Many colleges offer optional essay topics in addition to their required essays. How do you figure out which optional essays are truly optional, and which ones are actually must-do's?

Do admissions officers review your social media accounts? Sometimes. Here's what you need to know.

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."

Here's a list of colleges where our students have been accepted this admissions season. We've put the schools in alphabetical order, because we are honored to help applicants with a wide range of profiles and target schools. You might be more familiar with some than others. Take a look! We are so proud of what these students have accomplished.

"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. 

Dear Ivey Coach: Please settle our family debate about the number of APs my son needs to take in 11th and 12th grades. He was in all Honors classes in 9th grade and this year he has taken 2 APs and 4 Honors classes. He attends a big public high school and he could take 6 APs both years for a total of 14 APs by the time he graduates.

Dear Ivey Coach: We just found out that my daughter’s school is eliminating all of the advanced art classes in favor of offering more music classes (the school has a highly reputed school orchestra and marching band, so music always wins). She’s crushed because art is HER THING and now she doesn’t have any good options for electives. Any ideas for her besides adding a study hall?

Anna recently spoke to the Harvard Crimson about Harvard's decision to drop the SAT and ACT Writing Requirements. Read more here.