The Present Day College Admission Marketplace - 1170 Words

The present day college admission marketplace in the United States is part of an extensive historical evolution. In the 1920s, broadened public interest and the burgeoning of the credit industry led to the first waves of democratization in the higher education arena (Kimball, 2011). The subsequent professionalization and a growing pattern of stratification in the admissions marketplace have seen institutions of all types using increasingly sophisticated mechanisms to attract qualified applicants (Duffy and Goldberg, 1998). With the release of the first U.S. News World Report rankings in 1983 (Morse, 2008), public perception of college admission significantly shifted and colleges began to adopt widespread enrollment management†¦show more content†¦With the exception of the eligibility-based model which champions â€Å"entitlement† and â€Å"open access†, the other three models are selective in nature in that students are compared against one another on the basi s of certain criteria before an admissions decision is made. The most common and basic philosophy adopted by institutions is the performance-based model, which judges applicants based on their demonstrated performance prior to college. This model is advanced through two approaches, meritocracy and character. The meritocracy approach views acceptance into an institution as a reward for prior academic achievement, while the character approach focuses on personal qualities such as resilience and civic virtue (the College Board, 2002). In addition, many colleges also assess students based on their ability to benefit from higher education. The two approaches under this theme include the enhancement approach and the mobilization approach. The former is intended to identify and nurture talent while the latter promotes social and economic mobility (the College Board, 2002). These approaches attempt to contextualize previous accomplishments in light of the student’s circumstances and accord value to unrealized potential. The final philosophical model evaluates students based on their ability to contribute to the institution and society if admitted, both in the short run and long run. In the short run,