So the key here is to stay in touch with admissions while still following directions. Try not to be a bother, and don’t give admissions more than they are asking for; that can lead to giving your application reader a negative impression, which is counterproductive to our goal of getting admitted. We want to reiterate our interest in the school and update them on our more recent achievements while not seeming cloying or desperate to get in.
We discussed the difference between being waitlisted and being deferred. We covered how deferrals happen earlier in the process than waitlists, and what the odds are that you will be admitted at that point in the process based on the decision they have made. Generally, waitlists are used sparingly—if at all. In the years since COVID, waitlists have been used more liberally, often with thousands of students getting off these waitlists, but there is no guarantee that this trend will continue as colleges recalibrate in the post-COVID era.
If the college asks for a LOCI (or ECI), absolutely write it. Even if they don’t ask for an LOCI, you can still write a short one and email it to your regional admissions representative; it can’t hurt! But if they expressly say “this is the only thing we want from you,” or “this is the only thing that will be added to your academic file,” then sending them additional information is not only unwelcome, it’s unwise. You should always follow the directions admissions has laid out for you.
If a college does not expressly forbid submitting a LOCI, we talked about the way to write a strong one, whether you are deferred or waitlisted at the moment. I outlined a general structure that you (or, more accurately—your child) can use to craft a short, effective letter that not only shares their enthusiasm for the college, but also what they bring to the college community.
Lastly, we talked about this stressful limbo that families are in right now. All through the fall and winter, it’s been “hurry hurry hurry”: get recs, get transcripts, send SAT scores, report AP scores, write essays, submit applications, schedule interviews. And now there’s nothing to do but “hurry-up-and-wait”. Waiting is stressful. And receiving deferrals without any acceptances to balance them out can begin to make it feel like your child will never get into college! But it’s important that we keep things in perspective and not take these deferrals or denials personally. I share some words of wisdom from some college admissions offices, admissions officers, and my own ten-plus years of experience helping families through this period.
Just try to remember that there are still regular decision applications out there in the world right now, and that deferrals can still become yeses in a month or two. Your child’s story isn’t over, and what they do in college matters 1000x more than where they go. You’ve all got this.