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

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.

Lesson Three:

Go undercover. Of course, you need to know a college's majors, activities, and application requirements. But don't stop with the admission office's home page.

"First, look for the student newspaper online, and second, look for links to students' Web pages," says Palmer Muntz, director of admission at the Oregon Institute of Technology. "You can find good 'unofficial' or 'undercover' information on the institution." Plus, you can e-mail students and ask them questions about the school.

Undercover information can give you a more in-depth view of the college. It can tell you what the hot issues on campus are (fraternities? politics? bad cafeteria food?) and what students are interested in.

Other pages that can give you good information:

• Faculty home pages—some post detailed syllabuses of their classes.
• Department home pages—get information about majors from the people who teach them.
• Student organizations—check out the schedule for the Outing Club or see what resolutions were passed by the Student Senate.
• Alumni association pages—what are alumni of the college doing now? What is the college doing for its alumni?

Lesson Four:

An application is an application. Most colleges accept both paper and electronic applications. Many colleges prefer electronic applications because they make it easier to track student data. However, the type of application submitted won't make a difference in the admission decision.

"We work hard to make sure there's no difference in difficulty for the applicant or the impression they make on the admission committee," says Burdick.

Even so, tech-savvy students may find applying electronically to be easier and more efficient. But there are some pitfalls to electronic applications.

"Some paper applications are hard to read due to poor handwriting," says Muntz. "Similarly, some online applications are hard to read because students slip into their poor e-mail writing patterns."

It's easy to click a button and send an application to a college. But make sure that you take an online application just as seriously as a paper one.

Lesson Five:

Sometimes old ways are best. One of the best resources in the college search and application process is still your guidance or college counselor. He or she has firsthand information on colleges, has helped hundreds of students through the process, and can get to know you face to face. Even the most technologically advanced Web site can't top that!