THE TORCH-JUGGLING APPLICANT ...
and other weird tales from the admissions zone.
(Illustration by Tim Foley)
STRATEGIES
How three institutions are working to achieve their enrollment goals.
A REFORMER IN DEMAND
Lloyd Thacker and his Education Conservancy have higher education's attention.
PRIVATE COUNSELORS
Some of them are offering pro bono or discount services to the less-wealthy students who most need help with the admissions process.
STUDENT AID
A guide to recent changes in federal policies.
Commentary
CULTURE SHOCK
For blue-collar minority families, college admissions can be an alien world, writes Carolyn Alessio.
(Illustration by Tim Foley)
A DEFENSE OF THE PROFESSION
We don't just help students sell themselves to colleges, says Katherine Cohen. We help them become the people they want to be.
OUT OF STATE, BUT WITHIN REASON
Institutional partnerships and regional educational alliances can often reduce the cost of tuition when students cross state borders, says Christopher C. Morphew.
THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY
Admissions officers discuss the students they really wanted to snag but couldn't.
MOVING ON
After her alma mater rejects her daughter, Erika J. Waters considers the nature of alumna allegiance.
DISCOVER YOUR PASSION
The "gap year" is ripe with possibility, says Holly Bull.
THE VIEW FROM THE ADMISSIONS OFFICE: Private counselors prey on parents' anxieties, says one administrator; they prey on parents' illusions, says another. But a third says that a conscientious guide can indeed be helpful.
APPLICANT ESSAYS: Two samples -- one from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, the other from Miami Dade College -- from students who were admitted.
ACCESS AND OBSTACLES
Controversy surrounds recruiting tactics, merit scholarships, standardized tests, rankings, "packaging" of applicants, and more.
AFFORDING OPPORTUNITY
Can class-based or class-conscious admissions make first-tier colleges a more viable option for low-income students?
NO QUICK FIXES
Reformers are battling commercialization, conformity, and elitism in admissions. But those issues, nuanced and complex, don't lend themselves to sound bites.
ALTERNATIVE MEASURES
Critics of admissions practices regularly bash U.S. News rankings and SAT's. But are colleges and their constituents ready to embrace the alternatives?
CROWD CONTROL
Enrollment nationwide is expected to peak in 2009, but some states will see growth for a decade or longer and are scrambling to meet the demand.
CAPITOL CONCERNS
A summary of financial-aid and student-access bills before Congress.
Commentary
FORUM
Six experts discuss the strengths and weaknesses of America's admissions practices.
'A THUMB ON THE SCALE'
If top colleges want to be "engines of opportunity" rather than "bastions of privilege," they must reach out to disadvantaged students, write William G. Bowen, Martin A. Kurzweil, and Eugene M. Tobin.
RANDOM CHOICE
Barry Schwartz proposes a way to eliminate hypercompetitive admissions. Three admissions deans respond:
CODE BREAKING
Rachel Toor defines admissions lingo in a devil's dictionary.
PROFIT'S PERILS
Lloyd Thacker decries the commercial intrusions eroding educational values.
REMEMBER YOUR ROOTS
Michael V. Martin fears that land-grant universities are drifting toward an elitism that undercuts their purpose and history.
DIVERSE LESSONS
Two years later, Jonathan Alger says, colleges are still sorting through the implications of the Supreme Court's Michigan rulings.
ASSESSING OUR MOTIVES
Standardized tests don't predict aptitude, success, or happiness. They only give us the illusion of precision, says Theodore A. O'Neill.
PHANTOM FRESHMEN
Single-choice early-action plans create "ghost" applicants that hurt other candidates, writes Bruce J. Poch.
APPLICANT SAVVY
Marty Nemko offers strategic admissions tips for students and parents.
FIGURE ENHANCING
James Sumner chides colleges for tailoring admissions data to suit various audiences.
LIFE CHOICES 101
Selecting a college, says Philip A. Ballinger, should be part of the educational experience.
SPEED READ
Quick summaries of recent reports on admissions
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