Applying Themselves : A pilot program allows students to complete their college applications online and send them electronically to UC admissions officers. : Next L.A. / A look at issues, people and ideas helping to shape the emerging metropolis

With the complete works of Shakespeare and other valuable information online, students hoping to get into the best universities have used the Internet to research term papers.

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

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

In a new pilot program called Pathways, the students blazed an electronic trail that administrators hope others will follow. With limited supervision, the students logged on to 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 that the program--a joint project of 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, UC Irvine’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.

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 not only for statewide but also nationwide adoption of the technology, which would streamline the 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 for browsing 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.

The new technology will be hard-pressed to replace some time-honored traditions. Not only will this year’s students be notified of their UC admission 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.