Access to American higher education is increasingly becoming a privilege for upper-class youth while low-socioeconomic status (SES) youth are increasingly marginalized and unable to compete in the college choice game. In order to increase parent involvement in college choice for low-SES African-American and Latino parents, a paradigm shift must…

Throughout the country and through the years, several colleges and universities have been the focal point of violence and tragedy. These tragedies include the brutal beating and murder of a gay student; a campus bonfire that killed 12 students and alumni; a residence hall fire that claimed the lives of three students; terrorist activities in two…

College counselors regard themselves as teachers and educators, but they are something else as well. They are links between the location of childhood and the larger, more risky terrain of first adulthood. College counselors prepare students for an actual, not merely figurative, journey, the prospect of which fill students and their parents with…

This article argues that all too often, parents and students are romanced by a college's name rather than looking for the best matches between student and school. Proposes that in the end, the best fit should be what the student determines, and there should be several fits, not just one. (GCP)

In 1985, 228 4-year colleges and universities completed surveys regarding enrollment management activities. "The College Handbook 1991" (Handbook) and "Peterson's Guide to Four-Year Colleges 1991" (Guide) were reviewed to obtain fall 1989 admissions statistics for same 228 colleges. Comparison of survey responses and Guide and Handbook information…

Conducted survey of philosophies and practices of rejection letters from broad spectrum of selective colleges and universities. Surveyed high school counselors, students, and parents to determine their feelings about rejection letters and practices. Many counselors and students agreed that such letters were warm and compassionate but lacked…

The degree to which the lives of America's gay youth have improved over the past decade is staggering. In no small part due to frequent exposure to gay issues and gay people in the popular media, there is greater acceptance of differences in sexual orientation, and in many communities youth can access one of hundreds of gay student associations…

Recommends that counselors advise students to look at seven often underemphasized, but important, aspects of college life that should be considered when examining student recruitment publications and visiting colleges and universities. Offers advice to high school students about how to evaluate the quality of these aspects of the learning…

In contrast to technological predecessors, the Internet affords a prospective student with unlimited and uncontrolled access to formal and informal information about any institution. Article provides four vignettes that illustrate what a prospective student can find on the Internet. Discusses the implications of the Internet on the college…

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…

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…

Describes vital role that institutional research can play in helping college or university market itself more successfully to prospective students. Presents findings from College Candidate Reply Form, investigating accepted students' attitudes concerning sources of information provided by college and its characteristics, completed by 76 first-year…

Surveyed high schools as to their models and practices of grade weighting, sought opinions from college respondents who participated in past national surveys on weighting averages, and determined feasibility of recommending national grade weighting system. Found that weighted grading system is preferred by college admission professionals. (NB)

Conducted five-year study of the various choices students (n=4,923) must make at each grade level in high school to make solid decisions about which college or university to attend. Findings revealed that parents played important role in formation of students' educational aspirations and in decisions about saving for a postsecondary education. (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)