As part of the higher education community, we are not merely observers but key players in shaping students' experiences as they transition from high school to higher education. While this is a time of great excitement and possibility, it is also a significant challenge for many young people. How can admissions professionals help students manage…

The U.S. college admission environment has changed enormously over the last three decades. What have those changes meant for the profession of college admission officers? In this paper, the authors will describe the enormous changes that have taken place in high schools, colleges, and the entrepreneurial admission sector. They will describe how…

The college-going rates of rural students lag behind those of more urban students, a gap likely due, in part, to rural students' lower educational aspirations. These lower aspirations appear to be tied to the dilemma that higher education presents for many rural students: whether to remain in their rural home, working in traditional trades and…

When addressing the best ways to utilize high school visits, education professionals must remember that while student academic preparation, family support and financial aid improve student access to postsecondary education, the adult tutelage provided to students, regarding the requirements for postsecondary success and the process of securing…

While the college admissions guidebook industry has churned out numerous books and websites telling students what their essays should and should not do, most of those are written by former admissions officers, not by writers or teachers of writing, and almost all rely heavily on providing models of top admissions essays. As a result, students who…

This report is an amalgamation of data from four separate sources. The first source is NACAC's annual Counseling Trends Survey, conducted in May 2004. The purpose of this survey is to poll counselors in high schools to discover trends in their work responsibilities, particularly regarding college counseling, and to assess trends that affect…