If you’ve been deferred in our Early Action (EA) cycle, we will automatically consider your application again in our Regular Action (RA) cycle. Understandably, you may have some questions, so we’ve assembled some answers to FAQs.
What are my chances in Regular Action?
We can’t give you a sense of your chances of being admitted in RA. Yes, we know that’s an unsatisfying answer, but unfortunately it’s true. It’s just too hard for us to know how things will shake out in an applicant pool that we haven’t even fully seen yet!
However, we can tell you that in the past few years we’ve admitted between 150–250 students in RA who were deferred in EA. And you won’t be disadvantaged or advantaged just because you applied in EA.
My application checklist is no longer visible in the portal. How can I see it again?
Don’t worry! There is nothing broken with your application portal. For all deferred applicants, the application checklist is temporarily hidden. You will be able to see it again in the application portal two weeks after the RA deadline has passed, should you need to access it.
Can I call or email to find out why I was deferred?
No. We know it’s tough to wait, but if you call or email us, we won’t tell you why you were deferred because honestly, we can’t. We make decisions as a group in committees, so no single person in our office will know why an individual applicant was deferred. We know that the ambiguity is difficult and frustrating, but if you were deferred it means that you were and still are considered a competitive applicant.
Can I send in new materials, redo parts of my application, send in new letters of recommendation, or send in a new portfolio?
We deferred you because we want to reevaluate your application as is (i.e. it is competitive as it is!). You CANNOT rewrite your essays, redo your interview, replace your letters of recommendation with new ones, or redo your application.
The only update you will need to send is the February Updates & Notes (FUN) Form (we will send you an email letting you know when this form is available). In the FUN Form, you can tell us things like:
- Your midyear grades
- Anything new that has happened or will happen before we review RA applications, like new awards, activities, work, etc.
- Anything about your circumstances that have changed since you submitted your application that you think we should know about
Note: You do NOT necessarily need to fill the form with new updates. If you’re only providing your midyear grades, that’s totally fine.
If you have new test scores, simply log in to your Application Status Page and scroll down to where you can see all the scores you’ve submitted. Below the test scores chart is a link that says, “Add new test scores.” Clicking this link will bring you to a new page where you can self-report your scores. You do not need to send in official scores from the testing agency. Please note: Scores cannot be deleted once they are submitted.
We only recommend you submit a supplemental portfolio if you were planning to do so for Early Action, but just ran out of time. The deadline to submit a supplemental portfolio is January 6. You cannot make changes to portfolios that have already been submitted, though you are welcome to provide any meaningful updates using the FUN Form.
Things you DON’T have to do:
- Send us an email saying you’re still interested in MIT (we’ll assume you are unless you tell us otherwise)
- Write a new essay (the FUN Form’s 250 word limit prevents you from doing this)
- Bombard our office with excessive emails or new materials
What if I do NOT want to be considered for RA admission to MIT?
If you’ve been deferred, you’ll automatically be considered for Regular Action admission. However, if you want to withdraw your application from MIT, you can make this request in the application portal. To do so, log in to your Applicant Status Page. On the right side of the page under Application Management, please click on the “Request to withdraw your application” link and complete the form. Please note that requests take 5–10 business days to process.
I really, really need to contact the admissions office. How do I do that?
If you really, really, REALLY need to, you can call us at 617.253.3400 or email us at [email protected]. We’ll try our best to answer emails and calls, but just be patient as there may be some delay in our getting back to you!
I know what I can do. But what should I do between now and the RA deadline?
Do your best to keep your grades up! Remember what you wrote in your essay where we asked what you like to do for fun? Do that. Spend time with friends and family. Read Alan’s post. And try your best to relax. :)