Surveyed college admissions offices (N=236) to determine the current status and perceived usefulness of letters of recommendation. Results show 87% of respondents required or considered letters of recommendation. They were considered useful in revealing personal qualities, particularly of handicapped and minority applicants, which could offset…

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…

A growing worry for college admissions officers: Will enough students show up to fill the dorms and pay the profs? (Editor)

Attempts to measure personal qualities in admissions are often inadequate because of poor understanding of the admissions process. Results of a major study illustrate the different objectives in admissions and how use of personal qualities might be improved. (Author)

While the recent growth of homeschooling in America may not be an overall threat to public education in America today, some school districts are reporting that they are experiencing declines in their enrollments, which ultimately means a revenue loss in their school districts (Hetzner, 2000; Vater, 2001). The U.S. homeschool population (K-12) is…

Following a l987 survey that found university admission officers at 22 institutions uncertain of the educational value of most high school journalism courses, a l988 study sought to collect more extensive data in order to determine current admission office practices. Admission personnel were asked if their institutions permitted journalism to…

This compilation includes an introduction and three speeches on the nature and mission of college admissions. Examines the historical roots of admissions policies; admissions officers' roles as social engineers; and the importance of diversity in student backgrounds, experiences, and points of view. Proposes strategies for continuing educational…

A qualitative investigation of the conduct and content of medical school admission interviews found that differences in the 10 interviewers' perceptions of the purpose and structure of the interview varied according to their professional background and amount of experience with the admissions process. (MDM)

The doctoral thesis summarized in this document investigated which set of teacher education program admissions criteria best predict achievement by examining the relationship between outcomes in the teacher education program and test scores and other indicators of academic achievement. The particular problem was to determine the predictive value…

Describes growing popularity and shortcomings of commercially published guidebooks which rate and/or evaluate colleges and universities. Suggests questions counselors should pose when evaluating guidebooks. States National Association of College Admission Counselors' policy to not encourage or participate in any evaluation system undertaken for…

Presents a model of the admissions process for a bachelor's degree engineering program at Brown University. The study used key nonfinancial-aid related criteria to develop student profiles and then correlated admissions decisions with applicant profiles to test admissions officer bias. Results indicated that admissions officer bias plays a strong…

Using Bowen and Bok's data from 23 selective colleges, we fit multilevel logit models to test two hypotheses with implications for affirmative action and group differences in attainment of science, math, or engineering (SME) degrees. Hypothesis 1, that differences in precollege academic preparation will explain later SME graduation disparities,…

A collection of 50 essays from successful applications to various U.S. colleges is presented along with comments from admissions officers. It is noted that "right" and "wrong" essays do not exist, and with a little creativity and effort, almost any topic can make for an effective and memorable college application essay. Every…

The purpose of the study was to compare college admission decisions concerning handicapped and nonhandicapped applicants with comparable Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and high school grades (HSG). The study focused on 1,539 handicapped students who applied to 121 institutions that participated in the College Entrance Examination Board's…

This study analyzed the retention and completion rates of international students seeking a master's degree at an American university. Records of 866 international students from 1987-2002 were investigated. Of these, 622 graduated, 92 dropped out of the program, and 152 are still active. Predictor variables analyzed to determine retention to degree…