@azwu331 @buglyfe19 They might be trying to assess AP grades if school report was incomplete, not helpful or it is a new school. For example, a candidate got all A’s at a new school (or a school Princeton is unfamiliar with) but if they scored 3’s or below that tells Princeton something about the school’s rigor.
I agree that it’s pretty unusual. Particularly since they don’t usually review deferred applicants until after they go through all the regular applicants. But it’s a good sign because it shows you’re still in the running.
2.5 months to go…
I’m not sure if this was asked already in this thread, but I was wondering if anyone knew how many people were deferred from EA this year. I’m personally not optimistic because my test scores are abysmal, but I’d be interested to know. For some schools, a deferral can mean anything, but at others it can mean you have a shot.
Last yea I believe 4% were rejected and the previous year only 1 % were rejected. So probably this year a very small percent were rejected and everybody else was deferred. So no way of knowing if you were close to being accepted or not. They really should stop deferring so many.
@stodghill The deferral rate for Princeton is usually between 75 and 80 percent.
Doing the math for this year, if Princeton only rejected ~150 students (which seems reasonable), the deferral rate would be 77.9%, similar to last year’s 78.9% deferral rate. Although there is a chance of getting in through regular decision, the chance is pretty low given how many qualified applicants apply (it’s pretty much like early except with tougher competition). We’ll see though on March 31. I’m certain some of you guys on this thread will make it in regular. 
@azwu331 @desie1 thanks for y’alls advice. my top four choices are Washington and Lee, Penn, Georgetown, and Princeton, so hopefully I’ll end up at one of those places- I’d be equally happy at any of them. Since Pton isn’t going to happen most likely, I hope Penn works out. I think my Why Penn essay was better than my Pton essay
has anyone updated pton yet? I wasn’t sure whether I should email the office or actually mail a letter? I think I’ve waited long enough for it to not be too early anymore…
@kcarpenterfan I sent an email updating them with projects i’ve been working on a week ago
@stodghill Here’s an article on deferrals in general.
http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/counselors-and-parents/college-counselors/blog/problem-deferrals/
I have heard of quite a few Princeton deferred applicants getting accepted during the regular round. I guess it depends on how close you were originally and what you have done in the meantime.
@desie1 thanks, that was an insightful article. for what it’s worth, my college counselor believes it was a close call, but I don’t want to build myself up too high and have a long crash back down come March 31! I’ve been keeping in touch with my admissions counselor at Princeton and am working to improve my SAT scores, which are my greatest weakness
@stodghill Your college counselor should definitely have an idea of where you stand, so if he/she says it was a close call, it probably was. I’m not sure how you can improve your SAT scores since today was the last day (and many of the make-ups being given for cancelled tests are going to be too late to get scores in), but the decision probably isn’t coming down to an SAT score anyway. Just some advice - focus on making an impact in your school or community - that would show Princeton more about what you can do on their campus - they care about that much more than an SAT score.
@desie1 good advice, thanks! I’m definitely refocusing my efforts on my leadership roles now that I have the time.
@Cinderellaa Congrats! Do you mind sharing your scores and gpa? Do you have special EC or hooks? Just curious
@cinderellaa Congrats! We just toured Princeton yesterday, just before the huge snowstorm hit. Son loved the school. We are from Austin, TX so we wanted our son to experience Princeton in the cold, just to ensure he’d know what he is doing if he accepts.
This piece is excellent.
http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/counselors-and-parents/college-counselors/blog/problem-deferrals/
It explains why getting deferred at Harvard, Princeton and Georgetown (they reject no one!) means nothing.
" A rejection would hurt—absolutely—but why not rip the Band-Aid off, let the student grieve for a few days, and then allow them to get inspired when applying to other colleges? It’s certainly better than having them falsely believe they actually might get accepted to a school that’s out of reach. In addition, a rejection at this stage could motivate students to apply to slightly less selective schools, which may be helpful, and more realistic, in the long run."
“Stanford gets it right: their deferral really means something. It indicates to the student that they were close, but not quite there. However, there is a chance in the regular round they will be admitted. For the 81% who were outright denied from Stanford during this year’s early round, it is a harsh blow. These teens put everything into applying to their top-choice school, only to be rejected. But they will get past it and perhaps take comfort in the fact that they are in good company (81% of the applicants were rejected).”
So there’s officially less than 24 hours for us to remain Princeton applicants. I really liked the SCEA thread, we certainly feel like a community here 
good luck for the Ivy Day everyone, hopefully some of us can join those who were accepted in December from here! :>
By the way here’s your daily dose of cluck ~:> ~:> ~:>
It still annoys me that most SCEA applicants were deferred.You agree to only apply to one Ivy and to no other private schools in trade for an early decision. Having the decision postponed another 4 months taints the rest of the process. Here we are down to the wire, likely with other offers already, but holding out for one last answer at the very end of the admissions cycle…when this is the school from which we sought our first answers.
Ok. That’s my rant. I’ll try to be over it. My understanding is the way Pton and some of the others use SCEA is basically to skim the cream off the top. Any of those who get deferred are fully qualified-just maybe not the top of the top. Still in the running. Depends on how much “cream” comes in the RD pool and then who they need to fill out a balanced class. Here’s wishing everyone luck being accepted to schools you will thrive and if you dont get in to a school you love…love the one that loves you.
^Totally agree. We’ll all do well in college regardless of what Princeton decides.
Just as one last comment on this thread, Princeton’s deferral acceptance rate this year was around 4.8 ± 0.5%. It was better than the 3.78% RD acceptance rate, but still very low. For next year’s deferred students, a deferral is not the end of the world, but your chances of acceptance in RD are very unlikely. But I guess it’s unlikely for everyone else as well.
Good luck to all. Remember that Princeton is not the end all of everything, and that success will follow you if you work for it, regardless of where you go.