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Prospective students can now apply to Columbia College and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science by logging onto the World Wide Web, and on-line application will also be available to applicants to 13 other schools and programs University-wide in the year 2000. Those coming on-line next year are the College of Physicians and Surgeons; the Fu Foundation Graduate School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (both the Morningside and Health Sciences campus); Health Sciences (Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Human Nutrition programs); the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health; the School of Journalism; the School of the Arts; the School of Nursing; and the School of Social Work. These school and programs join Continuing Education and Special Programs, the School of General Studies and the Business School, which already have their own on-line applications.
"We've developed this on-line option to make it easier for students to apply," said Wil McKoy, associate director of Student Information Systems. "It will allow them to concentrate on providing the information and writing the essays--not on lining up the page in the typewriter. It will free them from white-out."
To access the application, log onto Columbia's home page at www.columbia.edu and click on the Admissions button at the top left corner. From there, directions are available to walk the applicant through. He or she creates a password to ensure privacy; all information entered is secure and accessible only to the school to which the application is sent. To bypass the home page and go directly to the application, the URL is http://apply.embark.com/ugrad/columbia/.
"The system is accessible 24/7," noted McKoy. "The applicant can work on the form over the course of several days. The student can print it out and review it as many times as he likes before sending it off."
After the student completes the application, admissions officers at the University print the document and file a hard copy. Once it has been received, prospective students can log onto the site with their passwords and track the application process.
The on-line application for each school or program was designed to look exactly like the paper version, so that when it is printed out there will be no bias based on its visual impact. Payment of the $50 application fee may be made by credit card or check. Components of the application, such as secondary school reports and teacher recommendations, still need to be handled the old-fashioned way--by paper.
The on-line process will also streamline work for the staff at the 13 different admissions offices as information is downloaded directly into the Student Information System.
"This new application will cut down significantly on data entry time, especially once procedures for the system are worked out," said Charlene Smullyan, director of Undergraduate Operations for Admissions and Financial Aid for Columbia College and the Fu School of Engineering and Applied Science. She noted that 331 prospective students have already logged onto the site since it opened last week.
"The University currently receives 40,000 applications across the board," said McKoy, "and we'd be very happy to get even 10 percent of those on-line. We anticipate the numbers will increase as people become more comfortable using the Web."
Curtis Rodgers, director of marketing and technical communications for the School of General Studies, reported that since GS introduced its version of the on-line application last April, 22 percent of its applicants have chosen to apply electronically. "The response has been fantastic," he said.
Frank Glass, associate director of Special Students programs for Continuing Education and Special Programs, estimates that 25 to 30 percent of its applicants make use of the electronic system, which has been in place for three years. "The on-line application just speeds up the whole process for the user," he said. "Instead of waiting for materials to arrive in the mail, the applicant can log on, review the bulletin and get started right away."
Jana Ragsdale, assistant dean at the School of the Arts, oversees admissions there and notes that portfolios of work by students applying for MFA's in writing, film, and visual arts will still need to be submitted separately.
Student Information Systems worked with University admissions officers for exactly one year to develop the new on-line process, which is designed and administered by Embark.com in San Francisco. The company handles on-line applications for schools across the country.
The new application adds to the many on-line services already offered by Student Services, including requests for information from prospective students, and for students already enrolled, the ability to view course schedules, check grades, and monitor financial statements.
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