Secondary education in Fiji ends with the Form 7 examination. Predictive validity for academic success of Form 7 scores which form the basis for admission into the Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery programme of the Fiji School of Medicine was examined via a cohort of 129 students. Success rates for year 1 in 2008, 2009, and 2010 were 90.7…

Elite public schools must use some method of selecting their students. Given the desirability of this scarce resource, these methods are closely scrutinized. Demographic and other changes in the school districts may make unstable procedures that were deemed successful at one point. This "recurring problem" is the subject of this article,…

First-year students are still failing at an alarming rate. This is an international issue that universities face and there is currently no clear indication of the cause of the problem as universities move from being elite to providing mass education. This article examines the possible correlation between students' high school performance and…

In order to successfully match students and jobs in the medical profession of their choice, and at the same time meet the country's health care needs, it has become evident that access to medical schools and the various medical professions should be tightly regulated, in particular by a "numerus clausus." In most Western countries,…

With regard to the DeFunis vs. Odegaard law school admission discrimination case, selection models were applied to hypothetical situations based upon evidence in the literature concerning such matters as mean differences between majority and minority groups on predictors and criteria, slopes of the within group regression lines, and correlations…

Peer nomination (the practice of student selection of the outstanding students in each class) is suggested as the best criterion for identifying which medical students are likely to become the best overall physicians. A study comparing admissions information for award finalists and their classmates is described. (Author/MLW)

In a survey of a national, stratified random sample of graduate medical educational program directors regarding the way they selected their residents, the interview was found to be the most important selection variable. The results indicate that the recent increase in competition for residency positions has increased the importance of academic…

Media ranking of colleges is often superficial and only further confuses families and prospective students. In addition, some colleges are excluding students to present a "selective" profile. Rationality in admissions can return, when parents and students become knowledgeable about the process, counselors interpret changes, and colleges give…

A study is reported that compared a group of 24 applicants who were interviewed and accepted at the Yale University School of Medicine but went to other medical schools with a group who attended the same schools but had been rejected at Yale following an interview and committee deliberation. (Author/MLW)

A study investigated the relationship between undergraduate admissions selectivity at 40 research universities and academic rigor of course examination questions, as determined by the level of understanding required. Results suggest that more selective institutions do not provide more academically rigorous instruction than less selective ones.…

The predictive and incremental validity of both the Old and New Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) was examined and compared with a sample of over 300 medical students. Results of zero order and incremental validity coefficients, as well as prediction models resulting from all possible subsets regression analyses using Mallow's Cp criterion,…

Twenty highly selective colleges were surveyed to discover the effect on admissibility of a hypothetical high school senior taking a vocational course during the senior year instead of a second advanced placement course. While none would admit the vocational course participant, most would admit his dual-AP-course counterpart. (MSE)

The concept of equal educational opportunity in Germany has been limited by traditions of class rigidity and elitism. Faced with inordinate demand for admission, the German response has been to institute a limited admission policy. Generous financial aid and a policy of unlimited time for study have exacerbated admission pressures. (MLW)

Based on the assumption that more affluent colleges can attract more able students, a study was undertaken to find exceptions to this rule. It looked for affluent colleges that are relatively unselective and less affluent colleges that are selective. The purpose was to understand how college characteristics are related to selectivity. A…

Three alternative strategies for college selection, their associated cost and benefits are described in this study. These include a strict meritocratic procedure, a minority quota procedure and a disadvantaged quota procedure. The strict meritocratic procedure was operationalized in terms of predicted probability of success; the minority quota…