College
Help
The National Center for Education Statistics at the U.S. Department of
Education lists some 9,000 colleges, universities, and vocational
schools at Ipeds College Opportunities On-Line. Using a search form,
you can query the database by location, type of institution, size, and
academic program. You can then read a summary of each qualifying
institution (including tuition and living costs) and click through to
the school's own Web site. Ipeds COOL also has links to other
college-related sites, including the DOE's Student Financial
Assistance Pages and CampusTours.com. Its uncluttered design and
single-minded mission make it the perfect place to begin your college
or vo-tech search.
 |
CampusProgram.com |
|
The
index-style home page at CampusProgram.com could have been plucked
from Lycos or LookSmart. Click the Science category and you get a
page with 35 subcategories that range from Actuarial Science to
Zoology. Choose a subcategory and CampusProgram.com serves up
links to related program pages at colleges and universities in the
U.S. A Canadian directory is also available.
CampusProgram.com also has links to job search sites, test
preparation services, and other resources, but quick access to
departments and programs at university Web sites is what sets it
apart from the competition.
|
|
Peterson's |
|
Peterson's
is the grande dame of college directories, transplanted from your
high school counselor's desk to the Web. If you get past the ad
clutter, you'll find databases on everything from four-year
colleges to online extension courses to study-abroad programs. The
site also has basic how-to articles on planning and financing an
education. |
|
Unfortunately,
the quality and quantity of information are uneven. Some listings
have links to colleges and universities; others refer you to
Peterson's printed directories or tell you that "no in-depth
description is available." Also, you may have trouble
distinguishing between internal and external links (or between
editorial information and advertisements) once you leave the home
page. Inconsistent page layout and navigation make it even more
difficult to find what you need in this collection of equal but
separate education "channels" from Peterson's.
|
|
College
Tip |
|
College
Tip is a bare-bones directory of college portals, testing
services, and other academic sites. Although the clean interface
is a plus, the lack of annotations makes College Tip a better bet
for counselors or librarians than for students and parents who
aren't familiar with the names in the index. |
|
