College Admission Tech 101: What Students Need to Know (for teens)

It's not your parents' college search. Way back in the days of yore, high school students pored over college guidebooks the size of doorstops, actually used the Post Office to communicate with admission offices, and painstakingly filled in their applications using a typewriter.

Those guidebooks can still be a big help, but students today have many more ways to research and apply to colleges. The Internet has made gathering information easy. But it can be hard to tell whether all that information is reliable. And online applications can make envelopes and stamps seem positively archaic. But electronic applications can be just as tricky as their paper counterparts. What's a high-tech student to do?

For some helpful hints on using the latest technology in your college search, read on for a quick course in Admission Tech 101.

Lesson One:

Just because it's on the Internet doesn't make it true. Okay, so that seems really basic for a tech-savvy person like yourself. But it's important to keep in mind for everyone that ever received an email about a nonexistent virus. (Quick! Forward this to 200 of your closest friends or the world will end!)

This lesson holds true for college-search sites, too. You probably won't find listings for nonexistent colleges. But you could end up with out-of-date application deadlines or lists of majors. Also, most college search sites include only the colleges that paid the site to list them. That's why you'll get different college lists from different sites (even if you plug in the same preferences).

"Use comparative Web sites only for a general feel and opinions," advises Jonathan Burdick, associate dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences at the University of Southern California. "Even the best can be only as good as the information they're given."

In other words, use the college-search sites as a starting point. Don't depend on just one site—get lists from several of them. Then go to the Web sites of individual colleges to get the real scoop.

Lesson Two:

Don't judge a college by its Web site. You can learn a lot about a college from its Web site. Many colleges have extensive sites that include faculty and student Web pages, detailed information about majors and programs, and even virtual campus tours.

Other colleges have more basic Web sites: They may have good information, but they're definitely not high on the "wow!" meter.

Don't be fooled by the quality (or lack of quality) of a college Web site.  A poor Web site tells you only that the college has not yet invested a lot in its Web presence. It says next to nothing about the quality of the college itself.

"The college with the best Web site—just like the one with the best publication—is not always the best college for a particular student," says Mary E. Lindner, assistant director of admission at Alfred University (NY).

The one exception to this principle may be students interested in a high-tech major. A well-done Web site may indicate a greater commitment to keeping up with the latest technology. That may not matter much to a history major, but a potential Web designer or software programmer may need a college on the cutting edge.