Kristina Dell is an editor at Newsweek.com and runs the education website. Previously, she wrote for TIME magazine. Her stories have also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and Reader's Digest.

Suffering in waitlist limbo? Seize the opportunity! Kristina Dell on 8 proactive moves you can make to nudge yourself into the “accepted” category during this make-or-break moment.

As college acceptance gets tougher, more applicants are put on waitlists or offered deferred admissions, which only prolongs the waiting game. And only a lucky few ever get in, writes Kristina Dell.

At 5 p.m. Wednesday, Ivy League schools notified their lucky applicants—the precious few admitted in the toughest admissions year ever. From soaring waitlists to a Southern boom, Kristina Dell on 10 trends.