"As applications to top schools continue to climb, students are increasingly relegated to waitlists. Colleges ostensibly use waitlists to fill spots that open up when admitted students decline to attend. But the lists have ballooned so much — some are even bigger than the size of a college’s incoming class — that college counselors have grown skeptical of their usefulness."Anna spoke with MarketWatch recently for a piece about waitlists at selective colleges. Read the rest of the piece here. 

Wow… it’s been a wild couple of days in the wake of the federal indictment against parents, sports coaches, a phony admissions consultant, and phony SAT/ACT proctor. It’s the Justice Department’s largest ever college admissions prosecution.

Well, not surprising, we have a few things to say about that. A lot, actually. Here’s the latest.

So many tests, so little time. When it comes to standardized testing for future college applicants, there are some decisions you have to make before fall of Senior year in high school to help you maximize your options when the time comes to apply. But there are ways to "work smarter, not harder."

Sometimes, even under the best of circumstances, you find an error in your applications after you've submitted them. Ouch. If you do find a mistake after you've already sent them off, don't panic. There are things you can do to set things right again.

If you have applied early to one or more colleges, the decision letter you received might not have contained a final decision. Instead of being admitted or denied, you might be notified that you have been "deferred."

You applied early and the notification deadline has come and gone and... silence. Ugh.

Here's what you should (and shouldn't) do to move things along.

1. Confirm that your application was received and deemed complete. Only complete applications get read and evaluated.

Now that your Junior year is well underway, we wanted to lay out some big picture items for you and your parents to think about as you plan out the rest of your school year. 

Early Decision deadlines are coming up, and you’ve probably heard a lot of advice about why it’s a good idea to apply early to college. But there are some circumstances when it’s better not to apply early, and you’re better off applying in the regular round instead.