According to ABCNews my alma mater, Tufts University, is now accepting YouTube videos as part of applicants' admissions applications.
Surprisingly, there were some decent videos, but your sense is right. Maybe instead of bikini girl, there is a girl in a hooded metallic gold jacket and daisy dukes but I will admit that some of the videos looked interesting and truly reflective of the personalities of the main star.
As heartening as that sounds, don't be misled. This doesn't mean that West Coast seniors with means should start tapping their networks to get a script over to Steven Spielberg or any producer. Tufts was careful to note that a video doesn't hurt your application. That doesn't mean it will help your application either.
Like I said on Facebook: "I wouldn't be too worried about people who can't afford to produce such videos. From university's perspective they can seen thru "fluff" whether it's a a written application or moronic video. People of substance will always shine thru the stack of wanna be's."
Here is the deal, as I commented "Fluffy videos don't cover up for a lack of substance... colleges will bite into your application and if there's no beef, forget it!"
Despite YouTube videos, clever 140-character tweets or enlightening blog posts, what still matters to the admissions officer reviewing your file are your scores, your grades, your committment to something other than yourself and your ability to cope with the level of academic rigor that his school offers.
So before you turn on your laptop camera to make that application video of you expounding the virtues of your favorite philosopher, go work on your essay or study some SAT vocabulary words first.
If you do decide to make that video, ask to yourself afterwords, what would Simon (Cowell) say about my performance, fanciful or fluff?
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