College applicants' increasing use of consultant services to help ensure admission to elite colleges is criticized by college admissions officers, concerned that the services assist only the wealthy, and by high school counselors who feel consultants may be dispensing bad advice or may not be committed to student needs. Some feel college…

Despite a rise in enrollments at women's colleges nationwide, there is concern that the applicant pool is weakening. Average college entrance test scores of freshmen have dropped considerably since 1968. Some see research comparing women's performance at single-sex and coeducational colleges as unreliable. (MSE)