Art & Science Group, Inc. 2000. <em>Internet Now Pervasive and Powerful Element in College Choice; Promises to Become Decisive Factor in Near Future.</em> (StudentPOLL: Vol. 4, Number 1). Accessed on September 19, 2008, from http://www.artsci.com/studentpoll/archivedissues/4_1.pdf.<br />
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	This report relies on data from StudentPOLL, a national sample of high school seniors who plan to enroll in a four-year college in the fall and have minimum SAT I scores of 800. Telephone interviews reveal that the internet is an important tool in the college process and often the preferred medium students use to fill out an application, obtain information, and make decisions about final enrollment. The article states eight major points regarding internet access and its effect on college application decisions. The study claims that internet access is almost universal (93 percent of students say that they had computer access at both home and school), with no significant digital divide between races or income levels. The internet has become a significant factor in the college process, as students rely on the internet second only to guidance counselors and visit college web sites to help make their final enrollment choices. Regarding college web sites, students are likely to cite that information about admissions, programs of study, and costs are more influential in their college choices than faculty profiles or the online campus tour. In addition, one-third of students apply to college using an online application, but other students are reluctant due to security concerns or lack of immediate confirmation. The study concludes with several recommendations for colleges: increase comprehensive academic content on college web sites; make an online application available, with instant confirmation to students after submission; and improve security of college web servers.<br />
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Lee, Valerie E. and Ruth B. Ekstrom. 1987. <em>Student Access to Guidance Counseling in High School.</em> American Educational Research Journal 24(2): 287&#8212;310.<br />
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	Using data from the first and second High School and Beyond (HS&B) surveys, the authors confirm that high school counseling is unequally distributed in schools across the country. Students from low-income and minority families and those in small schools in rural areas have less access to counseling and are more likely to be placed in nonacademic curricular tracks and to take fewer math courses. There is also an association between educational aspirations and access to career/college counseling, as students planning to attend two-year colleges receive less counseling than those planning to attend a four-year university. The study concludes that a more equitable distribution of guidance counseling should focus on making school outcomes more equitable for disadvantaged students.<br />
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Luna De La Rosa, Mari. 2006. <em>Is Opportunity Knocking? Low-Income Students&#8218; Perceptions of College and Financial Aid.</em> American Behavioral Scientist 49(12): 1670&#8212;1686.<br />
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	Luna De La Rosa surveyed 11th and 12th graders in seven high schools in Los Angeles about how they learn about college and financial aid, and whether the information they receive impacts their college-going plans. The author finds that almost 80 percent of 11th and 12th graders rely on teachers, counselors, and coaches for financial aid information, followed closely by college representatives, family, and friends and classmates. The internet, media sources, and community organizations are less frequently cited as sources. Luna De La Rosa also suggests that parental educational levels can affect college aspirations and the likelihood that students will talk to them about financial aid. The author concludes that college and financial aid information create opportunities for low-income students to attend college, but this information must be integrated in the school and community to be effective.<br />
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Tornatzky, Louis, Richard Cutler, and Jongho Lee. 2002. <em>College Knowledge: What Latino Parents Need to Know and Why They Don't Know It.</em> Los Angeles, CA: Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI).<br />
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	The authors use data from a telephone survey of 1,054 Latino parents and in-depth interviews with 41 of those parents in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles to investigate what Latino parents know about the college admissions process. These parents were asked to complete an eight-item "test" of factual college knowledge. The authors find that two-thirds of the respondents missed at least half of the items. In addition, parents of lower socioeconomic status and educational attainment exhibit the greatest knowledge deficit. Tornatzky et al. find that important sources of college-relevant information include counselors, teachers, family, printed materials, and the internet &#8212; but not English and Spanish mass media. The authors conclude with several recommendations to improve outreach to Latino parents, including bridging the language barrier, improving public service announcement campaigns, increasing the number of bilingual high school staff, making college visits more accessible, and increasing government funding for programs that raise college knowledge and awareness.