The relative utility of premedical grade point average in distinguishing among prospective medical students and predicting medical school performance was evaluated in students from two medical school graduating classes. The measure was found susceptible to several extraneous sources of variance that negate its effectiveness. (MSE)

Admissions in North Carolina's private higher education institutions were examined using data from the fall of 1975 to fall 1980. These highlights emerged: (1) first-time freshman applications rose 29 percent in private universities and colleges in that period; (2) the percentage of freshman applications accepted declined from 69 percent in 1975…

Examined college transcripts from a large eastern university to determine whether persistence, academic achievement, and gender were related. Found that females with moderate and low levels of academic achievement were substantially less likely than males with similar performance to apply to medical school. Offers a "normative alternatives"…

A study of historical data on medical school applicants from 1978-79 through 1991-92 indicated that acceptance rates for underrepresented minorities and others increased as applicant numbers declined, then decreased as applicant numbers rose. However, when controlled for undergraduate science achievement and Medical College Admission Test score,…

Conducted a series of analyses under various assumptions concerning affirmative action plans, causes of racial differences in average college admissions test scores, and racial differences in accuracy of performance predictions. Evidence suggesting a lower level of predictive accuracy for African Americans implies that, under affirmative action,…

Systems used by the medical schools for evaluation of applicants for 1984-85 pediatric level 1 residency positions at the Duke University Medical Center were studied to determine the relationship between contents of the applications and the rankings of these applicants for the National Resident Matching Program. (Author/MLW)

The academic performance of reapplicants who entered the University of Alabama School of Medicine were examined and compared with first-time applicants. Applicant status added nothing to the prediction of academic difficulty over what could be predicted by preadmission measures alone. (Author/MLW)

A study of the performance of Brown University medical students admitted with and without an interview, based on course performance, standardized test scores, and residency evaluations, provides evidence that the selection interview does not contribute to the predictive capacity of the admission process. (Author/MSE)

In the first decade of the 21st century, the nation, the states, and colleges and universities began to grapple with the challenges of globalization, changing demography, the implications of the digital era, and of a less expansive public sector. Although not a transformative period for higher education, the decade saw significant innovations in…

The difference between accepted and enrolling students was modeled over a 30-week period using total number of students accepted, mean composite SAT scores, and mean high school quarter rank. The enrollment yield and academic ability difference functions were collectively modeled for the university and separately for each academic college.…

This study concentrates on the comparative academic risk'' of new freshmen entering college with a history of psychiatric problems and attempts to isolate any symptoms or behavior patterns that contribute significantly to increased academic risk. (Author/RK)

A study of 'unqualified' mature applicants to the University of Sheffield is described. Successful 'unqualified' applicants in the Universities of Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and Manchester are compared. Subjects selected, rates of precourse withdrawal, dropout, final degree results, and problems encountered by the mature students are discussed.…

The problems and progress of a group of students designated as disadvantaged upon college entry and demographic factors that may be critical predictors of disadvantaged students' academic failure in a course are examined. Special advising and intervention are recommended, so that students need not take the initiative to seek help. (MSE)

There is a growing demand for admissions tutors in UK universities to use more rigorous and systematic decision-making methods in recruitment processes. A key barrier to achieving this goal is the lack of a coherent and definitive body of knowledge upon which such methods can be built. The yardstick used for the majority of applicants is A2-level…

Misconceptions of what teacher accountability really is are explored here, along with some valid expectations of the concept. (Editor)