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)

Contends that prospective students should evaluate suitability of colleges based on individual student needs rather than national ratings. Argues that ratings are superficial, sometimes misleading, and potentially demoralizing for academically weaker students. (CM)

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…

We jointly model the application, admission, financial aid determination, and enrollment decision process. We find that expectations of admission affect application probabilities, financial aid expectations affect enrollment and application behavior, and deviations from aid expectations are strongly related to enrollment. We also conduct…

The answers to why high school graduates who apply and are admitted to institutions of higher education but fail to appear in the fall may help college and universities better predict what proportion of their accepted applicants will enroll and to improve their services to prospective students. In November 1968, a questionnaire was mailed to the…

The report, "Why They Don't Show in September" analyzed the findings of a questionnaire sent to students who had been admitted to the Wisconsin State University at Stevens Point but failed to enroll in the fall. One major question left unanswered in the earlier study concerned 223 high school graduates who indicated that Stevens Point…

This article provides information to parents with kids considering an honors program or college. Suggestions include getting a guide book to look at the overall institution; finding the child's comfort level in terms of what size institution would be ideal; checking out the institution's Web site; and keeping affordability in mind.

In this article, the author argues that traditional college entrance requirements exercise a detrimental effect on other elements of the educational system. She begins by looking at the way that the entire K-12 system is skewed toward meeting the needs of those students headed for selective colleges and universities and the way less successful…

This paper analyses students' application strategies to higher education, the effects of labour market expectations and admission probabilities. The starting hypothesis of this study is that students consider the expected utility of their choices, a function of expected net lifetime earnings and the probability of admission. Based on a survey…

A study was conducted at Mercer County Community College (MCCC) to determine why some students who applied for admission to the college did not attend. A two-page questionnaire was sent to 698 students who applied for admission for the fall 1983 semester, but did not enroll in any credit courses that semester, and to an additional 381 students who…

Contends that high school counselors are critical of college ratings because they hinder effective college-choice counseling. Suggests prospective students actively engage in selection process and college admissions counselors stress need for good match between individual and college. (CM)

Surveyed 263 prospective student/parent opinions of campus visitation program. Found that 67 percent of students reported an increased likelihood of attending the college as a result of the program. Discusses additional findings and suggests features desirable for a campus visitation program. (PVV)

In 1972 and 1973, a 37-item questionnaire, the Accepted Application Survey (AAS), was mailed to a number of students. In the 1972 study the focus was on applicants accepted by Hofstra but who decided not to attend (no-shows). Approximately 45 percent of the 1972 population completed and returned the questionnaire. In 1973, the questionnaire was…

A model of student enrollment behavior based on the concept of consumer choice is proposed as an alternative to traditional models of college choice. (MSE)