Applicants Aren't the Only Ones Making Admissions Videos

The internet is buzzing with the sounds of aspiring Tufts students. This year, Tufts University invited its applicants to submit homemade videos as part of their application. Prospective students were prompted to: "Share a one-minute video that says something about you, upload it to YouTube or another easily accessible website, and give us the URL. What you do or say is totally up to you." Thousands of student channeled their inner Elle Woods and posted their videos online--for all the world to see and, in many cases, admire (watch my personal favorite, here).

But what about the admissions officers? I'm sure everyone knows the formulaic admissions videos that talk about the campus and academics. These days, admissions officers are making more personal videos about life on the other side of the admissions process. (Check out the video below, "Reading Season" by the admissions folks at the University of Delaware.) Hopefully, these campy videos will make admissions feel less daunting and perhaps even make the decision process more transparent. College admission is very competitive and only getting more so each year. These videos remind us that the keepers of the gate at top institutions aren't as scary as they might seem--they are real people, carefully considering each and every application they receive.

College admissions officers aren't the only ones moving into the video world. Today on Consult THIS, Naomi Newman talks about online MBA recruiting: recruiters are saving money by conducting video interviews. I imagine streaming or recorded video interviews for college admissions won't be too far behind.