What to do if you got deferred
-don't freak out; these admission results are preliminary and oftentimes seem random. Frequently, extremely qualified people who are eventually admitted get deferred, and sometimes less qualified people are admitted early due to their circumstances and/or random chance. Even national/international Olympiad competitors are not always accepted early. Tip: if you still can't calm down, learn how to do http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/481
- Mail in supplementary material when appropriate. Many colleges (e.g. Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Princeton, Duke, Caltech) will accept an additional letter of recommendation, preferably from a non-teacher/counselor. Mentors for research projects, employers for skill-intensive projects, leaders of community service events with whom you have done meaningful brainwork are all optimal candidates. Other excellent supplementary materials include research papers, short pieces of writing or poetry that have won awards, or simply reports on recent, highly significant achievements or extension of items listed in application.