This article provides information to parents with kids considering an honors program or college. Suggestions include getting a guide book to look at the overall institution; finding the child's comfort level in terms of what size institution would be ideal; checking out the institution's Web site; and keeping affordability in mind.

In this article, the author states that no matter how experienced and exposed to life college freshmen may appear, no matter how sophisticated they may seem, they are vulnerable and unsure of themselves a lot of the time. The child in them grapples with the emerging adult; they are eager to enter adulthood but understandably fearful of what they…

Discusses the home visit as an effective and underutilized recruiting method for colleges, citing the example of Eureka College's practice of visiting the homes of prospective students. (TE)

Contends that high school counselors are critical of college ratings because they hinder effective college-choice counseling. Suggests prospective students actively engage in selection process and college admissions counselors stress need for good match between individual and college. (CM)

Points out limited value of college guides in college selection and encourages use of supplemental sources of information. Suggests questions to pose when evaluating guidebooks. Recommends prospective student consult with guidance counselor and family during decision-making process. (CM)

Discusses issues in counseling college-bound gay and lesbian students in their college-choice process. Reports on surveys showing that college choice is often influenced by gay students' sexual orientation. Suggests that counselors steer such students away from campuses that condone exclusivity in social life and student activities. Identifies…

Every year the college rankings in "U.S. News & World Report" raise voices disparaging the rankings' methods, validity and contribution to status-driven consumerism. Now, voices are rising against a September 2002 "Worth" magazine article, which ranks preparatory schools not according to the quality of education, but merely on which schools appear…

Advocates uniformity in college applications--a centralized application system in which candidates would supply the required academic, personal, and financial information and a rank-ordered listing of their target universities or colleges. Target colleges would segmentially evaluate the applicant as a first-choice candidate until the applicant was…

Considers how early college planning should begin and points out several dangers and fallacies of planning excesses. Discusses motivation for planning, fixing on certain schools, and the adolescent's need to measure up. Asks who is setting the goals and orchestrating the process--the child or the significant adults in his/her life. (NB)

Describes potentially confusing and overlapping opportunities for students who apply early decision or early action when applying to colleges. Considers difficulties that students and institutions can encounter when admission plans are unclear. Urges colleges to standardize the admissions process in order to better serve students. (NB)

Argues that words and images do matter in the student-recruitment process because they are the initial matchmakers between institutions and students. Presents ideas and suggestions that can be incorporated into practice in student-recruitment publications. (NB)

A college admissions officer at Wesleyan University (Connecticut) offers two views of early decision programs, one based on personal experience as a student and one drawing on professional experience as an administrator and knowledge of the concerns of parents. The evolution of different kinds of early decision policies and the resulting confusion…

The author conducted focus groups with seven Black male college-aged students who either attend or attended predominantly White institutions (PWI) in the South. The author believes that it is important to pay close attention to the attitudes of African Americans enrolled in PWIs and HBCUs. Both students and educators should recognize the…

Argues trend toward benign and homogeneous college promotional materials/presentations makes college selection process more difficult. Feels tactic of deemphasizing importance of college board scores to increase applicant pool and thereby enhance "college profile" is unethical and deprives college applicant of ability to make informed choices. (CM)

Notes that current surge in promotional activities has called into question the social responsibility of colleges and universities. Focuses specifically on admission and promotional practices. Begins by reviewing the current practice, then goes on to discuss self-regulation, counseling, and the role of marketing in the college admission process.…