The undergraduate liberal arts program is assumed to promote sophistication in thinking. At the same time, certain levels of cognitive ability are assumed to be present in students accepted into selective undergraduate colleges. Beginning in the fall of 1991, a long-term research study was undertaken at a small residential liberal arts college…

Based on the assumption that dental schools need to consider applicants with diverse backgrounds, a study was undertaken of the relationship between undergraduate majors and performance in dental school. Liberal arts majors performed as well in dental school and as well or better on licensing examinations as science majors. (Author/MSE)

A discussion on the tension between university organizational interests and individual student interests with respect to the use of admissions tests is presented. Responsibilities of colleges and professional schools toward an increasingly pluralistic society are examined, and the need for more research on evaluating human competencies is urged.…

Analyzes multiple selection criteria for teacher preparation programs in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia and relates them to institutional factors such as student enrollment and funding sources. Suggests that smaller colleges and universities are more concerned with selection criteria, especially the use of…

In a review of the court decision and opinions in the Allan Bakke medical school admissions case, reasons are found for further proceedings on the issue and to dispute counsel's claim of having produced all available information. Available from Southern University School of Law, Southern Branch Post Office, Baton Rouge, LA 70813. (MSE)

A Johns Hopkins School of Medicine symposium on Women Physicians in Contemporary Society is summarized. Although a growing number of women are entering the profession, they are particularly vulnerable to the competing pressures of career, marriage, and child care. (JMF)

A South African study explored predictors of success among 18 educationally disadvantaged and 8 advantaged students in a University of Witwatersrand developmental studies program. Results showed academic success was considerably less predictable among disadvantaged students. Universally-used admission criteria were not predictive for either group;…

Despite the growing teacher shortage, teacher educators must maintain program quality. A teacher education program in Washington explains program expectations to applicants and identifies potentially problematic students during a screening session. A student manual explains student rights and responsibilities, and student progress is tracked so…

Many medical schools are paying closer attention to the interview as a powerful recruiting tool. Interviews can be unstructured, semistructured, or structured. A major problem with interviews is the interviewers' bias. Research reports of structured, semistructured, and unstructured interviews in the psychology and the medical education literature…

A case study in a developing country raises issues about the use of tests for educational selection. Issues concerning secondary school admission in developing countries have counterparts in admission criteria for higher education in developed nations. However, one case study of one system cannot provide definitive conclusions for others. (SLD)

The decision of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to stop giving significant admissions preference to minority students sparked student protests and debate about universities' promises of affirmative action. Constitutional scholars and higher-education officials found the university's numerical goals for admissions legally risky, so the…

In response to legislation eliminating race and gender as factors in admissions decisions, the University of California instituted a series of short- and long-range outreach strategies to recruit disadvantaged students, increase the number of underrepresented minorities in the eligibility pool, change the culture of secondary schools to promote…

A report based on a study of 45,184 students entering 28 selective colleges in 1976 or 1989 is the most comprehensive look at how students benefitting from racial preference in college admission fared during and after college. The authors say the findings disprove the claim that black students with low test scores are better off at less selective…

This longitudinal study examines minority status stress and socio-cultural orientation among Latino freshmen as they enter a predominately White, elite, private institution. The study finds Latino freshmen report experiencing racism. Students respond to racism by developing an alienated sociocultural orientation and beginning to see their Latino…

The Freshman Index, a combination of SAT score and high school grade point average, is the primary mechanism facilitating admissions decisions at Georgia State University. This article examines the relationships between these three admissions criteria and the graduating grade point averages of Asian, Black, and White six-year graduates.…