A comparison of the Universities Central Council on Admissions (UCCA) and the Single Application Method (SAM). (IR)

Surveyed college admissions offices (N=236) to determine the current status and perceived usefulness of letters of recommendation. Results show 87% of respondents required or considered letters of recommendation. They were considered useful in revealing personal qualities, particularly of handicapped and minority applicants, which could offset…

Changes in behavioral science preparation among applicants to U.S. medical schools and the success of behavioral science majors in being admitted are reported. Data provided by the Association of American Medical Colleges regarding the undergraduate baccalaureate majors of applicants to U.S. medical schools were analyzed. (MLW)

A guide to personal name customs in foreign countries is presented in order to help in U.S. college recordkeeping. It is recommended that foreign student's names be clarified at the beginning of their enrollment and that consistency be maintained throughout their records. (MSE)

A study of 'unqualified' mature applicants to the University of Sheffield is described. Successful 'unqualified' applicants in the Universities of Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and Manchester are compared. Subjects selected, rates of precourse withdrawal, dropout, final degree results, and problems encountered by the mature students are discussed.…

The problems and progress of a group of students designated as disadvantaged upon college entry and demographic factors that may be critical predictors of disadvantaged students' academic failure in a course are examined. Special advising and intervention are recommended, so that students need not take the initiative to seek help. (MSE)

Data from 10,000 college applicants, who had taken the Scholastic Aptitude Test-Verbal, were used to assess claims that guessing improves formula scores. Number of items attempted, a guessing index, the formula score, and an approximation of an ability score were obtained. Success in guessing is proportional to examinee ability. (TJH)

Project SRS (Students Recruiting Students), a recruitment program developed by Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, is described. Student involvement in planning, directing, and implementing the program is discussed. (TE)

A study compared student responses (n=137) on measures of trustworthiness and attitude when they were either just responding honestly or supposedly applying a graduate school or for a job. Results suggest students would modify their responses in some situations. Implications for use of honesty tests are examined. (MSE)

A survey of 250 colleges and universities gathered information on the use of market research concerning admitted applicants. Results indicated over half the institutions use market research and offer information about specific methodologies, budgetary support, and use of results. A content analysis of questionnaires used is also presented.…

Interviews with college students who had either applied to medical school (n=500), were qualified for admission but did not apply (n=277), or were typical undergraduates (n=1003) not applying to medical school found that expected job satisfaction was an extremely important career choice factor. Views of 93 premedical advisors on characteristics of…

Demonstrates that selection benefits of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) are minimal. Demonstrates that the Crosstabulation of Predicted Grades and the College Outcomes Tables would allow colleges to identify the level of redundancy in predicted admissions based on high school grade point average and to estimate the impact of the SAT on…

The strategies used by a variety of colleges to involve alumni in student recruitment efforts are described. These include awards programs, scholarships, talent scouting, college nights, interviewing, special events, and communication with prospective or incoming students. The importance of training and communication in the alumni-recruitment…

Colleges are using current students' and their parents' enthusiasm for the institution as an effective recruitment tool. Student contact with prospective students on campus visits, hometown contacts, and parent phone calls to prospective students' parents are useful strategies. Most are volunteers though some students are paid for their time as…

Director of admission and development describes summer college tour he made with his daughter before her senior year of high school. Experiences presented provide insight to counselors in the form of ways to approach their counselee's parents, as well as ways to approach their own children who might be beginning college admission process.…