RESTON, Va., May 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Sallie Mae (NYSE: SLM) today launched
wiredscholar.com, the premier Internet destination that provides a
comprehensive, free going-to-college resource for students, parents and
guidance professionals. Wiredscholar.com is the first and only Web site to
provide interactive tools and information for college preparation, evaluation,
selection, application and financing entirely online.
"Wiredscholar.com is an extension of Sallie Mae's commitment to helping
students achieve a higher education," said Paul Carey, executive vice
president of Sallie Mae. "Since more than nine out of 10 teenagers are online
regularly, the Internet is the ideal place for such an extensive college-
preparation resource. The site will revolutionize the way that college-bound
students plan and pay for school."
Wiredscholar.com is a research-based initiative, and was developed with
recommendations from students, parents and guidance professionals. Each group
voiced a need for a college-preparation Web site to help individuals better
understand how to plan and pay for college, feel confident in their decision
making and gain control of the financial aid process.
Wiredscholar.com is also designed to be a valuable, free resource for high
school guidance counselors and financial aid administrators. "Guidance
counselors assist hundreds of high school students in making their post-
graduation plans each year," said Audrey Hill, former president of the
National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC). "I am always
looking to direct my students to free resources with objective and valuable
information. I am confident that wiredscholar.com is an essential resource
that will help them make the best decisions about their education."
The site provides detailed information and interactive resources for the
six phases of the going-to-college process:
* Preparing -- Online self-assessment tools, test-preparation tips and
sample test questions for the SAT and ACT help high school students
make post-graduation decisions and prepare for the college-
admissions process.
* Selecting -- Students can access information on more than 4,000
post-secondary institutions and use tools to help them choose and
target schools, based on their academic, financial and career needs.
* Applying -- Details on how to obtain recommendations, highlight
accomplishments and write effective college-application essays help
students stay organized during the admissions process.
* Paying -- Students can learn about financial aid, access one of the
largest scholarship databases containing more than $1 billion in
scholarship funds, and use interactive calculators that can be used
to determine college costs and ways to make education more
affordable.
* Deciding -- Tools help students and families understand, evaluate
and compare acceptance and financial aid award letters to make the
best decisions.
* Financing -- Students and parents can learn about the student loan
process, choose a loan program and apply for funds online.
Sallie Mae combines its expertise in higher education with that of leaders
in planning and paying for college to make wiredscholar.com the resource for
college preparation material on the Internet. Partnerships with other leading
education and technology companies such as Achieva (Achieva.com), Embark.com,
Kaplan (kaptest.com), Peterson's (petersons.com) and VarsityBooks.com make
wiredscholar.com the most comprehensive and unique resource available to
consumers interested in planning and paying for college.
Wiredscholar is an independent Sallie Mae brand that extends the company's
commitment to helping students achieve higher education. For more
information, visit http://www.wiredscholar.com .
Sallie Mae, founded 26 years ago, provides funds for educational loans,
primarily federally guaranteed student loans originated under the Federal
Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). The company currently owns or manages
student loans for 5.3 million borrowers and also provides parents, students
and educators with comprehensive information on the financial aid process.
Through its specialized subsidiaries and divisions, Sallie Mae also provides
an array of consumer credit loans, including those for lifelong learning and
K-12 education, and business and technical outsourcing services for colleges
and universities. More information is available at http://www.salliemae.com .
SLM Holding Corp. and its subsidiaries, other than the Student Loan Marketing
Association, are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States.
SOURCE SLM Holding Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.wiredscholar.com
http://www.salliemae.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/827187.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 827187
CONTACT:
Molly Sullivan, 703-810-7157, or Erin Love,
703-810-7136, both of SLM Holding Corporation
NOTE TO EDITORS: * A TEEN CARAVAN survey reports that, as of
January 2000, more than nine out of 10 American teenagers (91
percent), 12 to 17 years old, used the Internet. * Almost all
of the nation's high-achieving teens (93 percent) have access to
the Internet, most through school (71 percent), according to the
November 1998, "Who's Who in American High School Students Annual
Survey of High Achievers." * A survey by Student Monitor
states that more than 95 percent of all college students are
online regularly. * USA Today reports that approximately 18.7
million kids have access to the Internet and 35 to 40 million
adults use the Internet. * Nearly all 1998 high school
graduates (97 percent) reported that they planned to continue
their education at some time, and 71 percent expected to earn a
bachelor's degree, according to the Condition of Education 1998
by the National Center for Education Statistics. * According
to the 1999 Book of Knowledge, 60 percent of
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American homes will have personal computers by 2002.
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