Today is a big day at Accepted:

1. My birthday ebook sale ends tonight at midnight. You can still save 50% on all ebooks and info-products today.
   
2. The 2009 MBA Admissions Telethon starts today at 10:00 AM PT (1:00 PM ET, 5:00 PM GMT) and runs for two hours. You still have time to register for your free, 15-minute MBA admissions consultation. But do so ASAP.

Let's see what's interesting in college admissions these days:

• Perfect Phrases for College Application Essays McGraw Hill recently published Accepted editor Sheila Bender's most recent book, Perfect Phrases for College Application Essays. Although not yet available at Accepted, it is available from Amazon and other bookstores. Don't let the fool you. This book is not a mere collection of mantras that could cause you to blend into the gray mass of application; it is a collection of techniques to help you craft the perfect phrases to compellingly tell your story and stand out from the crowd.
• Accepted College Admissions Ebook Birthday Sale from now through May 13. Save 50% on:
• How to Write Great College Application Essays and Stay Sane: Discover how to engage your parents constructively while applying, remain in control of the writing process, and produce great essays for your college applications. 
• Submit a Stellar Application: 42 Terrific Tips to Help You Get Accepted: Discover practical, hands-on advice to help you complete your applications and get accepted, with a collection of the best of O&E tips.
• Yale Crows About Yield. In an article in the Yale Daily News last week Yale announced that its yield is virtually unchanged from last year at this time. To date, 68.9%, compared to 69.4% last year, of accepted students have indicated their intention to matriculate at Yale in September. In addition, "Yale's applications did skyrocket to a total of 22,813, an 18 percent increase over last year's total. Early applications this year rose a staggering 36 percent from last year." The article claims that these stats indicate the predictions of massive uncertainty in face of reduced number of early admissions programs and significant changes in financial aid policies were overblown.
• Other Ivy League schools, however, are less sanguine. "Top Colleges Dig Deeper in Wait Lists for Students" in The New York Times surveyed admissions directors at elite programs throughout the country, and they anticipate they will use their waitlists much more than they did last year.  As schools scramble for students, and students try to capture the best option, look for continued uncertainty and turmoil on the college admissions scene.

• NY Bar passage rates increased for the February administration of this grueling exam.  According to NY Lawyer, the overall passage rate was 49.5%, up 5.3% over the February 2007 administration. 64.1% of first-time bar takers passed this administration. The passage rate for first-time test-takers who graduated from ABA-approved law schools was 76.3%.
• Birthday Ebook Sale. Now through May 13 you can save 50% on Accepted's law admissions ebooks.
• Submit a Stellar Application: 42 Terrific Tips to Help You Get Accepted: Discover practical, hands-on advice to help you complete your applications and get accepted, with a collection of the best of O&E tips.
• The Nine Mistakes You Don't Want to Make on a Law School Waitlist: Learn how to avoid the mistakes that doom so many on a law school waitlist and make the right moves that increase your chances of acceptance.

Let's see what's going on in the pre-med world, or at least around Accepted that is of interest to pre-meds.

• Early-Bird Special. Start your AMCAS essay now. Finish your AMCAS essay soon. Submit your AMCAS essay early. And save 10% off all Accepted medical essay editing during the month of May. Just enter “MEDSPECIAL” at checkout.
  
• Birthday Med Ebook Sale. May 9-13  In honor of my birthday, I am giving you all 50% off all Accepted's medical school and post-medical school admissions ebooks including:

• Submit a Stellar Application: 42 Terrific Tips to Help You Get Accepted: Discover practical, hands-on advice to help you complete your applications and get accepted, with a collection of the best of O&E tips.
• The Nine Mistakes You Don't Want to Make on a Medical School Waitlist: Learn how to avoid the mistakes that doom so many on a med school waitlist and make the right moves that increase your chances of acceptance. 
• Write Your Way to a Residency Match: Submit an application that's a hit with the residency admissions staff. This succinct ebook provides sample documents and tips galore to make your residency application shine. 
• Write Your Way to a Fellowship Match: Discover how to avoid the common mistakes and make the right moves that can propel you to a prize fellowship match.

• AAMC's Biometric Identity Verification Service. AAMC announced this week that starting in late June it will launch its biometric ID verification service at ten schools with the intention of offering it to all members the following year. The service wlll ensure that the person who took the MCAT is the person who interviews and the person who shows up to class.
• May 14: AAMC says that the 2009 AMCAS application will be available on or around May 14. That's Wednesday.
• May 15: If you have been accepted by more than one school, you must inform both the school you plan to attend and those you intend to jilt in writing of your decision by May 15.