Update: 1/22/2024
The following is our standard advice for deferral letters (and we're leaving it up because you may need it for other schools), but we recently learned that USC does not want you to write deferral letters. From them:
"Please note that, to ensure equity in the process, we will not consider updates to your application. Please do not submit new essays, resumes, etc. Please do not ask others to submit additional recommendations on your behalf, and please do not submit a statement of continued interest beyond the EA Deferral Form"
USC added Early Action not that long ago, so this process is still new to them. And unfortunately, we often do not know about changes to the application/deferral process until schools send out new information to applicants. We do commend them for trying to being equitable, but we also think it would be great to have the opportunity to give them updates, especially if you finished a big project or landed a really sweet internship! They may change their process in the future, but for now, just fill out the EA deferral form and hope for the best:
If you’re here, you were probably deferred by USC. First of all, that sucks, and we’re sorry. We hope you’ve taken some time to feel sad or mad, or however you’re feeling, because you should! But once you get your bearings back, it’s time to start strategizing for regular decision and writing your deferral letter.
It’s time to come up with a solid game plan for regular decision. If you've already got a well-rounded list of 8-12 schools, skip ahead to the end of this post. But if USC EA was your sole application (or one of like, 4-6), get ready for some extra legwork.
Let’s start with your RD plan, and we’ll walk you through how to write a deferral letter too:
COLLEGE LIST
Time to apply to more schools!! YEAH!!! WOO!!
Sorry, we’re trying to hype it up because we know it's a bit of a downer, but hey, that's how things shake out sometimes. Our suggestion? Shoot for the 8-12 school range. Make it a mix of targets, safeties, and reaches – balance is the key. Still scratching your head over what those mean? Not anymore!
If your college list is feeling a bit lean (or hanging around the 4-5 mark), it's expansion o'clock. Dive into some research! Your first deciding factor for “list” or “not list” should be academics. If you’re trying to study poli sci, you should focus first on schools with great poli sci programs. Beyond that, reflect on what clicked for you at USC – whether it's the size, location, culture, weather, or whatever else tickled your fancy. While not all the schools on your list will be exactly like USC, we find that students who like USC are drawn to other “work hard play hard” schools like Duke, Michigan, Tulane, UT, etc.
ESSAYS
Essay time!!!!! YEAH!! (Sorry, still trying the hype method)
Most schools toss around variations of the same two questions: the community essay and the why essay. Some schools have some curveball questions, but for the most part, you’ll be able to pull content from your already-written essays to make the essay-writing process easier. Once you've got your college list in place, look up the supplements for each school (we've got 'em listed here) and dive in.
Okay, so don’t get mad at us, but chances are, you'll need to give your Common App essay a makeover, or at least a touch-up. Too many students come to us on December 15th with a Common App essay as cliche as a quote on a grandmother’s throw pillow. They write about a lot of topics we don’t encourage: their best day, worst day, scoring the winning goal, or an essay about a family member. There are an infinite number of things you can write about, and we think creative essays work best.
When tackling these supplements, the crucial step is getting your thoughts on paper. Your initial drafts could be a tad, uhhhh, raw, but that's okay. You'll be fine-tuning them for clarity, grammar, and length, so no need to stress. Recruit some teachers, friends (the ones who text in full sentences), and family to help you edit.
GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW
Check-in with your school counselors to let them know you're applying to more schools. Also, touch base with the teachers who penned your recommendation letters and confirm their willingness to tackle a few more (generally, they’re just copy-and-pasting, but you should still check). Double-check the status of your test scores (if you're submitting them) and get all the additional materials each school might require, like a resume or writing samples.
DEFERRAL LETTER
Now here’s the part that applies to everyone: the deferral letter. You have two goals with this letter:
Fill them in on the cool stuff you've been up to since you applied
Let USC know you’re allllllllll in, baby.
USC cares about their yield rate (the % of accepted students who end up enrolling), so letting them know you’re “allllllllll in, baby” (yes, we are quoting ourselves from 2 lines ago) is a way of telling them you’re gonna help their yield rate.
Start your letter by telling them you're still super pumped about USC and totally committed if they say yes. But like, more professional than how we just said it. The letter should be polite, positive, professional and Not Desperate. The next step is updates!
You don't need to list every single thing you did between the time you hit submit and the time you submit this letter. What you really want to do is zero in on 2-3 significant things that bolster your application and fit into the story you’re telling them. Whether you snagged a cool new internship or job, got something published, completed a major project, or locked down a research position – these are the juicy topics to delve into. Make sure the tone isn’t braggy, we’re going for confidence!
Now you’re going to talk about all the amazing things you can’t wait to do at USC. Paint them a picture of all the awesome stuff you're itching to dive into come next fall – like classes or clubs. You can even mention a professor if you’re feeling crazy. Convince them that USC is the absolute, hands-down, no-competition place on earth where you're destined to get your education. But again – confidence, so no begging!
The letter should be an absolute max of 350 words. We know some of you are getting mad at us for this, but when was the last time you saw an Instagram caption that said “read more,” and you just scrolled past it? Exactly. Make sure to have your trusted editing team look over it, and send it off to the admissions office (or a portal, if that’s what they’re using), and ask if there’s any other place to send it.
If you’re struggling with the regular decision applications, or need help with your deferral letter, please reach out to us here to get connected with one of our counselors.