Getting waitlisted or deferred from your dream school is hard. We know it’s hard! You feel rejected, but it’s this weird non-rejection rejection that can leave you feeling lost and confused. And while a lot of things in college admissions are totally out of your control, there is something you can do if you’ve been waitlisted or deferred to give yourself another chance. A letter of continued interest, sometimes known as a waitlist letter or deferral letter, is one of the few, actionable things you can control when admissions decisions seem so out of your control. It’s your only chance to make a good second impression, and we help students write them every single year.
Before we get into it – you’re allowed to feel bad about getting deferred or waitlisted. We encourage you to take a few days to feel your feelings so you can come back refreshed to tackle what you need to tackle. Eat some grocery store cake! Hit some golf balls! Watch Mamma Mia three times in a row! Whatever helps you!
Now, let’s get into it.
Why Should I Write a LOCI?
Two words: yield rate. This is the percentage of accepted students who enroll in a school, and schools care about having a high yield rate. Higher yield rates mean more prestige – a lot of those college rankings you see take yield rate into high consideration – and it means more students going to their school, which means more tuition money. Colleges are businesses, after all. One of the ways schools beef up those yield rates is by encouraging lots of early applications and accepting a significant percentage of ED, REA, EA, and ED2 students.
Because we love a data-driven approach, let’s look at two schools with similar acceptance rates and incoming class sizes. Barnard and Cornell – both had 8% acceptance rates in 2023. However, their yield rates are very different. Barnard had a yield rate of 86%, one of the highest out of the data we collected for last cycle. Only 201 admitted students did not enroll. Cornell, on the other hand, had a 67% yield rate, and 588 admitted students did not enroll there. You can see how their respective ED rates contributed to their yield rates – Barnard accepted 27% of ED applicants, while Cornell accepted 18% ED applicants.
Writing The Letter
Writing a LOCI is your best shot at turning a deferral or waitlist into an acceptance, and now that we know more about yield rates, you know you need to write something that sends the right message. You only have one shot at a second impression, and you want them to leave this letter thinking wow, this kid is such a good fit for our school.
It is not an essay, although some of the content might be similar to what you’d find in a Why essay. This letter should be no longer than 400 words (less is more for this), and remember that it is a professional business letter. Imagine you’re writing this to a boss or your principal or some other authority figure. Depending on what your deferral or waitlist letter said, they may have you upload this to a portal instead of emailing it. We also recommend writing this letter with confidence! Don’t beg or sound desperate – instead you’re here to affirm that you are a great fit for the school and you know it.
Introduction
Start with a formal greeting, and if you have this info, address it to your specific admissions officer. If you don’t have this, that’s fine, Dear Admissions Committee works too. Make sure to reintroduce yourself.
Reaffirm Interest
The next thing you need to do is state, very plainly, that this school is your top choice, and that if you are admitted you will absolutely attend. Don’t overthink this part or try to omit it or make it flowery. Just say exactly this.
Provide Updates
The first part of the body of your letter should provide the school with meaningful updates. This does not mean saying you got an A on your English paper. This is where you’d drop things like new internships, awards, or leadership roles, a new or completed research paper, or something related to a personal passion project. Don’t mention everything if you had a bunch, instead choose the two or so that fit most into your academic goals – so if you won the Math Olympiad but are applying as an English Lit major, maybe focus on the internship you got at a publisher.
Reiterate What You Bring to the Table
Now, we want to make sure they know that you’ve done the research and know this is the right school for you. This is the part that is most similar to a Why essay, so you’ll pull in evidence of things you want to do once you get to their school. You can mention classes, clubs, special opportunities, study abroad, professors, labs, etc. – anything that speaks to your academic interests and how the school can help you achieve your goals. Don’t just talk about vibes in this letter – be specific.
Sign off
Thank them for their time, and if you’re emailing it, ask if you need to forward to anyone else. End with a professional closing like “Sincerely” or “Best,” then edit that thing like crazy. Once you feel good about the editing and you’ve had someone look it over, go ahead and send it.
Now, Wait
Your LOCI is out in the void, and there’s nothing else you can do but wait. Don’t email or call admissions offices to ask about your status, and you can contact them again only if you have something like new test scores to share.
And, of course, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by this, reach out to us. We help students turn deferrals into acceptances and get students off the waitlist at top-tier schools every year. Best of luck!
Anxious about a deferral or waitlist? Reach out to us today.