Inside Higher Ed has a couple of interesting articles about the college admissions scene:

• "Moving Ahead on Admissions Reforms" reports on and speculates about a meeting between Lloyd Thacker, founder of the Education Conservancy,  and the presidents of several leading colleges. Thacker disclosed that "there was discussion at the meeting of such topics as early decision, the SAT, rankings, merit financial aid, and the messages colleges send during the admissions process." Thacker has been trying to reform the process and reduce the frenzy surrounding admission to top schools.
  
• "Closed Doors" discusses the tiny number of community college students accepted to private colleges and universities. Inside HIgher Ed  reports that less than 1 out of 1000 students at elite private schools comes from community colleges where a large percentage of college students start their education, particularly if they come from families of limited means. Furthermore, the article reports that transfers overall have declined: "In 2002, the proportion of students at elite private colleges who transferred from another institution was 5.7 percent, down from 10.5 percent in 1984." The article does not reveal acceptance rates at the private schools for transfers from community colleges or from other 4-year institutions.