Although competition at top colleges may be stiff, there are ways to improve the chances of admission, including: careful high school course and extracurricular activity selection to highlight academic, creative, leadership, initiative, and maturity characteristics; application and interview approaches; college choice; and timing. (MSE)

The relatively greater success of Australian private high school students in gaining university admission than of public school students is examined from the viewpoints of social factors, college preparation, and the university curriculum. (MSE)

The numbers of Black and minority students and faculty at universities are declining for a number of reasons: Federal student aid and compensatory programs are being cut back, admissions standards are stiffening and many inner-city students are ill-prepared to compete; and universities are making less of an effort to recruit Black students outside…

Most British universities accept students conditional upon A-level grades and place little reliance on recommendations. A study of social science undergraduates shows the importance of attitudinal variables and the headmaster's report in predicting success at the university. More attention should be paid to these reports. (IS)

Secondary education continues to grow and expand while the number of high-school graduates increases from year to year. The percentage of graduates who continue on to a higher institution is also on the rise. Thus, a list of those secondary schools that do a standard quantity and quality of work is imperative for those who wish to apply for…

Efforts to improve the reliability or prediction in dental school admissions by combining several preprofessional academic averages and selected nongraded personal attributes into a single admission index score are outlined. Use of the index is also proposed for use in monitoring less-qualified students' progress. (Author/MSE)

Proceedings of the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers which relate to nontraditional programs, including programs for special categories of students, are summarized. Names and institutions of conference participants are included. (MSE)

Criticism of the use of standardized tests in postsecondary education centers on: using test scores as the sole or main criterion for admission; scoring practices used for normative or grading functions rather than for diagnosis; and tracking students into different types of postsecondary institutions. (MH)

Admission policies and academic standards are seen as two problem areas. The changes in admission policies and educational standards are examined and their impact upon each other is discussed along with the meaning of standards, adaptive instruction, academic placement and exemption, testing and grading practices, program assessment, etc. (MLW)

The theory of culturally biased test scores is discussed, in terms of both the Bakke case and the theory's broader societal implications. Literature addressing the problem of test bias is reviewed. Remedies for predictive invalidity are proposed. The importance of thorough documentation in court litigation concerning this issue is stressed.…

Discusses higher education in the Czech Republic in light of the 1989 Velvet Revolution and the 1993 division of Czechoslovakia, focusing on secondary schools, motivation to enter higher education, admissions, funding, the state university system, capacity limits, and other barriers to access. (MDM)

Applications to law schools have slipped steadily since 1990-91, and current applicants have a 70% chance of admission. Faculty are seeing more students with mediocre skills in writing and analysis. Institutions are providing more academic support, and some are cutting enrollments. However, law schools often are a prime income source for their…

Discusses three issues: selection and education of medical students in the context of liberal education; evolution of the medical school curriculum to a more learning-focused, ethics-based one; and the training of physicians who see medicine in a broad social context. Argues that the liberally-educated doctor is most likely to have such a…

For years in Australia some form of public examination has been regarded as the test of the 'good' school or student. As a direct consequence, the examination exerts an influence upon the curriculum that makes reform difficult. An open admissions policy is discussed. (MLW)

A follow-up study of 148 medical school graduates investigated the predictive value of medical college admissions data for choice of a generalist career (family practice, general internal medicine, general pediatrics). Factors indicating a high orientation toward community service before medical school were found predictive of generalist choices.…