I spent many years at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center doing research, and can remember spending long hours looking through the Index Medicus for old articles concerning some arcane research topic.  Thankfully, those days are gone.  Now it is possible to do research on medical topics of all sorts (including all other kinds of research) largely from the familiar surroundings of your personal computer.  This has produced profound implications not only for the research community, but also for science; better research tools leads to better research.  Still, it is sometimes difficult to know exactly where to look on the Web - where to start.  There are so many sites from which to chose, and some sites are - well - better than others.  In an attempt to provide a centralized list of research areas that are important to me, and possibly important to others, I have made a listing.

Top College Sites

    Research on General Topics

        The Encyclopedia Britannica.  If you need to do some research on any subject, you will not only receive a free listing of its entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica - arguably the best encyclopedia in the English language, but also be referenced to outside Web sites, clippings, magazine articles, and book titles.  Also, the site provides daily site picks as well as quick links to the Meriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

        The Internet Public Library.  This is a clearinghouse site which lists and catalogs thousands of useful references, newspaper articles and magazine links.

    College Portals

        CollegeClub.  CollegeClub is just as its name suggests; a gathering place primarily for college students on the Web.  On any given night, there might be more than 5,000 members logged in discussing everything - and I do mean everything!  You can sign up for a free e-mail account, toll-free voice-mail box, and a Web page.

        StudentAdvantage - Answers to life's little problems for the college student are to be found here; where to go for Spring break, what pickup lines work best, entertainment news, what is happening to MP3 music, among much more.

    Financial Aid

        Finaid - This is an exhaustive resource that provides plain-English explanations as to how to get loans, scholarships, or grants from individuals, institutions, and granting agencies that are anxious to give or loan money away to eligible students.  The problem with grants is that it is difficult to find them - but it can be done!

        Fastweb - College is becoming more and more expensive, and finding some financial help sure can be useful.  The only problem is that there are so many criteria that can be used to find a scholarship, and so many scholarships are from obscure sources, that many go unmatched.  This tailored tuition site will help you find those obscure scholarships (it lists over 400,000 of them) and make that dream of a college education come true!

    Summer Internships

        Internship Programs - Summertime is "down" time for more college students as classes are closed.  This might be a time for a final vacation before the "real world" - or it may be time to try to accomplish something great to amaze and astound yourself, a potential employer or graduate school.  If you want to turn down time into accomplishment time, consider an internship program.  There are three areas; students, employers, and career centers.  It's a free site and a free service - so have a look.

        Rising Star Internships - Maybe you would rather try to have an employer or graduate school find you instead of your looking for them.  You can post your resume online, and then search through current internships field from accounting to zoology.

    Textbooks

        Bigwords - Certainly, one of the biggest and most surprising expenses for any college student is the cost of textbooks.  Most students entering college are usd to getting textbooks for free from their public schools and can't imagine why their tomes are so expensive.  You can look for your books here with free shipping, low prices, used textbooks, price matching, and a full refund on returned books.

        Varsity Books - This is another center where you might be able to find that textbook.  Here, you won't find used books, price matching, or buyback, but you should save money on a superior selection.

    Working Abroad

        InternAbroad - This is a site where you can investigate topics arranging from a prospective country's medical facilities to its local customs.  It also features travel tips from seasoned travelers.  Finally, you can even book your plane tickets here when you're ready to go on your big adventure!

        StudyAbroad - This is another site devoted to those studying abroad.  You can locate a program by country or major, and click through a list of do's and don'ts to try to make your trip as enjoyable and as event free as possible.

    Things Dormitory

        Onick - When you finally leave home and strike out on your own, chances are that for the first year of your college experience, you will be spending time with a roommate.  Also, chances are you will need a lot of accessories in addition to that which you are able to extract from your home, such as popcorn makers, hot pots, microwave ovens, lamps, computers - the list is probably endless.  Prices are moderate, but shipping here is free.

        StudentMarket - This is another site for getting the essential dormitory equipment.  There is free shipping here on everything from rugs to inflatable furniture.

    Test Preparation

        Princeton Review - Unfortunately, college life is not all about having fun - you are there after all to study and earn a college diploma.  The Princeton Review Web site represents a preparatory test service that has helped countless thousands get into the school of their choice.  The preparatory test service provides students with examination schedules, a tutor locator, and free online tests, including a practice SAT, GRE, GMAT, and even an MCAT.

        Kaplan - This is another good site for test preparation for all of these boards.  Here, you can also post your comments and (hopefully) encouragement on message boards, and even find our how you might score on standardized examinations.

    Romance

        XseeksY - What college experience would be the same without some experience with dating.  For the lovelorn, this site gives information about meeting and maybe even wedding your college sweetheart.

    Graduate School

        Embark - If you feel the need to put off getting into the "real world" for a few more years, and might like going to graduate school instead.  This is a matchmaker service that can help you determine which college or graduate school might be right for you.

        Petersons - This site also shows the prospective graduate student how to pay (finance) graduate school bills.

    Find that Job

        CareerPath - Once you get through college, you will need to find a good job.  The career path site is certainly one of the best places on the Internet for employment searches.  There are hundreds of thousands of job listings culled daily from the classified sections of nearly 90 publications nationwide.  This would certainly be a good place to start!

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