Find Your College Online.

• Author: GUERNSEY, LISA
• Position: Brief Article

Searching the Internet gives you more power--but also more spam

Thomas Lipsmeyer, a high school senior with a talent for the tenor sax, plays his horn nearly five hours a day. So when he decided that he wanted to go to a college with a strong music program, he applied the same discipline to the college-search process.

He logged on to the Internet, searched for colleges that offered music majors, and came up with 30 that seemed to match his criteria. After months of research, he narrowed his choices to three, including two colleges he had never heard of when he started.

"I don't think I could have done it without the Web," says Lipsmeyer, who attends Parkersburg South High School in West Virginia. "I probably would have selected West Virginia University and just gone there. I wouldn't have heard anything about other colleges, because they were out of state."

But not everything about the process worked to his liking. As he did his online research, some sites asked him to fill out registration forms and disclose his e-mail and home addresses.

"Ever since I did that," he says, sounding annoyed, "I've been getting an awful lot of mail about opportunities to join the Army, Navy, and Air Force." Was this something he was interested in? "No," he says without hesitation.

College-bound students across the country are experiencing the same mix of euphoria and frustration. Many rave about how the Web is making the search for a college easier than ever. Articles, rankings, and virtual tours abound--and all are free. No longer do students have to sit in a library flipping through college guidebooks, or depend on parents and guidance counselors to point them to a particular university.

"The power has shifted to the student when it comes to research," says Phil Dunkelberger, chief executive and president of Embark.com.

But in coursing through the online terrain, students are also finding its pitfalls. In many cases, the Web sites are free because they are supported by companies that sell products to students. Sites also make money by selling students' addresses to colleges and commercial entities such as banks, long-distance companies, and textbook shops.

HUMAN GUIDANCE USEFUL

In addition, the outpouring of college information can be confusing. Unless students search for colleges using very specific criteria, online software programs will list hundreds of matches. Several guidance counselors say they find themselves in greater demand, as students and...