Web Smarts

What: For high school athletes with big dreams of shooting hoops alongside the Duke Blue Devils or landing a hefty sports scholarship to help pay for college, these online recruiting agencies promise national exposure – for a price.

Best Parts: College Prospects of America (www.cpoa.com) is one of the largest marketing services for high school athletes. Students purchase their own Web page where they list their athletic and academic achievements, and perhaps add a picture and the recommendation of a coach. The site boasts that a vast majority of students who use it receive offers – though they might not be from colleges that the athlete wants to attend. College Prospects charges between $950 and $1,550.

For football hopefuls with a little less extra cash to spare, try www.FootballProspects.com. The one-time fee of $119 enables a student's Web page to be sent to 500 football programs. Interested schools will contact the student.

What you should know: These sites are probably most useful for getting into less-high-profile schools, which have smaller recruiting budgets.