*Testing: You can register for both the SAT (collegeboard.com) and the ACT exams (act.org) online and get your scores there as well. (ACT charges an extra $8 for that privilege.) Only a few matters, like SAT testing for students with disabilities, can’t be handled by the Web. Warning: both companies sell e-mail addresses to colleges; you may get unwelcome school pitches.
*Touring: Too many kids visit schools the way their grandparents did European capitals–“If it’s Tuesday, it must be ?K” You can narrow the choices with virtual tours on college Web sites. But don’t view them as gospel. On Cornell’s, the snow is the stuff of Christmas idylls–not, as it really is, the stuff of Russian novels. Need something more elaborate? At collegiatechoice.com you can buy video tours ($23 for one, $87 for five) of roughly 300 American campuses.
*School sites: Virtual tours provide postcard images. You can fill out the picture by surfing college Web sites. At the very least, schools have become adept at delivering a message–be it small classes or great diversity–that establishes their values. But just because it’s on a site doesn’t mean it’s true.
*Applications: While not all schools have gone as far as the University of Dayton in Ohio, which accepts only online applications, they’re the trend, especially for colleges that share the common application. The process is so much simpler that some kids are tempted to apply to many more places as a result. You can also use the Web for some background research. Past examples of the University of Chicago’s famously eccentric essay question, “Elvis is alive! Prove,” are online. Caveat: inform your high-school counselor of each application to ensure that support materials are delivered.
*Financial aid: Forms are available online (though applying would probably go quicker if your younger sibling, rather than your parents, filled them out). Check out federal aid through FAFSA (studentaid.ed.gov).
*Decisions: The thin envelope/fat envelope divide can be brutal. Even if your worst fear is only a smirking mail carrier or hovering parents, e-mail rejections are preferable. You can delete bad news instantly, which beats building a bonfire in your waste-basket. And you might even get accepted.
Does all this seem too complicated or decentralized? The University of Southern California has created a new and free Web site (preparingforcollege.usc.edu) aimed at helping all prospective college students navigate the entire process. You will, inevitably, be buffeted by plenty of advice from the well intentioned. Genuine help, though, is always at a premium.
