College Exploration and the Internet 

Early Stages

From the very beginning or your college search efforts to getting ready for that first day of college, the internet will prove to be an important resource.  But surfing the Web can also prove to be a time black hole without a plan.  In order to be sure that Internet time is productive instead of frustrating, these few pointers will move you quickly towards your collegiate dreams.  

Search Engines and Keywords
Just about every high school student is now familiar with search engines such as Google and Yahoo.  The critical point to keep in mind when surfing the web through one of these sites is that you need to be thoughtful about the word you chose to search under.  While a general search such as "college admission" can generate upwards of a million sites, you may want to be a little more specific in your search.  For example, if you are interested in the University of California system you may want to type in “admissions University of California” to beeline your search to the schools you are more interested in exploring.  The general searches are good for the broad areas like lists of college home pages, application procedures, financial aid and so on.  The more specific searches would be used for exploring the departments you are interested in (such as literature, mathematics, pre-med, etc.)

Cut to the chase with a database
There are a variety of databases on the Web that can be used as a tool for comparing colleges and exploring additional options.  The bigger Websites also have a variety of informative avenues covering topic such as financial aid.  Some common ones include the College Board and Princeton Review. 

We live in an age where all sorts of information is available with the click of a mouse, so you need to be a savvy information consumer.  Some sites are sponsored sites and only include the colleges that pay to be listed, so you could miss some options if you rely on only one site. Once you have located a possibility, it is best to go to that specific school’s website for the most current information, especially regarding cost and deadlines.

Janelle Jalbert