October 13, 2006

The Power and Peril of Admissions Data

By ELIZABETH F. FARRELL

Colleges collect more information about potential students than ever before, but some deans worry about how the process is changing

Inside Baylor University's admissions office, almost anything is quantifiable. When a high-school student calls, an admissions representative ranks the student as soon as he or she hangs up the telephone. Callers who happen to mention that Baylor is their top choice get a 1 (on a five-point scale). If they seem likely to apply, they receive a 2. Those who

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