If you’re reading this, you probably just got deferred from Princeton. We’re sorry you’re going through this right now. Take some time to process, be a little sad, and treat yourself to a nice coffee or something. This is not the end of the world. In this post, we have a few tips on how to best pitch yourself to Princeton again, and more importantly, how to diversify and expand your college list so you’re prepared no matter what. 

Princeton is pretty dodgy about their single-choice early action admissions stats. Nowhere on do they have specific numbers for who’s been admitted and who’s been deferred. According to this they say “a small number of applicants who were deferred have been subsequently admitted during the regular decision process.” Online speculation puts their EA acceptance rate around 16%, which would be in line with other Ivy League schools. So, you’re not out of the race yet. 

Now it’s time to develop your strategy for Regular Decision. Not just at Princeton, but at other schools too. 

College List

If you haven’t applied to at least 10 other schools, now is the time to start. If you’re starting from square one and pinned all your hopes on Princeton, you need to start thinking realistically. A balanced college list will have three safety schools, four target schools, and three reach schools. More on how to determine what schools fit in those categories for you here.

The big thing to think about is what drew you to Princeton in the first place. Was it the size? The campus? The programs? The culture? The location? Write out what drew you to Princeton and start working backwards to find other schools that feel like good fits to you. Do a lot of research -- a lot of research -- and focus on finding schools that really speak to you, not just where you feel you should apply. Once you have your list, you’re ready to work on the supplements. 

Supplements

Okay, so, now you have your list. We recommend taking all the supplements from all of the schools you’ve picked and looking at them side by side. You’ll notice a few themes emerge -- they want to hear about your community, or why you want to study what you want to study, or why you chose that school. Take some time to brainstorm stories and examples for these essays (more guides on those here), and start getting your ideas onto paper (or let’s be real, onto screen). 

Once you’ve whittled your essay down to where you like it, have friends or family or teachers look over it to make sure it’s grammatically correct and that they sound good. Speaking of teachers, make sure to contact the teachers who wrote you rec letters for Princeton and make sure they’re comfortable writing your letters for these other schools. Double-check with your school counselors to keep them up-to-date with your plans. Make sure to send your test scores to the new schools too. Once you’ve gotten all of this in place, you’re ready to submit. 

Deferral Letter

You’ve applied to your safeties, reaches, and targets. Now it’s time to go back to Princeton and let them know how committed you are to attending. Princeton cares deeply about their yield rate (how many students they accept that choose to attend), so it’s important to stress that you will attend if you get accepted.

Start by filling them in on what you’ve been doing since applying. Don’t tell them small details, but update them on any big changes. Did you start a new club at school? Win an award? Pick only a few of these to expand on, and stay away from bragging. After to tell them about your interesting life updates, you need to express how much you want to attend Princeton. You’re a Tiger for life, can’t wait to be in Princeton, etc. Express your undying loyalty! Don’t make it too long -- think less than 300 words.

Have friends, family, and maybe a teacher look over your letter to check it for grammar and make sure it sounds good. After a final check, send it off to the Princeton Admissions Office email. 

Now you have to wait -- but feel at peace knowing you’ve done everything you can!

If you’re looking for help with your college applications and need some guidance on how to get your regular decision applications out, feel free to contact us here.