If you aren’t happy at your current college and are thinking, “maybe Harvard would do that trick?” you aren’t alone. Harvard is objectively awesome as an academic institution for nearly any field. Dreaming of a transfer to Harvard is very different than actually executing on that dream, however.

The Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is a bit of a mouthful. However, simply, it is the engineering school at Harvard.  Much like the rest of the Cambridge-based Ivy League, Paulson is very competitive to get into. If you hope to attend Harvard Engineering, you must be a top student.

If you recently learned that you were rejected Restrictive Early Action by Harvard, you aren’t alone in your frustration. We are widening the scope for this post, though. Harvard defers most REA applicants, yet very few deferred applicants get in. This guidance, then, applies for both rejected and deferred REA applicants. First, though, some statistics.

Getting deferred from Harvard hurts. You aimed high, put your heart into the application, and now you’re in a holding pattern. It’s frustrating, confusing, and yeah, it stings. But take a breath. A deferral isn’t a no! it’s a “not yet.” And that means the door is still open and there are things you can control in this process.