Comments on: Admissions NEXT BIG THING

By: Do admissions dean fear “the internets”? « Not Your Average Admissions Blog “A Beneath the Surface Look At Everything College Admissions (with a few shameless plugs)”

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 19:47:54 +0000

[...] three, are trying something new (sort of): including videos as part of the admissions process. I wrote about this way back in [...]

By: Polly

Polly — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:25:46 +0000

it seems technology has also helped in college guidance tools. For example, I used acceptedge.com with my kid to match their academic profile with colleges to find potential matches.

By: Sudden Thoughts And Second Thoughts

Sudden Thoughts And Second Thoughts — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:25:46 +0000

[...] and possibly make some use out of it. That’s why I enjoyed this post I found over at the blog Not Just Admissions. It makes me realize that librarians aren’t the only ones in higher education that are always [...]

By: deanflagel

deanflagel — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:47:05 +0000

I suppose it depends on what students submit,and how an institution elects to untilize those submissions. You can assuredly ask the same question of interviews, not to mention the way most essays are used in the admission process. What I’ve found is that students appreciate a chance to express themselves in the process, and that, whether essays or video essays or interviews, when used well these outlets can provide insight into applicant’s motivation and creativity. This by no means indicates that those submissions are as important as academic records, but they can play a reasonable role in the process.

The videos so far have been very creative and shown a great deal of enthusiasm, so I’m hopeful that this mechanism will prove positive for both the applicants and Mason. Hopeful, but still reasonably skeptical.

By: John N.

John N. — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:58:35 +0000

I am a parent of a HS senior and my opinion is that incorporating Youtube into the admissions process is one of the dumber ideas I have heard in a while. Maybe it shows creativity and a little bit of motiviation, but I do not see how it shows leadership or the likelihood of success in an academic institution.

By: Bobby

Bobby — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 22:30:06 +0000

Technology is definately changing everything, including college admissions. Twitter, facebook and YouTube has its place with social networking, but it is still the old fashioned measurement of grades, essays and other acomplishments on a student’s resume that is really considered. Who is to say what the next big thing is when technology is moving as fast as it is.

By: deanflagel

deanflagel — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:15:32 +0000

I see a GWU tag on your email, and I note that they make heavy use of interviews in their process, notably less reliable than video or written essays…
THe sharing with other applicants is fascinating to me, and I look forward to seeing how it impacts the process. Applicants, of course, have complete control over whether we share their video, and then we can also choose in the YouTube channel which ones to share, so this isn’t quite opening up applicants’ files to the world.
Of course the bulk of the decision remains on academic record, and always will. Essays, recommendations, and now video essays offer students a chance to demonstrate leadership, creativity, and motivation, all stronger indicators of success in college than standardized tests (see Sedlacek’s research, for example). Try your best not to be too terrified of something new, just because it’s new…but yes, Bobby’s concerns are not unreasonable.

By: jomahoney

jomahoney — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:47:12 +0000

Using Youtube in admissions is ridiculous, quite apart from the issue of sharing information with other applicants. The admissions officers shouldn’t ‘get to know’ the students – decisions should be made on academic ability and not, as Bobby points out, extraneous information.

By: deanflagel

deanflagel — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:03:50 +0000

YES!!!! Somehow, however, I fear that it will pale compared to the original…but I’m sure that won’t stop me from watching!

By: Mason Alumnus

Mason Alumnus — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:45:25 +0000

Here’s the next big thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv24gVSWhj4

Be seeing you.

By: Bobby

Bobby — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 20:27:57 +0000

thanks for the post.
The Next Big thing is always on the horizon it would seem, and it is up to anyone and everyone to make the decision if they should jump on the band wagon.
As for the YouTube process being part of it? If given an opportunity people complain about anything that doesn’t work in their favor. However, I can understand, at this time, you’d move this way for now.
Next they will complain because you didn’t like the color of their hair. It could be a slippery slope!