An Internet Plus in UC Admissions : Computers: UCI pilot program enabled local students to e-mail college applications from PCs. All concerned say it seemed to work just fine.

With the likes of the complete works of Shakespeare and volumes of other valuable information at their disposal, students hoping to get into the best universities have used the Internet to research term papers and other schoolwork.

But the global computer network wasn’t much use when it came to filling out those long, complicated college application forms. Until recently, that is.

A group of 75 local high school and community college students traded in their typewriters for keyboards and became the first to file their college applications via the Internet.

In a new pilot program called Pathways, the students in recent weeks blazed an electronic trail that administrators hope others will follow. With limited supervision, the students logged onto computers and followed straightforward instructions to complete their college applications and send them electronically to UC admissions officers.

“It was super easy to do it,” said Claudia Begino of Santa Ana’s Century High School, who completed her UC college applications on a home computer. “I almost finished the whole thing in an hour sitting.”

The pilot program, which was administered by UC Irvine, also allowed students such as Begino to avoid the inconvenience of submitting multiple applications to other UC schools. The 17-year-old Santa Ana senior was able to dispatch streamlined applications to five UC schools in a matter of minutes.

“It was real logical,” Begino said. “You just press the right buttons, and it’s done.”

Officials point out the program--a joint project between the University of California and IBM--is still in its infancy; officials couldn’t say when it would be ready to expand.

“It will be statewide as soon as we can do it,” said Sue Wilbur, UCI’s admissions director. “But expanding the system will be complicated. . . . We are looking at brand-new issues.”

In addition to ironing out minor technology wrinkles, UC officials are working to enable students to pay application fees by computer. But such a system, in which a student’s credit card would be charged electronically, isn’t ready yet because security can’t be guaranteed.

In the long run, the e-mailed applications will save universities money, UC officials say. But in the immediate future, the program may be costly since many schools and community colleges don’t have the technology required. IBM donated $210,000 toward purchasing computers to get the pilot program off the ground.

Participants in the pilot program reported little trouble with the new electronic method of applying to college. In all, the students filed 129 applications to UC’s eight campuses.

High school and community college teachers applauded the pioneering use of the Internet. They are eager for not only statewide but nationwide adoption of the technology, which would streamline the cumbersome application process.

“Each school has its own maze of hoops and loops that you have to jump through to complete it,” said Jerry Wheeler, a guidance counselor at Century High School. “An electronic application would take a very challenging and time-consuming process and make it a lot easier.”

The Internet also gives prospective students a convenient window to browse through universities, many of which offer information on courses, housing, financial aid and extracurricular activities. Students can electronically meander through campuses by viewing a host of computer-generated photos.

“It’s a real exciting technology,” Wheeler said.

In addition to Century High, Santa Ana High School and University High School in Irvine also were in the Pathways project. The three community colleges participating were Saddleback College, Rancho Santiago College and Irvine Valley College.

Though officials are eager to broaden computer use, the new technology will be hard-pressed to replace some time-honored traditions associated with the college application process. Not only will this year’s students be notified of their UC status by mail, but those in the future will probably be getting the good (or bad) news the old-fashioned way as well.

“There’s something nice about receiving a packet in the mail saying you’ve been accepted,” Wilbur said. “We don’t know if we will ever notify electronically.”