<p>Not to panic you, but it depends heavily on the quality of the RD applicants. I was deferred last year. Everyone I heard about who was deferred last year was placed on the waitlist, including myself. This is not everyone, just all of the twenty or so I heard of. Nobody got in off the waitlist last year (at least, that’s what they told us on the waitlist; apparently seven got in which probably means athletes/donor families/something ridiculous that Notre Dame is embarrassed to admit to those they let go). Now, what you need to do as a deferred student is immediately send an email or phonecall to the admissions counselor. Say, “I was deferred and I wonder what may have been missing on my application that I could include or improve on for the Regular Decision cycle”. 95% chance they say that there was nothing wrong or missing, there was just an unprecented (a kind lie) number of quality applicants and that you can keep in contact if you have more questions. Then you send an email every other week or so with any question you can think of. If you communicate, they remember your name. If they remember you, they care about the outcome of your application and are much more likely to want you in. Notre Dame’s biggest thing is communication. Call, visit, email, etc. That’s what will make the difference for you and ensure you get in. Deferred is a great thing, actually. You know you’re good enough. Now you have a whole two-three months to prove to them why you’re worthy. No more applications, just you trying to stand out. Trust me on these things, and you’ll do fine. Believe me, if someone had told me this last year, I’d have found a way to be in South Bend. Haha. Good luck, bud.</p>