If your child didn’t get into their top-choice school in the first round of admissions for the Class of 2028, it’s okay to feel sad about it for a moment. But then, it’s important to move on quickly because there’s no time to dwell on it. Since most applications for the Regular Decision round are due on January 1st, there’s no time to waste. It’s important to start fixing any issues that may have led to the rejection in the first round so they don’t happen again in the second round. And yes, there were mistakes made (sometimes big ones).
Can every mistake be fixed in the two weeks before the Regular Decision deadline? No. If your child missed a class or test, it’s unlikely we can fix that. But we can still improve important parts of your child’s application, like how they tell their story, show their excitement for the schools they’re applying to, and more.
Ivy Coach’s PostMortem Strategy Session for Deferred or Denied Students
That’s why Ivy Coach offers a special session called PostMortem for students who didn’t get accepted or got put on hold during this tough time for your family. Simply put, it’s like a thorough check-up on your child’s entire Common Application, where we can usually go over up to three extra parts of the application too. Since the same Common Application goes to all the schools your child applies to, it’s crucial to avoid making the same mistakes.
For instance, it could be something as simple as your child putting their social security number. Adding the social security number might suggest that the student needs financial help, and even though colleges say they don’t consider this, they’re becoming more aware of it.
It’s likely that your child’s hobbies and interests show them as diverse, with skills in sports, music, helping others, leading, and taking care of their teeth. But top colleges haven’t been looking for well-rounded students for a long time. Instead, they want exceptionally talented kids – like top scientists, skilled athletes, language experts, and others — who, when put together, will create a diverse group of highly talented students. And though we can’t introduce new activities at this point, we can adjust the ones they’re already involved in to better emphasise one particular strength or story.
Then there are the essays, which are still completely up to the student. If a student wrote about sports, music, community service, grandparents, or a childhood sickness in their Personal Statement, it’s best to start fresh (sorry, but we’re straightforward here at Ivy Coach, and based on our experience, your child will likely be upset for a short time before moving on and making improvements). We will offer advice on how your child can redo their Personal Statement. But it’s not just the Personal Statement; there are many other essays that are equally important because they allow applicants to share their stories and show their interest in different universities.
When your child was asked why they wanted to go to a particular school, also known as a Why College essay, did they talk about the diverse students, different classes, and nice campus? Did they mention specific teachers and classes? If they did, the essay should be thrown away because the whole point of a Why College essay is for a student to show that they’ve researched the school by talking about special programs, activities, culture, and more that are unique to that school. If a statement in a Why College essay could apply to multiple schools like Brown and Dartmouth, Duke and Penn, then the student didn’t use the space effectively to make their case.
And, while the school your child applied to early knows they really like it (because they applied early), this won’t be the same for regular decisions. In a regular decision, your child has to show each school they apply to that it’s their top choice. However, just saying it’s their favourite school is pointless. They need to convince admissions staff by showing, especially in the ‘Why College’ essays, which is an important part emphasised in Ivy Coach’s strategy session.
Ivy Coach’s Letter of Continued Interest Assistance for Deferred Students
For students who don’t get into their top choice school early on, it feels like their dream is shattered. Our main aim is to help them improve their applications for the regular admission round so they don’t keep making the same errors. But for those who get turned down from their early school, it’s not the end of their dreams. In fact, the person writing this essay was rejected by their favourite Ivy League college but still managed to graduate with top marks.
For parents who say, “We’re only looking at Regular Decision schools now, early admission is out of the picture,” we say, “That’s not true!” Here’s what you need to do: (1) Improve your child’s chances for Regular Decision schools, and (2) Make sure your child’s application is strong for their Early School too. Using their Early card at this school was important, so giving up now doesn’t make sense.
Usually, about 10% of students who are deferred end up joining the same college during the Regular Decision phase. In the past 30 years, around 40% of students who seek guidance from Ivy Coach after being deferred get accepted. And no, most people don’t seek help from Ivy Coach after being deferred from small colleges. They’ve been deferred from prestigious universities like Ivy League schools, Duke, MIT, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, and Vanderbilt.
How can we help kids fight for a spot at their dream school early on? Many moms and dads and students know they should send a note to their top-choice school showing they’re still interested (not in January, but now, so the school doesn’t think they’ve lost interest). And they’re right. But lots of parents—and their disappointed kids after getting deferred—think just sending the note is enough. That’s totally wrong. It’s not just about sending a note; it’s about what’s in it. Most parents and students’ first instinct is to put everything in the note. To boast. To update. To tell the college everything they’ve done since applying six weeks ago. Has your kid sent a spaceship to Mars in the last six weeks? Probably not.
Is boasting and giving updates to the Early School a good way to turn a deferral into an offer of admission and make an admissions officer support your child? Absolutely not—that’s something we at Ivy Coach strongly oppose, and it’s not what we include in the Letters of Continued Interest for our very nice students. So, what’s our secret? Well, that’s like a special recipe that only Ivy Coach’s clients get to know. But here’s a little hint. It’s full of care. It includes details that are specific to that school. And it includes a challenge — a challenge to admissions staff to not admit a young person who will make a modest but very important impact on the world.
December College Application Overhaul for Deferred or Denied Students
In addition to Ivy Coach’s PostMortem strategy session for students who got deferred or denied, and our support with Letters of Continued Interest for deferred students, we also assist a small number of students each year during this time to improve their applications, including all of their admission essays. Although there are some issues we can’t fix at this point, our job is to make the most of what we have. There’s still a lot we can do at this stage to prevent getting similar news in the Regular Decision round as they did in the Early round.
The students we work with on their college applications in the last two weeks of December have already finished Ivy Coach’s PostMortem strategy session. This session helps us plan how to assist your child during those final two weeks. If we don’t keep working together after the PostMortem, you’ll be in charge of how to apply that strategy during the holiday season. However, it’s probably a different approach than what you would have done on your own.
How to Enlist Ivy Coach’s PostMortem or PostMortem + Letter of Continued Interest Help
If you need Ivy Coach to assist you with a strategy session after your college rejection, help with writing a letter expressing continued interest, or both of these along with revising your college application for December, simply click the orange button. Fill out our consultation form for free, and we’ll get in touch to address any questions you may have about our services. If you choose to move forward, we suggest reaching out to us as soon as you can because spots tend to fill up quickly, especially during the holiday season.
