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The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) commissioned this paper to help policy leaders and decision makers understand the impact of selected state financial aid programs on students' choices--choices of which college to attend, where to attend college, and even whether to attend college at all. As the paper shows, states have created grant-aid programs for a variety of reasons and through a variety of funding sources. This paper examines grant-aid programs in 11 states in varying degrees of detail. In some states, all the need-, merit-, and blended-aid programs are described, along with the policy environments that gave rise to them. In other states, only some of the programs are analyzed because they served as the most useful examples. This analysis identifies the start date for the programs and describes the qualifications for eligibility, the legislation that established the programs, and the policies and political environments involved in creating them. The authors make several recommendations to states that are considering creating grant-aid programs. First, states need to work together with the federal government and institutions to mitigate the increasing cost of college. The authors also recommend that states learn from other states and their experiences about state grant-aid programs. Finally, the authors challenge states to conduct empirical studies of their aid programs when possible. (Contains 7 tables and 147 endnotes.)

This paper presents a template for creating a school environment in which college is a reasonable expectation for all students. Drawing from the research literature and lessons learned from more than 4 years of partnership work between a public research university and a cluster of urban K-12 schools, the paper outlines a set of conditions that are consistent with the creation of a "college culture." Some examples are offered about how these conditions play out at the middle school and high school levels, and the paper concludes with reflections on the process of cultural change. In 1979, the University of California at Los Angeles and the nonprofit public interest organization The Achievement Council formed a partnership with 24 local schools (2 high schools, 4 middle schools, and 18 elementary schools) to create a culture in which students would expect to go to college. The project has concentrated on the middle school and high school levels by brining in an additional counseling position to give each school a person who assumes responsibility for creating the college culture. Nine principles have been identified as essential for such a culture: (1) college talk; (2) clear expectations; (3) information and resources; (4) comprehensive counseling model; (5) testing and curriculum; (6) faculty involvement; (7) family involvement; (8) college partnerships; and (9) articulation. (Contains 60 references.) (SLD)

This paper presents a model of college choice that suggests that students' choice of college can be related to perceived "capital conversion" benefits. The model was tested on an evenly distributed sample (n=22,109) of students; one group attending elite colleges (with average freshman Scholastic Assessment Test scores of 1200 or higher) and the other attending less-selective colleges. Data for the 40 variables explored in the study were drawn from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) 1994 Freshman Survey. Descriptive analyses provided a profile of elite college students, and regression analyses identified the variables most strongly associated with attendance at highly selective institutions. The study findings support a pattern suggesting that students attending elite schools base future expectations on cultural capital, while those at non-elite schools base expectations on economic capital. Table 1 lists student descriptive statistics, and Table 2 provides standardized regression coefficients for the four selective college choice models. Appendices list elite (non-military) colleges in the CIRP database and provide an outline of the Cultural Capital College Choice Multivariate Model used in the study. (Contains approximately 50 references.) (CH)

This study examined characteristics of independent educational consultants, who provide a new and rapidly growing service, as well as characteristics of their clients who use these consultants in their college search process. The study used data from the Consultant Survey, which was mailed to 317 independent educational consultants of whom 157 returned surveys. The study also used data from the Student Survey, a large national survey of first-time freshmen with a total 1993 sample of 296,828 freshmen from over 600 institutions. Of these, nearly 3 percent (n=8,029) had used a private consultant. Analysis of the consultant data found that consultants: are mostly white and female; most have masters degrees; have high school or college work experience (though only 15 percent have worked in college admissions); are located in the Northeast, California, or the Midwest; visit a college campus about every 6 days; and charge by units of service. A college counseling package cost an average of $950, and the consultants' average hourly charge was $86. Data on consultants' clients indicate that they: tend to be advice seekers; usually come from privileged families; are usually white and female; more often attend private high schools; and tend to file more than five college applications. Predictors of consultant service use were father's career, having had remedial work in math, and parents' marital status (students with widowed or divorced parents were more likely to seek consultant services). Includes 10 tables. (Contains 14 references.) (JB)

The study examined the ways in which status cultures and organizational environments influence high school students' college decision-making. Interviews were conducted with 12 white female high school seniors from four northern California high schools (a low socio-economic status(SES)/low organization public school, a low-SES/high organization Catholic school; a high-SES/low organization public school; and a high-SES/high organization private preparatory school) as well as with their best friends, parents, and counselors. The study analyzed the four schools' total resources devoted to college preparation; the structure, goals, and objectives underpinning the college guidance program; and the assumed knowledge of students participating in college planning. Findings revealed that the pressure on college-bound students is more pronounced at suburban public high schools and the private college preparatory school than others, and that school context played a significant role in shaping students' college choice. Most students applied to colleges that matched some aspect of their current habitus: colleges with the same supportive environment as their high school, or colleges consistent with their own personal values or personalities. (27 references) (LPT)

This qualitative study focused on African American and Latino high school students perceptions of standardized admission tests, including the Scholastic Assessment Tests (I and II) and the ACT Assessment. Students enrolled in college preparatory classes were interviewed about these tests individually and in focus groups in fall 1998 in their junior or senior year of high school. Thirty-one seniors were interviewed individually, with the remaining 86 seniors and all 110 juniors interviewed in focus groups. Data were coded using NUD*IST, a computer program for qualitative data to determine patterns and categories in the students knowledge and understanding of standardized tests. Four themes were identified: (1) information sources; (2) preparation; (3) students test taking strategies; and (4) students beliefs and anxieties regarding the tests fairness. Findings show that overall, the African American and Latino students were very concerned about taking standardized admissions tests and scoring well enough to be admitted to the college of their choice. The students strategy was usually taking any free or low-cost preparation assistance offered and taking the tests over and over. It is also clear that lack of information and lack of resources to pay for tests and test preparation and the pressure that students feel to perform well make standardized tests a barrier to college attendance for the African American and Latino students in this study. (Contains 42 references.) (SLD)

Drawing on fieldwork, interviews, and literature reviews, trends in college admissions are examined, including increased competition, higher admissions standards, and growth in admissions management services. Focus is then placed on the role of private admissions counselors in providing knowledge, attention, management of college choice, and adjustment of unreasonable aspirations. (Author/MSE)