Social media are at the heart of the daily communications of adolescents. In many cases, however, adolescents are unaware of the consequences of the long-term availability of their online personal information. Given the rising prevalence of online background checks on potential partners, college applicants, and job candidates, online search…

Over the past several years, the admissions officer has been confronted with a situation that does not fit into the scheme of his normal operations--namely, the admission of foreign students. Often, because it has not been in the order of things, he has delegated this "irksome" problem to some "lowly" assistant or to the interested professor who…

The U.S. college admission environment has changed enormously over the last three decades. What have those changes meant for the profession of college admission officers? In this paper, the authors will describe the enormous changes that have taken place in high schools, colleges, and the entrepreneurial admission sector. They will describe how…

Bob Uecker, the Milwaukee Brewers' quipping radio broadcaster, makes his brief and lackluster career as a major league catcher the subject of much of his humor. About catching the knuckleball, Uecker famously said, "I always thought the knuckleball was the easiest pitch to catch." Of course, there is an even better way to catch a knuckleball, and…

The increasing competition for the desired quantity and quality of college students, along with the rise of for-profit institutions, has amplified the scrutiny of behavior and ethics among college admissions professionals and has increased the need for meaningful ethical guidelines and codes of conduct. Many other areas of responsibility within…

Few professional processes are more personally intrusive than the college application. It demands information about your family, your finances, your interests, and your desires. For lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) applicants in their teenage years who may not be comfortable with their sexuality, admission officers need be sensitive…

At selective colleges and universities across the United States, admissions officers decide the fate of students seeking higher education. Historically, those decisions have been based on standardized test scores and high school academic performance. But that did not always yield the most diverse student body, so other attributes have been and…

On-campus admissions events are the secret weapon that colleges and universities use to convince students to apply and enroll. On-campus events vary depending on the size, location, and type of institution; they include campus visitations, open houses, preview days, scholarship events, admitted student events, and summer yield events. These events…

The handyman has a tool for everything, but the admissions dean is not so lucky: He must make do with just a few. Every year, presidents and professors expect freshmen who are curious, determined, and hungry for challenges. The traditional metrics of merit, however, can't reveal such qualities. Standardized-test scores may or may not predict a…

As members of enrollment management units look ahead to the next few years, they anticipate many institution-wide challenges: (1) implementation of a new student information system; (2) major upgrade of an existing system; and (3) re-configuring an existing system to reflect changes in academic policies or to accommodate new federal or state…

In his sixteen years in college admissions, the author has evolved in his work, role, and mission. He began as an eager recruiter, excited to help high school students get into college; now he is a seasoned director committed to college access. As he reflects on his career, a five-stage progression merges: "learn," "execute," "lead," "contribute,"…

The education sector is no stranger to fraud, unfortunately. This article provides best practice guidance in recognizing and dealing with fraud, with emphasis on domestic and international academic credential fraud. It includes practical approaches to academic document review and verification. Success in fighting fraud requires becoming informed,…

The University of Southern California (USC) Center for Enrollment Research, Policy, and Practice, dedicated to research and action that advances the societal benefit of enrollment policies and practices in higher education, sought to shed light on professional preparation, career path and development issues related to chief admission officers and…

Road runner. File jockey. Advisor. Public speaker. Recruiter. At any given time, an admissions counselor fits one, some, or all of these descriptors. While all of these descriptors indicate an important function within a college or university, none reflects the increasingly complex nature of the role of an admissions counselor in strategic…

The Academic Success Inventory for College Students (ASICS) is a newly-developed, self-report instrument designed to evaluate academic success in college students. The 50-item instrument has 10 factors that measure general academic skills, career decidedness, internal and external motivation, anxiety, concentration, socializing, personal…