It might seem axiomatic that the character of a university's academic experience would be reflected in the character of its admissions processes. Unfortunately, it is not--at least, not in the world of continuing and adult education. Universities that offer rich academic programs, high-quality student/faculty relationships, and top-quality learning environments do themselves the remarkable disservice of creating admissions processes that are overly automated, impersonal, and distressingly bureaucratic. Why is this happening, and how can it be fixed? At many universities, the contrast between the character of the admissions process and the academic experience for adults is striking. Somehow--and without anyone intending it--a gap has developed between what universities promise to adults in their academic programs and the experience that they model during the admissions process. Entry into an academic program that promises to be personally engaging, professionally enriching, and intellectually transformative is preceeded by an admissions process that is highly transactional, mostly impersonal, potentially destructive to students' perceptions of the school, and a discredit to the university brand. This article offers practical solutions to improve a university's admissions process. (Contains 1 table.)