As many students learn of their Early Action / Early Decision admissions decisions over the coming days, we figured we’d share with our readers the top ten most ludicrous lines we hear the parents of students who were deferred or denied admission in the Early round say. These are the ramblings of parents who first approach us after their children are deferred or denied admission. They were not previously our clients. Instead, they’re coming to us so their children will avoid making the same mistakes in the Regular Decision round that they made in the Early Action / Early Decision round. 

So, what are some of these parents’ most ludicrous, outrageous statements? Wonder no more, and have your popcorn ready!

10 Things Never To Say When Your Child is Deferred or Denied Early Admission

10. My daughter is Caucasian and middle class. She likely didn’t get in because she’s white and not low-income or super-rich!

Have you stepped foot on a college campus lately? In case you haven’t, we’d like to point out that highly selective schools are teeming with white, middle-class female students. Heck, it’s even an epidemic at schools like Tulane University. Just because your daughter didn’t get in, don’t blame it on her gender, race, or socioeconomic status. For starters, she likely didn’t have a compelling singular hook.

9. I’ve heard it’s misleading that it’s easier to get in during the Early round than Regular Decision because of all the legacies, development cases, and recruited athletes who apply Early. Is this true?

While you’re right that legacies, development cases, and recruited athletes apply Early, admissions officers go nuts for any student who shows enthusiasm by applying Early. Besides, if the argument is that the Early round is filled with legacies, development cases, and recruited athletes, then the Regular round — by that same logic — is brimming with underrepresented minorities, low-income students, first-generation college students, and more. So, how exactly will it be easier to get in during the Regular round? It won’t be!

8. The college admissions process is a sham. If one doesn’t bribe an athletic coach or hire a proctor to fill out the SAT for them, one doesn’t have a chance of getting in — it’s entirely random!

Despite your sour grapes, the college admissions process is not a sham or random. It’s highly predictable (if you’re asking the right experts, that is!) As an example, one of the ways our students beat an unfair system at an unfair game is by not presenting well-roundedness. Our students do not excel in sports, music, and community service. Instead, our students showcase a singular hook. They dare admissions officers not to admit a student who will change the world in one super specific, often small way. And they certainly haven’t bribed their way in anywhere with fake credentials!

7. Cornell denied my son in the Early round. Among his Regular Decision schools are Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford. 

It’s time for a dose of some old-fashioned reality. If your son didn’t get into Cornell after committing to attend if offered admission, he is highly unlikely to earn admission to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford in the Regular Decision round. If you want to leave 1-2 of these schools on the RD list just so you never have to wonder throughout the rest of your life if he could have gotten in, by all means, do so (but don’t say we didn’t warn you that this will likely be a waste of time!). A better use of everyone’s time is to focus on reach schools where he might be able to get into RD. Oy vey!

6. My daughter is very stubborn. She wants to do everything herself. I can’t convince her to use a private college consultant. 

You know what? Good for your daughter. However, while her conviction may get her far in life, we don’t predict it will help her get into a highly selective school. So please don’t waste our time. We wish you the best of luck!

5. My son applied to Dartmouth this year because a student with lower grades and scores got in last year. So we just assumed he’d get in, too. 

Oy vey. We also heard that it was raining men in some small American town the other day. But that’s the funny thing about anecdotes and word of mouth — it’s so easy to mislead. While grades and test scores aren’t everything regarding admission to an elite school like Dartmouth, the students who get in despite poor performance are the exception rather than the rule (and probably development cases, recruited athletes, or legacies!). 

4. A college counselor must not be all that, or everyone would use one. Why should I bother hiring you if you can’t guarantee admission to the school of my child’s dreams?

Our admissions track record should speak for itself. But not everyone does their research before lashing out. Hire a great piano teacher if you want your child to be a great pianist. If you want your child to be a great swimmer, you put him on a team with a great swim coach. If you want your child to be admitted to the best university possible, hire a great college counselor. We’ve been helping students get into highly selective schools for decades. But we can’t provide a guarantee — nor can anyone, for that matter. If you see a college counselor doing so, your best bet is to run for the hills. 

3. Your Post Mortem sounds like just the thing my son needs. I’ll get back to you in a week. 

No! Don’t get back to us in a week. In a week, you’ll have wasted so many days that should have been devoted entirely to fixing mistakes from the Early round for Regular Decision schools. If you want to do the Post Mortem, the time to act is now.

2. My daughter was deferred and has already sent a family photo album to the admissions office. She also sent a card, a box of home-baked chocolate chip cookies, two additional letters of recommendation, and a year’s supply of toothbrushes. My wife is a dentist. 

Oof. We’ll leave it to you to determine where this family went wrong.

1. It’s too late to fix my son’s case for admission. His cake is baked, his ship has sailed, and his bread has been buttered. Is all hope lost?

No! While there will indeed be some mistakes that are no longer correctable in mid-December for the Regular Decision round, many mistakes can absolutely still be corrected. How a student tells his story, presents his activities, tailors his supplemental essays to each school to which he’s applying, and so much more is still very much within his control. This can all absolutely still be changed before January deadlines. And if he didn’t get in Early, there are opportunities for significant improvement. Please don’t delay in contacting us!

If your child was deferred or denied admission, fill out Ivy Coach’s complimentary consultation form and indicate whether your child was deferred or denied at the bottom. We’ll then be in touch to lay out the best go-forward strategy and outline our services for deferred or denied students.