Dartmouth, Harvard, Yale to use Internet in admissions process

With Internet access at American high schools now commonplace, admissions offices at universities around the country are considering moving some parts of the college application process online.

Many universities have already set up online systems that allow students to apply over the Internet. Some are now implementing methods for students to learn the status of their applications online, including the final admissions decision.

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, Yale University will soon begin allowing applicants to access admissions decisions electronically. Harvard University recently announced that undergraduate decisions will be sent out via e-mail in the wake of recent anthrax scares.

This is a drastic change in a process that affects so many high school seniors. Most Princeton students can recall where they were when they received their "Yes!" letter.

Karl Furstenberg, the dean of admissions and financial aid at Dartmouth College, said Dartmouth is also incorporating the Internet into the admissions process.

Furstenberg said Dartmouth is building a website that will allow applicants to check the status of their applications.

"Hopefully this will save phone calls," he said. The students will be able to access the website using their unique PIN number.

However, Furstenberg said he feels that receiving a letter in the mail "is still the nicest way for a student to learn of the decision." '

In order to accomplish this, the Dartmouth admissions office will still mail decision letters to applicants, and the website will only be available to inform students of the decisions five days after the letters are mailed.

University Dean of Admission Fred Hargadon said he does not see his office reporting decisions online in the near future.

Hargadon said he does not "believe it is either necessary or desirable" for students to learn the status of their applications online.

"Having decisions posted online does not do justice either to the effort the students put into their applications or the effort [the staff] put[s] into reading and evaluating them," he said.

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Hargadon said now that fears of anthrax contamination — and resulting mail delays — have subsided, the admissions staff is prepared to mail out decision letters at the normal time.

As has always been the case, Hargadon said that students who live in other countries or who do not receive their letter by a certain date may call the admission office to learn the status of their application.