Obviously it’s biased, but you already knew that. It’s very important. Study it thoroughly, as you might find that the school is perfect or that you wouldn’t be caught dead there. Call them to clarify or answer questions, but make sure you know exactly who you’re talking to. A student working in the financial aid office only has limited knowledge & could easily give out misleading info.
I think that this should always be your first source of information when evaluating a college. It should present accurate information, and highlight features that you should want to know about.
The college website can be a very valuable source of information. Sometimes looking at the information for current students is more informative than what is included under the prospective student section. Is the site easy to navigate, do you like the tone it sets, can you find answers to your questions? If you are frustrated on line, will that mean life on campus will be challenging? Maybe or maybe not. That is why it is critical to take advantage of campus visits, talking to current students, meeting faculty. Your gut will let you know if the fit is right.
It can certainly say something about their graphics department, not to mention their Advancement Office, but no website can truly offer anything of substance about the educational experience. Ultimately the website is the front door of the school, the first step in their marketing efforts. What it offers can give you some insight into what the school values and seeks to promote, but in the end, education is a deeply human process and websites are not people, and what they offer cannot begin to give you a true feel for the experience you will have. .
Official websites are important because they give you a sense of what a particular school says about itself. What opportunities are they emphasizing? What do they care about? What is their mission statement? Does that resonate with you as you read it?
The official website is a good place to start looking for information about a school. It will tell you about statistics, new developments on campus, interesting research and campus life. It will also generally allow you to take a virtual tour of the campus. However, because colleges vary in the amount of time and money they spend building and developing their websites, I would be careful not to be overly swayed by a great website, or overly turned off by a more basic website.
The short answer on this one (unfortunately) is, “It depends.”
The official website carries the “official” tag, which means it has been reviewed by those who communicate the message that the school wants to convey. Do you notice the sports teams or the chemistry lab featured on the homepage? Do the students have an access portal in an easy to find location? All of these things can tell you something about the school. Look to the official website to help ascertain what the school places at the forefront of the school and it just may provide with some insight that you can find helpful.
The official website will provide you with important facts and figures about the college, as well as information on the college’s mission. In addition, it may provide you with some subjective information like the school newspaper and student blogs.
One word…IMPORTANT. You should navigate through all components of both the undergrad and graduate admission material. Not only could you wind up attending there after high school but, you could also potentially want to remain at that chosen school for your graduate work. There is so much information available on each college website that it can be a little overwhelming…here are some MUSTS that you should view…
I’ll answer this one like my Jewish aunt used to love to answer questions…with another question!: If you’re trying to figure out whether or not to date someone, how important is their Facebook profile? Chances are it’s not that important, because people carefully control what comes through on their FB page. They’re not going to list out all their flaws and bad habits, only the stuff they want you to know about them.
The official website is a font of valuable information. It is also a marketing tool. An applicant’s research would be much more difficult without college websites.
The official website is very useful for statistics and for learning about a school’s academic programs, professors, facilities and processes for things like applications. If you’re looking for facts, this is the easiest and most reliable place to turn for information. Facts and figures can get muddled out in cyberspace, so don’t rely on second or third party sources which may be out of date or simply inaccurate. Go straight to the school itself.
I would say very important, but not as important as visiting and seeing the real deal. Some schools may not have the amount of resources another may have to put into web development. Don’t just a school by its homepage, try to get to campus and see and hear for yourself before ruling it out.
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