Seeking Admissions Solace On The Net

Growing numbers of students are turning to Web sites–some commercial and some hosted by colleges and universities–that provide chat rooms, blog tools, and other online forums for aspirants to swap rumors and stories about the admissions process. Many observers believe such sites suffer from the rampant misinformation that plagues plenty of other online content. Moreover, they believe that despite the intention of the sites to smooth the application process–and the waiting game that follows–many users see their stress and anxiety worsen after using the sites. Applicants are routinely annoyed, for example, to hear from a student with worse grades who was accepted by a school that rejected them. Robert Massa, vice president of enrollment at Dickinson College, noted, “People need to realize that anybody can say anything on the Internet.” Bari Meltzer Norman, operator of a site that offers admissions advice, characterized much of what happens in online chat rooms as “pure speculation” among applicants, suggesting that many of the comments she sees “should be directed at a knowledgeable college adviser” rather than at other students. Sally Rubenstone, editor of another admissions-advice site, said that often what students should do is go “to a movie or out for a jog and away from the keyboard and admissions angst.”

New York Times, 31 March 2006 (registration req’d)