Those in the profession of college admissions counseling worry about student "numbers," filling dormitories, academic quality, diversity, athletes, alumni legacies, etc. A perplexing development of the 1980s is the bidding war over financial aid and merit scholarships. The life of an admissions officer is described. (MLW)

A study on the use and effectiveness of marketing in postsecondary admissions is discussed. The study shows that only 8 of 16 marketing techniques were used by more than half of the respondents. The broader scheme of marketing is seen as not having been put to use fully by admissions officers. (MLW)

There have been dramatic changes in the environment surrounding American higher education and admissions professionals have had to adapt to them. Demographics, new societal attitudes, new complexities in admissions work, and new economic restrictions are seen as having changed the admissions profession. (Author/MLW)

Declining enrollments and a changing student population in the 1980s will require the admissions officer to achieve new and more varied skills, including those related to research orientation, information management, and financial aid understanding. New campus power may result. (MLW)

A survey of the ways in which two-year-college admissions offices in the middle states region have been affected by social and demographic trends is discussed. The changing role of the admissions officer, student retention, institutional research, and institutional problems are described. (Author/MLW)