Students can now visit Internet U.

A college without an application process or tuition seems too good to be true. But at Internet University, a new site on the World Wide Web, the only requirement is access to Netscape or a similar Web browser. Internet University, located at "http://www.internetuniv.com", was designed by 1995 Wharton graduate Doug Levy, who also founded Campus Text. "Starting Campus Text got me in the mode of providing value for students," Levy said. "As a busy student at Penn, I realized the need for a resource with all the information I needed in one place." Visitors to Internet University can explore 12 departments, ranging from travel to sports. Students can link to a variety of other Web sites, ranging from libraries to companies offering spring break packages. "Internet University is geared toward college students and their interests," Levy explained. "It has the best tools in each category so that students can get the material quickly and make the most of their time." And Levy noted that the number of hits to the site has doubled every week since it came on line in mid-January. Although most Penn students seemed not to know about Internet University yet, several who recently surfed the site found a vast array of resources. "It has so many different options that there is something to offer everyone," Engineering freshman Bree Goldman said as she visited "iPizza" -- an electronic pizza kitchen. According to Levy, iPizza is one of the most popular sites at Internet University because students can create virtual pizzas with toppings like Spam, fried eggs and cash. They can then send the pizzas to friends, who receive e-mail telling them where to pick up their pizzas. While exploring Internet University, Goldman made a virtual pepperoni and fortune cookie pizza for a friend at the University of California at Berkeley. "There's a lot of fun things to relieve stress," Wharton and Engineering freshman Aaron Yap said after exploring the Lifestyles and Arts and Entertainment departments. "I've never seen anything like it before." The information in Lifestyles covers topics ranging from Chinese alternative medicine to home beer brewing. It even includes a dating service. The Fashion section includes links to everything from haute couture to L.L. Bean. And in the food area of Internet University, there are recipes that can be made in 15 minutes with ingredients from 7-11. The Arts and Entertainment section includes an on-line art history library and hundreds of images of Gothic cathedrals. There are also computer versions of popular games, such as Battleship and Connect Four and a virtual frog dissection kit. While some of the sites are only entertaining, others are also educational, Levy said. For example, the Career department includes employment opportunities and on-line resumes, while the Money section has stock market statistics, money management tips and information regarding financial aid and scholarships. "It's educational and entertaining, and the career and money management information could be useful to the college student," Engineering freshman Yazil Santoyo said. In addition, Internet University includes a Knowledge for College department with links to colleges and libraries across the country. There is also a section with links to the latest issues of newspapers and magazines, as well as information on political and environmental issues. College freshman Kevin Chin said he liked the Sports section, which has the latest scores for everything from professional sports to more obscure ones like broomball. "The sports site allows me to easily find the scores of my favorite pro and college teams in a lot of different sports," Chin said. Engineering freshman Pear Musikabhumma said she was particularly impressed by the colorful graphics that fill the site.