Wired In
More than ever before, Web is top reference tool

By John Yaukey
Gannett News Service

Then: trudging through driving snow to slide a 20-page typo-riddled term paper under your professor's door where it comes to rest in a gray puddle.

Now: e-mailing a flawless, spell-checked paper from your hotel room in Daytona Beach before heading poolside for yet another MTV spring break-a-thon.

Is it any wonder that students love the Internet?

"I could survive longer without the library than I could the without the Web,'' said Northwestern University senior-to-be David Siders. "It's central to so much of what I do, from academics to simple social contact.''

Indeed, student living these days is digital living.

A survey by the market research firm Greenfield Online found that 78 percent of college students have been using the Internet for at least three years, and 90 percent of them spend three hours online over the course of a day.

"The Web has really taken over the campus,'' said Greenfield Vice President Jason Levy. "A lot of students describe themselves as cybergeeks — totally Internet dependent.''

As the fall semester approaches, it's time to help students prepare digitally for the year ahead with the lowdown on the most useful student Web sites, the best book deals online, how to wire new dorm digs for maximum performance and advice on what technology is appropriate in the lecture hall and what isn't.

Start with these Web sites, which should help raise GPAs, lower stress and perhaps find a few extra bucks for tuition:

Serious stuff

• Britannica.com (www.britannica.com). Plug in any subject and get articles and related Web sites galore. If you can't find it here, be careful, you may be in danger of producing original work.
• The Internet Public Library (www.ipl.org). Great place to start your research. This site is a warehouse of reference, newspaper and magazine links. It also contains archives of academic papers and tutorials on how to improve academic writing. Be warned, it's also a great place to procrastinate.
• Internet Resources for Math Students (www.langara.bc.ca/ mathstats/resource/onWeb). College math can bring even varsity linebackers to tears, but this site is loaded with help in the form of quick tutorials and online classes.
• National Geographic.com (www.nationalgeographic.com). This highly interactive site is rich in multimedia content. Great resource for biology and environment students.
• Google (www.google.com). Arguably still the best all-purpose search engine on the Web.
• Protonic.com (www.protonic.com). Nothing's worse than tech glitches when you're trying to knock out a quick paper. Fortunately, the gearheads at Protonic are willing to provide free tech support.
• Finaid! (www.finaid.com). This site boasts some of the most easily understood instructions on how to get a loan or a scholarship.
• CollegeRecruiting.com (www.collegerecruiting.com). Parents can research how best to finance college while students can look for the school that will offer the best curriculum, sports and activities to suit their needs. One-stop shopping for college bound high school students.

ENTERTAINMENT

• iFilm (www.ifilm.com). This site was made for movie fans and budding filmmakers. It contains a diverse library of offbeat short works, student projects, political satires and celebrity sendups.
• Roughcut (www.roughcut.com). For the closet Hollywood insider. Loaded with gossip and complete TV scheduling. David Poland's column, "The Hot Button," mixes rumors and ranting for a welcome antidote to all those dispassionate facts you get pummeled with in class.
• Netflix (www.netflix.com). For $20 a month, you can rent all the DVDs you can watch. Stipulation: you can keep only four out at a time.
• CultureFinder.com (www.culturefinder.com). When you've had enough dreck, this is your ticket to the arts. CultureFinder tells you what's on the agenda of museums, orchestras and theaters throughout the United States and Canada. Buy your tickets online.

MUSIC

• Bowie.com (www.davidbowie.com). Catch Ziggy Stardust himself, David Bowie, hosting Webcasts and chats and tweaking tunes online. Subscription: $5.95 per month.
• Music.com (www.allmusic.com). Great reference site. Contains details on almost half a million album listings and more than 40,000 artist biographies with details about who influenced them and who covered their tunes.
• Spinner.com (www.spinner.com). Stay miles ahead of the trend wave with Internet radio. Just download the free ''player'' software and you're set to go. Listen to Europop, new Japanese artists, classic R&B or stations from Africa.
• Live365 (www.Live365.com). Tune in to your choice of 18,000 user-created Internet radio stations, or start one of your own.

LIFESTYLE/FITNESS

• Style.com (www.style.com). Confused by couture? Ralph Lauren provides answers at Style.com, a collaborative effort between Vogue and W magazines. Catch the latest from the catwalks of New York, London, Milan and Paris.
• Asimba (www.asimba.com). This site does everything but throw you a towel at the end of the workout. Interactive tools help you design a proper exercise and diet plan for whatever your goals are. Calculators count the calories you chow and burn.
• MedTerms.com (www.medterms.com). Good news: Your fundoplication went perfectly. MedTerms' thousands of concise, readable definitions put reams of medical information at your fingertips. Fundoplication: A surgical technique that strengthens the barrier to acid reflux when the lower esophageal sphincter does not work normally and there is gastro-esophageal reflux.
• WebMD (www.webmd.com). Billed as one of the leading consumer-focused healthcare information Web sites, WebMD is one-stop-shopping for objective, credible and trusted healthcare information.

SOCIALIZING

• Studentadvantage.com (www.studentadvantage.com). A great student portal with tips on surviving bad roommates and making the most of campus life.
• CollegeClub.com (www.collegeclub.com). Convenient way to connect with students at other campuses. Also includes ''This week in Sex'' news feature (no pictures).
• Student.com (www.student.com). General student information site covering everything from sex (info articles, absolutely no porn) to surfing (waves and the Net). Get free e-mail.
• Evineyard.com (www.evineyard.com). What goes with Doritos — red or white? This site has the lowdown on selecting wine, buying it online and talking about it at parties.
• The Knot (www.theknot.com). If you happen to hit the jackpot at one of the above social sites, The Knot will help you seal the deal at the altar with advice on everything from proposing to planning the ceremony and booking the honeymoon.

SPORTS

• Sportsid.com (www.sportsid.com). Here's a novel idea: Put down the remote and actually play a sport. Sportsid.com can help with detailed instructions on how to play most sports from archery to water polo.
• Sports Illustrated/CNN.com (www.sportsillustrated.cnn.com). A comprehensive site that covers all the bases. Sport Illustrated columnists add plenty of bite.
• Fantasy Football Mastermind (www.ffmastermind.com). For those of you who like to play sports from the safety of the couch. This is about as hardcore as fantasy football sites get: comprehensive fantasy football information throughout the year.

TRAVEL

• Site59.com (www.site59.com). Specializes in discount fares at the last minute for those occasional spontaneous junkets that require more than an old Saturn and a case of Pepsi.
• Smarter living (www.smarterliving.com). As the name implies, this is a no-gimmick site designed to help save money and time. The "Students Crossing Cultures'' feature has great advice for foreign travelers. The Airline Newsletter arrives in your inbox every Wednesday morning with all the last-chance, Web-only fares from 20 airline sites.