Deferred applicants who did not request alumni interviews before can request them until midnight on tonight (unfortunately not midnight Baker Island time.) So, log in, click "Request an alumni interview," and click "Save." If you requested one before and did not get one, we will do everything in our power to make sure you get one for regular notification.
Right now, as you can imagine, emails and calls are pouring in about how to do as well as you can in regular notification, and how exactly you should update your file. I find myself giving the same answer to everyone, because it is applicable for everyone -- do as well as you can in what is left of this semester, and continue to express interest. You can express interest by writing us a nice note in your midyear report, which will be available online in January and due on February 1. The midyear report -- either online or in the form of a new transcript from your counselor -- is required. It is your signal to us that we should re-read your application.
If you have new test scores, send us an official report. If you have improved essays, email them to your admissions counselor. Make sure your full real name and what essay it is (Question 1, Question 2, or Extended Essay, and what topic you are addressing) is on every page. If you have another recommendation, have the recommender fax or mail it in. If you have new glassblowing techniques, email your counselor a picture. There is no particular due date for new materials, but if you could get them sent before mid-January, that would be best.
Another note: we are not able to give reasons for decisions over the phone or via email, no matter how much we might want to. Our admissions decisions are made over the course of weeks (or months, for regular notification), by several people, sometimes during a conversation, taking into account the entire applicant pool. It really is impossible to recreate the reasons behind our decisions in a way that would be adequate or helpful to the applicant. We also do not have an appeals process.
