Yale is an iconic American university and member of the prestigious Ivy League — but you already know that if you’ve been offered a place on the waitlist. First off, we’re sorry to hear that you’re in limbo. It’s an unpleasant place to be. You should know, however, that you aren’t alone. You should also know we help students get off waitlists every year. Before we tell you what to do next, let’s start with some stats.
What to do if You're Waitlisted by Princeton 2023
Princeton is a member of the Ivy League and one of the most selective schools in the United States with an acceptance rate under 6%. If you applied to Princeton and were notified that you are being offered a space on the waitlist, you should know that this is not a ‘soft rejection.’ They aren’t waitlisting you because they don’t want to reject you. The Princeton Admissions Office isn’t mean, but they also aren’t trying to protect your feelings or soften the blow. To put it simply, it isn’t personal. It’s an offer to be on the waitlist, and now the ball is in your court. The question is: what will you do with it?
What to do if You're Waitlisted by Harvard 2023
Barely more than 3% of applicants get into Harvard. As of the 2022 application cycle, the most recent one we have statistics for, of over 61,000 applicants less than 2,000 were admitted. It is excruciatingly hard to get into Harvard, but hundreds of applicants — or more — don’t receive an acceptance or a rejection. Instead, they’re stuck in the middle. They’re waitlisted.
USC Deferral Rate
The University of Southern California’s, or USC, acceptance rate has been dropping steadily for years. In 2022, they only accepted of students who applied — the first time under 12% for the university ever. Over 69,000 applications were reviewed by 65 people. That’s over 1,000 applicants per reader, so when you wonder whether your applicant reader remembers your essay…picture that stack of 1,000 applications. Unless you’re really strategic, it’s hard to stand out.
Columbia Deferral Rate
Columbia College, the undergraduate college of Columbia University, is incredibly difficult to get into. In 2021, the overall acceptance rate was a minuscule . If you want to get into Columbia, your best chance is to apply Early Decision, which came with in 2021 — but if you were deferred you already know this. You don’t need to know that your best shot was ED; you need to know what’s next.
Cornell Deferral Rate
Dartmouth Deferral Rate
Brown Deferral Rate
In 2021, Brown its lowest acceptance rate on record for the fourth year in a row. While it’s the overall acceptance rate they’re pointing to, the statistics for early applicants were even tougher. Brown rejected more early applicants — 60% of them — and only deferred 25%. That was a 5% drop from the 2020 deferral rate. It’s likely that the 2022 statistics will only continue the trend with even lower early acceptance and deferral rates, and higher rejection rates.
The University of Chicago Deferral Rate
How to Write a Letter of Continued Interest
Getting deferred is no one’s dream, but it’s not the worst-case scenario. Our students are often sad or even embarrassed when they are deferred from their early decision school. We totally get it, your emotions are valid, but we like to try to refocus our students when they start to get in the dumps about getting deferred. Getting deferred doesn’t mean you didn’t get in. We like to think of it as a second chance and with that second chance, there is a new opportunity to put your best foot forward. Our favorite way to do this is with a letter of continued interest.