STUDENT-CENTERED SOLUTIONS FOR COLLEGE PLANNING

College applicants seeking to make an impression in the admission process have a new means of expression at their disposal. According to recent news reports, a growing number of colleges and universities are inviting applicants to include YouTube submissions with their credentials. This follows the rapid growth of social media as a popular meeting place for prospective students and representatives at the colleges that interest them.

The move to include social media as an active component in the admission process has drawn mixed reviews among college access professionals. Many see the logic in reaching out to young people in the media where they spend much of their time. They also acknowledge the potential value to some students of having alternate means of expressing themselves as candidates. Students have been submitting non-performance related CDs, DVDs and videos with their applications for years. Now, with YouTube, any student can record and submit a personal statement at no cost.

On the other side of the argument, counselors urge caution for reasons both practical and philosophical. They question the use of YouTube submissions by those in the decision-making process and fear that encouraging such submissions simply opens the door to senseless voyeurism. They warn that visual presentations may reveal physical characteristics that play to the inherent biases of viewers and detract from the objective assessment of the student’s credentials. Moreover, they see privacy threats and the potential for professional coaching and editing that could tilt the playing field in favor of those with means.

Here are a few thoughts for those of you who are tempted to engage in social media as you apply to college.

1. Submit directly to the school, not to/through an open forum. When you apply for admission, you are engaging in a confidential process. No one outside of the admission committee needs to or should see the information you submit. Just as your grades, essays and letters of recommendation are confidential, your video submission should remain private as well. If you can’t figure out how to submit confidentially through YouTube, then don’t use that medium.
2. Don’t let your video/YouTube submission detract from who you are. Cameras can have a funny effect on people—they tend not to be themselves. When you hit the “record” button, be yourself. Give the viewer a sense of who you are. Tell your story. You will be most successful when the details of your physical presentation are secondary to the quality of the content.
3. Be sincere. By that, I mean you should consider the person who will be viewing your submission. If you throw something together that is frivolous or doesn’t make sense to someone who is not in the room with you, the viewer will lose interest immediately. Think about the message you want to convey. Just remember—when you hit the “send” button you can’t take it back.
4. Don’t allow yourself to be held hostage. I have yet to see that YouTube or video submissions are mandatory anywhere. You don’t have to submit them. If you are not comfortable in front of a camera, then this is not the medium for you. If the medium is a natural for you and you feel creative impulses that can be articulated well this way, then go for it.� Otherwise, don’t submit yourself to the angst and worry (and potential cost) associated with putting something together in a manner that is uncomfortable for you. It’s certainly not worth the expense that comes with coaching and production time. Focus instead on the elements of the application with which you are most comfortable.

On a related note, social networking sites have become hot locations for students (and many parents) who want to stay on top of the latest in the college application process. Such sites are the source of the latest insights (gossip) about who is getting in where and they frequently are sources of erroneous information about how the selection process works at different schools. If you frequent such sites, just remember that the sources of information are typically other applicants and/or their parents! Call me a cynic, but this is where urban legends originate around the college-going process.

Emerging technologies are rapidly changing every aspect of our lives including the college-going process. While much of the change is healthy and positive, you need to remain focused on who you are, what you want to accomplish educationally and how you can best convey these messages to the colleges of your choice.