A description of the Graduate Management Admission Council's New Matriculants Survey focusing on school selection by Masters of Business Administration students is presented. Four sections are as follows: (1) reasons for applying and enrolling (including student differences in reasons for applying); (2) who applies to more than one school (e.g.,…

A 1989 survey of 1,800 first-year pharmacy students from 18 schools identified factors in pharmacy school selection and compared findings with 1985 data. Factors considered include institutional reputation, academic environment, finances, degrees offered, curricular options, advising, and student characteristics. Institutional reputation and…

A study investigated to what extent parental socioeconomic and educational background and college planning variables (familiarity with admissions, aspirations, financial planning) influenced the kinds of characteristics they looked for in colleges. Subjects were 1,332 parents of eighth graders. Results are presented and discussed in the context of…

A study of 95 high school seniors in Brisbane, Australia, investigated the relationships between students' perceptions of 3 different universities and their expectation of enrollment in business administration programs in each. Variables considered included students' level of information about the institution and the attitudes of significant…

A study investigated the criteria used by graduate students to choose a business administration program. Findings indicate a significant relationship between students' selection criteria and personal background characteristics such as race (white, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, black, Asian American), citizenship status, and gender. (MSE)

It is argued that research testing the reliability and validity of college and university reputational studies should be conducted, a concern not raised by consumers and publishers. Two studies of "America's Best Colleges," published by "U.S. News and World Report," raise questions about the guide's validity and suggest that…

Concerns about published comparisons of colleges and universities are organized into a framework to guide further research. A systematic method for addressing specific issues about the guides is presented, and the environment in which the guides are used is examined. Research needed to assure that the guides make a valued contribution and are fair…

As part of an early awareness initiative, the United States Department of Education developed an interactive software package to provide early information to middle school and high school students about postsecondary education opportunities, costs of attendance, and availability of financial aid. This user's guide describes how to install and use…

Debate grows over the validity and reliability of college and university rankings, which judge rather than describe institutions, as the public's willingness to accept them increases. While many institutional characteristics can be measured, measurement methods need improvement. One solution is to publish the peer studies that the institutions…

College-bound high school seniors and their parents too often choose their undergraduate institutions not on the basis of teaching caliber, but on the strength of the perceived academic credential. Faculty understand that in higher education, value and prestige attach first to research, second to teaching graduate and advanced professional…

Foreign students make up an important, and growing, segment of higher education in the United States. Reasons why foreign students come to the United States to study include the following: (1) the United States offers a serious approach to higher education in which students receive appropriate training and generally are able to complete the…

Enrollment management is discussed with focus on the expanding role of admissions professions and their increasing impact on institutional policymaking. Enrollment management influences the size, shape, and characteristics of a student body by directing student marketing and recruitment as well as pricing and financial aid. Attention is also…

Alabama's primary competitor in recruiting is in-state rival Auburn University which lures away roughly one in eight of UA's admitted students. Two factors stand above all others in attracting students to UA--academic reputation and social activities reputation. Factors following distantly are a visit to the UA campus, financial assistance and the…

The first of two articles on the psychological dimensions of the school-to-college transition looks at the rising anxiety of high school seniors applying to and selecting colleges, at the importance of rituals in the transition process, the stress of decision-making about the future, and the changes occurring during the senior year in high school.…

Commonly held misconceptions about what a college must do or provide to recruit and retain minority groups students are discussed, including ideas about program design, course offerings, student aid, minority faculty members, and support services. (MSE)