Low-socioeconomic status (SES) students are underrepresented at selective colleges, but the role that admissions offices play is poorly understood. Because admissions offices often have inconsistent information on high school contexts, we conducted a randomized controlled trial to determine whether providing detailed information on high school…

This was an exploratory qualitative study utilizing tenets of phenomenology to examine the lived experiences of front-line student services professionals in Admissions and Financial Aid and their dilemmas in interpreting and implementing California Assembly Bill 540 (2001) in their interactions with undocumented students. Front-line student…

This study examines the relationship between high school efforts at post-secondary preparation for college bound students and the expectations of college and university admissions personnel. The Advanced Placement (AP) teachers and administrators at a rural Northwest Florida high school were administered a quantitative survey in order to collect…

Undergraduate admissions in the United States is a multibillion dollar industry involving families, higher education institutions, journalists, testing companies, test preparation companies, private consultants, marketing firms, high school guidance counselors, high school teachers, coaches, financial advisors, and publicly funded programs.…

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…

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…

In an effort to recruit digitally native high school students, admission professionals at colleges and universities are incorporating blogs on their websites in an effort to render authenticity in their marketing materials. Of 4-year accredited colleges and universities, 66% have a blog; 85% percent of institutions with blogs reported that their…

Recruitment pieces are often part of a university's larger marketing effort or branding. With the assistance of consultants, admission officers conduct research and often know more about prospective students than students may know about themselves (Gose 1999). Why do admission offices often have a difficult time reaching target audiences?…

When considering any type of alternative or special admission processes for incoming students, the university is charged with taking into account traditional admissions criteria such as high school grade point average (GPA) and standardized test scores as well as other attributes. These "other attributes" frequently include pressure to…

Using interview data from 34 admissions officers at 17 elite colleges, this paper compares two perspectives shaping admissions policy. Admissions officers apply a "merit" perspective that relies on indicators of student academic and nonacademic achievement. They also employ a "competition" perspective that evaluates student characteristics…

Regardless of the setting, prospective students should put their best foot forward when they talk with admissions officers. Many college admissions programs refer to the campus encounter as an "information session" and tend to be less formal, but the students are well-advised to be prepared to promote themselves. (MLW)

Alumni can serve many functions in college admission work. The alumni's greatest asset in admission work is their experience of the alma mater. Having alumni meet with potential students may be the best use of alumni by admission officers. Alumni can meet with prospective students in a variety of contexts. When meeting with students at a function…

Explores how to design effective admissions rating system by looking at selection of academic and personal measures, derivation of academic rating, personal rating, accounting for different testing patterns, and other advantages. Emphasizes importance of ensuring students that their folders will be reviewed in their entirety and that review…

Presents an excerpt from Essays That Worked, a collection of outstanding essays on applications submitted to some of the top colleges in the country. Admissions officers were interviewed by the two Yale University student authors. Their attitudes towards, and evaluations of applicant essays, are presented. (KS)

Addresses pressure placed upon college admission offices, arguing that admissions staff are evaluated, not by what they do or how well they do it, but by numbers: how many first-year students, transfer students, and minority students have enrolled; and how one year's enrollment compares to previous year's enrollment. Urges working toward practice…