Research post-secondary schools online

Visit college and university web sites to tour campuses, decide on courses and apply for scholarships

By Alyson Munroe

At about the same time that her daughter Caitlin was finishing high school and planning for university, Diane Sanci decided to go back to school.

Not sure what to study, Diane used search engines to research the web sites of local colleges and universities. When she found Capilano College's theatre program in north Vancouver, she knew she'd found the right school.

Now, two years later, she's enrolled in psychology courses (and would like to eventually get her cognitive systems degree) at the University of British Columbia, which she discovered by browsing the university's web site. She also used the site to pick courses, design her timetable and register. "I did a huge amount of research online," she says. "I spent days researching courses and sorting out my timetable."

According to a 2002 Ipsos-Reid survey of Canadian Internet users, 24 per cent said they'd searched the Internet to find courses at educational institutions, and a whopping 82 per cent said they were likely to use the Internet to research education in the future.

Looking online for school sites

It's no surprise then that many Canadian universities and colleges are pulling out all the stops to attract prospective students online. Caitlin, who's in her third year of business and computer studies, says she looked at many sites before she settled on the University of Victoria.

In fact, she actually ruled out universities if they didn't have a good web site. "I wouldn't even consider a school if its web site was bad," she says. "If I couldn't find information about costs and residence life right away, I was gone."

John Danakas, director of public affairs at the University of Manitoba, says his university tries to make its home page as engaging and interesting as possible for all audiences — prospective and current students, alumni, parents and faculty.

For prospective students, the web site highlights a live campus webcam, course descriptions, success stories of current students and online registration, which Danakas says increases in popularity every year.

Most institutions offer admissions information, course calendars, virtual tours, financial aid information and online registration.

Research your prospective schools thoroughly

Caitlin started with the Maclean's Annual Ranking, which "takes a measure of the undergraduate experience in three peer groupings" in Canada every year. She likes how the magazine rates Canadian colleges and universities by programs and by student life. Also included are charts of the overall rankings, articles about the winners and an explanation of the study's methodology.

Some other sites to research educational institutions include:

The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada provides information about the facilities and programs offered by the association's 92 universities. This is a great site to visit if you're not sure what to study, or if you know what to study but don't know where the program is offered.

YouthPath: Education is a Canadian government site with extensive links to colleges, universities and vocational schools organized by province and territory. It includes links to many organizations that offer scholarships to Canadian students, survival tips (like finding used textbooks) and housing advice.

CanLearn is another Canadian government site with descriptions of Canadian universities and community colleges, program details, financial planners and information about grants, bursaries and scholarships.

RateMyProfessors.com helped Caitlin decide which courses to pick. She liked the concept of students grading their professors on helpfulness, clarity and easiness. "When there are six professors teaching one course, it's great to be able to read the reviews and to see what to expect instead of going in blind."

SchoolFinder.com features program details, admission requirements and costs for more than 1,200 Canadian universities and colleges, and requires you to register for free to receive custom searches and alerts. The eTours section gives prospective students a view of the campus without leaving home.

Find school funding options

For students who need financial assistance, there are a few scholarship and bursary sites online where they can apply for monetary awards.

ScholarshipsCanada.com is a huge database of Canadian scholarships, bursaries, grants and awards that is searchable by name or by school. You must register (for free) to view complete details. The site also includes tips about applying for scholarships and seeking alternative financing.

Canadian and International Scholarship Programs is a Canadian government site with information about awards and scholarships for Canadians wishing to study abroad and for foreign students looking to study in Canada.