give them that reason to say no would be to ignore what we say next.
Follow Instructions
When you鈥檝e been deferred, Harvard may or may not provide some guidance as to what you could send their way to bolster your application in the form of an email or other notification. As stated , their current guideline is this:
鈥淸Following a deferral] Additional information (sent via the ) should be limited to significant developments in your high school career. We will also expect to receive your Midyear School Report no later than February 1.鈥�
Emphasis on the 鈥渟ignificant developments鈥� part. Under no circumstance should you send them a flurry of documents to try to prove you are Harvard-worthy, and you absolutely may not reach out to admissions officers directly. They鈥檝e told you what they want you to do and disregarding it would be like handing them a cookie that says 鈥渞eject me, please鈥� on it.
If you have 鈥渟ignificant developments鈥� to report, such as winning a national award or being recognized for your achievements in a space relevant to your academic interests, it should be submitted as a short, well-written letter with proof of the accomplishment included via the Harvard Applicant Portal, which you will be given access to after applying.
Assess Your College List
Once you鈥檝e addressed your deferral and processed the disappointment, you need to get back to work. Your race isn鈥檛 over, and you can鈥檛 tap out now. Harvard wasn鈥檛 a safety for you because it isn鈥檛 a safety for anyone, so being deferred from Harvard shouldn鈥檛 freak you out about your college list if you have a well-rounded list of colleges you鈥檇 be happy to attend. If your list is chock full of schools you have no interest in, take some time to rethink it. You shouldn鈥檛 apply anywhere that you wouldn鈥檛 want to go, but take the deferral as a reality check 鈥� getting into college is hard, so you鈥檒l need some safety schools.
Work on Other Applications
This is also a great time to work on other applications. Applying to Harvard is stressful, so it鈥檚 likely you neglected your other applications to focus on getting the Harvard app in. Use the time you have between your deferral and the regular decision deadline to get some work done on the applications that may have been pushed to the side.
Self-Care
Throughout this process, remember to make time for you to be you. Applying to college is stressful, so it鈥檚 important to schedule time with friends (especially if it鈥檚 screen-free). Instead of letting the deferral eat at you, have fun and act like a teenager 鈥� after all, you are one.
Don鈥檛 let all that having fun get in the way of staying on top of your academics, though. Now that you鈥檝e been deferred, it鈥檚 more important than ever that you maintain 鈥� or even improve 鈥� your grades as Harvard will be getting a Midyear School Report.
If you鈥檙e feeling overwhelmed after a deferral, get in touch. We help students like you navigate the path to college admissions success.