Letter of continuing interest
All of my senior clients this year decided to apply to at least one college through early decision or early action, which means that now is the time of year when many of these students are hearing back from colleges about whether they've been accepted, rejected, deferred, or possibly waitlisted.
Acceptances and rejections are pretty straightforward. You're in or you're out. Being deferred or waitlisted is a bit more complex because it means that the college is either placing you back in their regular applicant pool or they're waiting to see how many students they've offered a place in next year's freshman class actually enroll.
Students who are deferred or waitlisted often ask whether or not there's anything they should do. The answer is "it depends." In some, but not all, cases I recommend sending the college a letter of continuing interest (LOCI).
A letter of continued interest is an email you send to an admission office after you’ve been deferred or placed on their waitlist. It informs the college that you’re still interested in attending and why. When you’re deferred or placed on a waiting list, follow the directions the college provides for what they want you to do next. If they specifically ask you not to send a letter, don’t! But many colleges will invite you to update your application with a letter describing your new achievements and why you are still interested in attending—and these colleges will weigh your expressed continued interest considerably when reviewing the next round. If you’re unsure, I recommend emailing your regional admissions counselor: “Is it okay if I send a letter of continued interest?”
If you've made it through early decision or early action without being rejected outright, that means the college thinks you are qualified, and you are still in the running for one of their remaining spots for this fall's freshman class. Colleges like to boost their "yield," meaning they like to make offers to students likely to accept their offer. A well-written and well-reasoned letter of continuing interest can be what the admissions committee needs to believe you'll enroll at their college, and that you have good reasons for doing so.
