<p>I feel the same way - as an international applicant from Eastern Europe who applied ED but was deferred to RD, Amherst still remains my top college. </p>
<p>Similarly to you, I also have some awards, such as two honorable mentions in international competitions, as well as three national awards. Participated heavily in 8 ECs throughout the years (leadership positions in 3) and 2 cultural exchanges abroad. Overall, I thought of myself as a really competitive candidate. However, my SATs were on the lower side: 720cr/660m/730w, as well as 700m1 and 670bioM, which I would definitely point out as one of the major reasons they could have deferred me. That, and my average supplemental - despite writing a stellar CA essay, I never managed to nail the Amherst prompt.</p>
<p>That being said, you have the awards, the ECs, the GPA and SATs. The only things you can count on are amazing recommendations, essays and luck - meaning, an international pool that isn’t as competitive.</p>
<p>Edit: <a href=“Early Decision - Rejects automatically deferred - Amherst College - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/amherst-college/1293609-early-decision-rejects-automatically-deferred-p1.html</a> Yikes? </p>