Should Students include video with their college applications?

Youtube and College Admission

To Impress, Tufts Prospects Turn to YouTube
By TAMAR LEWIN

Published: February 22, 2010

Lee Coffin, the dean of undergraduate admissions, said the idea came to him last spring as he watched a YouTube video someone had sent him. “I thought, ‘If this kid applied to Tufts, I’d admit him in a minute, without anything else,’ ” Mr. Coffin said.

For their videos, some students sat in their bedrooms and talked earnestly into the camera, while others made day-in-the-life montages, featuring buddies, burgers and lacrosse practice. A budding D.J. sent clips from one of his raves, with a suggestion that such parties might be welcome at Tufts.

A few students created elaborate productions.

“We’ve got some who are really good with the technology,” Mr. Coffin said. “There’s a real technical savvy out there in this generation, and this lets them show off their splicing, their stop action, their animation. Some of the engineering applicants show us what they’ve made. One kid is talking, and then all of a sudden, he’s in the water, to show off his underwater camera.”

So, what do teachers think?

I think anything a student can do to aid with their application should be allowed. Some will argue that it makes it more difficult for disadvantaged students, but the entire process could be viewed in this manner. With today's students very knowledgeable in the realm of multimedia, it seems only natural that this would happen. Besides, student-athletes have been submitting videos to coaches as long as video cameras have been allowed. Making videos mandatory would be wrong, but if it is left up to the student, why not. That's this teacher's view. What do you think??