Is deferred the new normal?

I was reading up on the trends that are predicted for 2018. IvyWise, a college application consulting company had predicted that managing student "yield" is the biggest issue for schools this year. There continues to be an increase in the number of applications to each school while the number of high school student graduates remains flat. How can the number of applications per school be increasing if there are not more students? Students are applying to more and more schools and colleges are trying to figure out who is actually going to attend. That is why quirky application questions have emerged along with demonstrated interest. If you are a junior or sophomore, demonstrated interest has now become a new buzz word: informed interest. Informed intestest means: why our school? And even more important is the early decision factor with admit rates drastically higher than regular admit rates. If you can commit, ED is the way to apply. Want to read more from IvyWise?-click here. Post continues below this beautiful photo of SMU.

If you are a senior, don't panic as there are many schools this year that opted to "defer" rather than decide. Tulane seemed unusually "deferred" focused rather than making an admission decision this year. There has been talk that Tulane could not get through all the applications so they opted to defer to get through the backlog. I don't know if this is true, but still don't despair. Respond to the deferment letters and make sure to let the school know you want to attend and will send mid-year transcripts, along with updating any awards/honors/news you might have received since you sent the application.

If you are a junior or sophomore, take note that the admissions game is becoming more competitive every year, so it is best to not get your heart set on a school. Have a list that is balanced across dream (1), stretch (3-4), match (3-4) and safety (3-4) and make sure you can afford to go to all the schools on your list. Whatever college you ultimately go to, just do your best and have some fun!