Hey there, can someone tell me what's the difference between being deferred and being waitlisted? Which of the two is a better situation to be in? Thanks!
Certainly, happy to help clarify!
When an applicant is deferred, it typically means that they applied Early Decision or Early Action, and the school has decided to postpone their decision until the regular decision timeframe. This gives the admissions office more time to consider the applicant in the context of the entire applicant pool. Deferred students still have a chance of admission, but they'll find out later in the year.
On the other hand, being waitlisted usually happens during Regular Decision. Colleges create waitlists as a backup for their incoming class. If fewer admitted students enroll than they anticipated, they will go to their waitlist and offer admission to additional students.
Neither situation is inherently better or worse—it depends on the individual circumstances. A deferral means that the applicant still has a chance of getting accepted in the regular decision round. For waitlisted students, the chances are often lower since colleges usually only pull from their waitlist if they don't hit their enrollment target from the initial admitted pool. But again, this all depends on the specific college and admission cycle.
I hope that clarifies the difference between being deferred and waitlisted!
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