Discusses mixed messages concerning test scores, application procedures, and financial aid policies students are receiving from the ambitious recruitment efforts by colleges which may purposefully mislead the students. Calls for colleges to communicate openly with students and help students understand how to use the information they seek. (ABL)

Conducted survey of philosophies and practices of rejection letters from broad spectrum of selective colleges and universities. Surveyed high school counselors, students, and parents to determine their feelings about rejection letters and practices. Many counselors and students agreed that such letters were warm and compassionate but lacked…

Uses data from the annual American Dental Education Association survey of applicants and enrollees to assess trends over the past 10 years, including the decline in applications beginning in 1998 after several years of increases. Also provides information on quality of applicants, gender, and race/ethnicity. Discusses reasons for the application…

Presents data gathered from the 81 U.S. colleges and schools of pharmacy describing the 1998-99 pharmacy application pool, degrees conferred in 1998-99, and fall 1999 pharmacy program enrollments. Contains several data tables breaking information into categories such as race and gender. (EV)

A new admissions screening process was pilot tested with 30 nursing school applicants and later with 230 1995-96 applicants, who provided reference letters and personal essays in addition to grade point averages (GPAs). Those admitted had slightly lower GPAs than in prior years, but were rated higher on qualities needed for the future health care…

Study examines outcomes associated with the use of technology in the higher education admissions process. Students who applied for admission electronically were compared to those who applied nonelectronically. Results reveal significant differences by race, gender, SAT score, residency, and type of application. (Contains 18 references and 2…

A survey of psychology graduate admissions committee chairs revealed 5 categories of mistakes applicants make that diminish their probability of acceptance. We discuss 3 strategies that psychology departments can use to decrease the likelihood that students will commit these mistakes in their graduate school applications and provide suggestions…

The degree to which the lives of America's gay youth have improved over the past decade is staggering. In no small part due to frequent exposure to gay issues and gay people in the popular media, there is greater acceptance of differences in sexual orientation, and in many communities youth can access one of hundreds of gay student associations…

The home-school movement, a once-marginalized segment of the educational community, is all grown up and going off to college. As colleges across the nation report increasing numbers of applications from home-schooled students, policies have been developed to evaluate these candidates. Translating years of independent study into something that…

This study is an investigation of the derivation of scores that predict whether or not prospective first-time freshmen will apply or will enroll and whether or not first-time freshman enrollees will graduate using data from the ACT (American College Testing) assessment. Using a regression methodology, four basic scores are derived to be…

This article presents and discusses some results obtained from the analysis of data collected by the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (NUI) Applications Centre (PDEAC), which was established in 1999 to administer the selection of student teachers for the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) at the education departments of the four NUI…

With over two thirds of high school graduates going on to pursue postsecondary options after high school and over one fourth at 4-year institutions and nearly half at 2-year schools never reaching their sophomore year, it is evident that the transition from high school to college is a broken one for many students. There has been a nationwide call…

Northwestern University has started a marketing strategy to interest potential students, including a road show and direct mailings. (PG)

The answers to why high school graduates who apply and are admitted to institutions of higher education but fail to appear in the fall may help college and universities better predict what proportion of their accepted applicants will enroll and to improve their services to prospective students. In November 1968, a questionnaire was mailed to the…

The report, "Why They Don't Show in September" analyzed the findings of a questionnaire sent to students who had been admitted to the Wisconsin State University at Stevens Point but failed to enroll in the fall. One major question left unanswered in the earlier study concerned 223 high school graduates who indicated that Stevens Point…