Web smarts

www.wiredscholar.com

What: A site by Sallie Mae that's as much about how to get into college as how to foot the big bills.

BEST POINTS: For the checklist-impaired, this site breaks down the entire college process into key points, from selecting schools to applying for loans, with detailed information, articles, and tips for every step.

But its real service is a potluck of 600,000 scholarships, grants, tuition wavers, internships and fellowships - one of the largest databases of its kind on the Internet.

Also useful are built-in calculators that will punch out dollar signs for everything from monthly budgets for freshmen to the accrued cost that will result from interest on loans months after graduation.

What YOU NEED TO KNOW: The site, launched last spring, is equally geared toward parents, kids, and counselors.

Sallie Mae is the biggest provider of education funding in the United States. Peterson's, kaplan.com, and other college-prep services collaborated with Sallie Mae on this site.

(c) Copyright 2001. The Christian Science Publishing Society