At many of the colleges and universities that attract the most applicants, the high-school course of study is a critical component of the evaluation. Many schools advise their candidates that they must take the most difficult course of study available at their high schools to have a chance of earning admission. Students can feel intense pressure…

The four college years is the last important developmental period of a young person's life, and what happens then can and often does have substantial consequences. He can be awakened and fired up to develop himself and his talents, he can plod through largely untouched or unenlightened, he can be frustrated and turned off, he can transfer, or he…

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…

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…

NACAC's anniversary is a great time to follow up on an article on high school visits, a topic of ongoing discussion in every admission and guidance office. The article highlights a variety of potential good outcomes that can be derived from collaborative interactions. Sadly, however, admission representatives are apt to be described by the…

Over the past decade, the number of students with disabilities enrolling in college has increased steadily. Data are not gathered annually, but the figures compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics show that the number of undergraduates at degree-granting institutions rose from 1,508,000 in 1999 to 2,156,000 enrolled in 2003, a 69…

An early admission call-up was used to attract high-achieving students to a private university in Lebanon. The call-up, which is essentially an offer of admission before the student takes any formal steps, was administered to the top 25th percentile ranked students of main feeder schools at a private university in Lebanon. Data were accrued for…

In this article, the author shares how choosing a college can be an overwhelming experience. She shares that there are so many choices. Almost every college fits all the requirements she wanted. As such, she decided to stop worrying about college and made a decision to enjoy the high school experience she is living right now.

It didn't end with an acceptance letter in the mail. That was the highlight of the high school to college transition, but it wasn't the finish line, far from it. In this essay, the author describes his feelings on transitioning from high school to college. He finally sees that the process is worse than he thought. Because it's not another step in…

Two methods of showing the ability of high school grades (high school grade point averages) and SAT scores to predict cumulative grades in different types of college courses were evaluated in a sample of 26 colleges. Each college contributed data from three cohorts of entering freshmen, and each cohort was followed for at least four years.…

This study examined pre-college variables from an admission-office perspective and the ability of these variables to predict college grade point average (GPA) for students specially admitted into an academic support program for at-risk students. The research was conducted at a private, highly-selective, research university in the southwest United…

Over the last several years there have been numerous calls for reforming high school to college transitions. In 2000-2001, the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) and the National Commission on the High School Senior Year respectively called for a re-thinking of how students moved from secondary to postsecondary education. A widely-discussed…

Many in the college counseling profession are fortunate to have numerous occasions to positively impact students' lives, but too often, they are humbled by the many missed opportunities throughout the years that have undoubtedly occurred due to enormous caseloads, excessive demands on their time, performing non-counseling tasks, and in some cases,…

A student?s standardized examination score and high school percentile rank are two intitative factors admission often uses to form a selection index, which is one of the main criteria used to make college admission decisions, especially in public universities. While the standardized scores are based on national examinations, the high school…

Surveys college freshmen about different types of high school coursework and their relationship to academic aptitude and college success. Possible predictors of college success considered are the number of "academic,""aesthetic," and "practical" course credits, as well as high school grade point average, American College Test score, and gender.…