Early applications: are viewbooks and paper applications passe? Here's how to make your school's Web site a powerful recruitment tool
Matrix: The Magazine for Leaders in Education

Eighteen-year-old Sarah Weekly gave up on paper college applications when a sports bottle burst inside her backpack, soaking three of her nearly completed applications. Pressed for time, she decided to apply online with Embark, a one-stop Internet resource providing information and tools for students to research and apply to college. She says she "made up all that she had lost, and more" in just one night.

"Embark was amazing," she says. "Not only did the forms end up neatly completed and concise, but I also received friendly little notes, reminding me of deadlines and which items I needed to finish. I could spell check, print a hard copy (complete with watermark seals,), and access my application anywhere and anytime.

"Instead of worrying about mail delays and lost papers, I was soon grinning proudly at a sheet of paper printed from my computer that read `Congratulations! You have submitted your application!'"

Mine Metitiri didn't want a lack of time to be the reason he didn't apply to the school of his dreams.

"Applying online was easier, because not only could you send it straight to the computer but you knew that you filled out the information correctly," he says. "A confirmation e-mail was sent to me minutes after completion, so I didn't have to worry that they got it or whether I had enough stamps on the envelope. I also liked that I could work and perfect my personal essay without having to settle for less than perfect results due to lack of back-up applications."