Tips for the EA deferred by Kris Guay
send us your FUN form by February 15th
On Thursday, December 15th, we released decisions for Early Action (EA) applicants. There was a definitive resolution for those students who were admitted or denied in EA. Deferred students, however, will have to wait a little longer as we reconsider their cases in Regular Action (RA).
Many of you may still have questions so I’m posting a quick entry with some frequently asked questions and answers.
What new stuff should I send?
The only “new” thing you need to send in is the February Updates & Notes form. You’ll use the FUN form to tell us your midyear grades and anything new that has happened or will happen. As always, you can send via fax (617-687-9184) or mail. The FUN form is due by February 15th.
You may still submit a supplemental portfolio, but you do not need to; I would only consider this if you were planning to do so during EA but ran out of time. If you are retaking tests in December or January, you may also designate MIT as a score recipient, and we’ll add them to your application.
You may not rewrite your essays, redo your interview, redo your entire application…anything like that. We deferred you because we want to reconsider your application (the one you have already sent) in RA.
What are my chances in Regular Action?
Once we defer you, you are automatically reconsidered during RA next spring. You are at no advantage nor disadvantage for having been deferred in EA.
I can’t give you a sense of your chances of being admitted to MIT. However, in the last few years we have admitted between 100-300 students in RA who were initially deferred in EA.
Can I call or email to find out why I was deferred?
No. We won’t tell you, because we can’t. We make decisions collaboratively, in committees, and no one person knows why anyone was deferred as opposed to admitted or denied.
I understand this ambiguity can be difficult. My advice would be to send in the FUN form and then focus on anything other than MIT (other college apps, your classes, your friends) until we release RA decisions.
I’m an RA Applicant, but I read this post anyway; what do I do?
Just follow the instructions and deadlines as we’ve written them. Please note that at this point the deadline to schedule an interview has passed.
How can I contact the office if I must?
You may comment on this entry, and we’ll try to answer new questions over the next couple of days. You may also call us (617.253.3400) or email us (admissions [at] mit [dot] edu).
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions is closed December 24th through 28th. Some of our staff will be working to answer emails during this busy period, but there may be some delay due to the holidays, so please be patient.
Looking forward to (re)considering your applications in January!