Throughout the college application process, there may come times when a college explicitly asks for an update from a student or when it might behoove the student to send one outside the parameters of the requested components of the application. In regards to this latter scenario, this typically occurs when a student’s early application (either early decision or early action) has been deferred by a university. Here are some thoughts when crafting these notes:

• Unless specifically requested by a university, please do not write updates if there is nothing to update them on! Between November and February, for the vast majority of seniors, there is nothing new to report aside from first semester grades, but the colleges will all have received them as part of the midyear report. (Be sure to check that this is correct with your school counselor, though!) Best to avoid sending a lackluster or otherwise unhelpful note that merely occupies the time of a college admissions person.

• If a college does request an update, please be sure to read their instructions carefully. Often they are very explicit about what sort of information they are looking for, and often there is a word count or other restriction. Pay attention to the little details. See below for additional suggestions.

• If you are going to write an update, here are some pointers:

  • Be respectful of your reader’s time. Be succinct and only include that which is necessary and legitimately an update.

  • Be precise and accurate in your language. While a misplaced comma or grammar issue can certainly be forgiven within the context of an entire application, these notes tend to stand out on their own, so make sure they are carefully crafted.

  • Avoid listing and instead focus on interpreting. For example, although your colleges will all likely have received your first semester, second quarter, or first trimester grades (depending on your school) as apart of the midyear report, you may choose to highlight or otherwise point out a particularly noteworthy part of your achievements. (e.g. “In Physics, my favorite class, I was able to earn an A- on the final exam due to my commitment to reviewing all of my homework, resulting in my highest performance to date.”)

  • Typically, most of the updates students will share are in regards to extracurricular activities. Keep these to one or two sentences each, and be aware that people outside of your school might not understand some of the common vernacular and lingo surrounding your school. Be succinct yet thorough in explaining such terms.

  • If true, share with the college that “if admitted, I will attend.” If not true, do not utter these words.

  • Be appreciative and respectful, even if you have been deferred!

  • Write a draft and share it with your college counselor or someone else who would be happy to help you proof your note and to provide feedback.

I originally wrote a version of this post for http://blogs.tas.edu.tw/collegecounseling/2019/01/23/writing-notes-of-update-to-colleges/ on 23 January 2019.