First off, I was deferred from my ED choice, Wake Forest. This was a bummer as it was the only school I was ever fully committed to going to. The next school that came close to replicating that feeling was Boston College, but I can already name 3-5 students in my class who applied EA that have better stats than me. After that I’ve got Richmond, Tulane, and Miami to hear back from. I got into my safety school, Penn State, but I really don’t think I can see myself ever going there. Social Media really is a curse though as every single time I go on all I see are my friends and people I know getting into all of their dream schools. If i got deferred from Wake do I even have a chance at BC? The rest of my schools are alright, but it feels like I’m the only one not getting into their top schools. I’ve got a 4.02W gpa and a 32 ACT with solid ECs and very strong writing supplements. That initial rejection from my favorite school just seems to have ruined my outlook on the rest of my college search and it bothers me to see everyone else so excited about theirs.
IMO Penn State doesn’t match the other schools on your list – it is a huge public and the rest of your schools are more mid-sized. I don’t consider Penn State a true safety since you don’t wan to go there. IMO a safety should be a school you expect to get into, that appears affordable, and that you would be happy to attend.
In another post you said your unweighted GPA was low so so be sure you have true safety schools. What is your unweighted GPA?
With the information given it appears you do have a shot at all of the schools on your list (hopefully you have some demonstrated interest in them), but why don’t you look for a couple of less selective mid-size schools to apply to. Maybe schools like Fordham (where you may get good merit aid) or something along those lines. And since you are in NJ look at TCNJ as well.
And be happy for friends who have met with early success, but keep the focus of your attention on you and your applications.
There’s a lot more people getting rejected and deferred than you think, they’re just less likely to tell people.
Your stats look inline for BC, and holistic admissions are about more than just stats anyway. (My daughter just got accepted to NYU with less than stellar stats and despite applying with a classmate who did have stellar stats, who also got accepted). I know a deferral (and a deferral is not a rejection) is disappointing but please try not to let it affect your outlook on other places. There was a news story a few years back about a girl who got rejected from all the ivies, except Harvard. One college deferring you definitely does not mean you’ll see the same result from other schools in your range. I also agree that Fordham or similar would be good safety-type options. (You haven’t said what major you’re interested in so difficult to recommend without knowing.) Keep going and you’ll find the right one - which may even end up being Wake Forest in the RD round.
@ahardboiledegg I agree. The people in my class this year who have gotten accepted ED have made a huge deal about it (not to mention that the rest of the class who picks on it will spread the word since we’re talking T10s and T20s here), which makes it seem like there’s a lot of people who are getting accepted to their dream school. But for each one of those people, there are 9-10 people who are deferred or rejected; they just don’t like to talk about it.
Sorry for the disappointment. Do you have a clear favorite among those other three? Richmond and Tulane both have EDII, which would boost your chances if you felt you’d rather go all-in for another school than be strung along by Wake.
Maybe add another safety or two that you’d be happier with than Penn State? (Esp. if you’re not even a PA resident - that’s a lot to pay for a school you’re not excited about.) How about Miami of OH, which is only 1/3 the size of University Park and has a “public ivy” ambience that’s more similar to your target schools? Maybe a slightly less competitive southern private or two, like Elon, or Tulane’s next door neighbor, Loyola New Orleans?
I think getting shut out of all four of your front-runners is fairly unlikely, but having a safety that you can actually imagine going to is still a good idea. Good luck with the regrouping - it’s hard when you hoped to be one-and-done.
Just got deferred from BC and Tulane, but accepted into my other two safeties Loyola Marymount (California) and Providence. Im hoping that these deferrals don’t turn into straight rejections in the regular decision phase. What are the chances I get deferred from all three of those schools and later rejected, because I’m thinking I gotta atleast get into one.
Thank you for all of the comments… I’m not into any NJ or NY schools and honestly am not worrying about affordability of schools but yeah Penn State is a lot for an out of state applicant. I am applying to Lehigh, Santa Clara, Maryland, Emory, and Indiana Bloomington
I didn’t get into my ED school but I’m happy where I ended up so don’t worry you’ll find the school you belong at.