<p>aVenger...after you mentioned LAXfan, I did a search and read just about every post by her! I had no idea a current JHU student who works in the admissions office is actually here helping people out. I see now that JHU doesn't just spend 3 minutes on their apps. Thanks for correcting me on this misinformation (I would hate to see someone not get in because of my misinformation). Anyways, after I searched all of her posts, I found these posts that pertained to this thread:</p>
<p>"on average the first read of application takes about 20 minutes for each counselor. this will not be the only time an application is reviewed, but it will be the primary read. most files are looked at 2 or 3 more times before a final decision is made. </p>
<p>it is a rough job, being that there are only 10 people who evaluate application at JHU, and there are over 11,000 applications. i will say that knowing most of the counselors like i do, they do enjoy their jobs. </p>
<p>good luck."</p>
<p>"The general rule when submitting multimedia response to the $10 essay is keeping it to a total of 5 minutes. The adcoms will listen to CDs, watching videos and dvds, checking out websites or powerpoint, but only if it takes no more than 5 minutes. That is generally how long they have to review the essays, so it is standard to keep the timing of the reads fair.</p>
<p>Hope that helps."</p>
<p>The general vibe I'm getting is that the adcoms will not appreciate a half-hour video too much. I think (just a guess...) they'll probably believe that you have trouble picking out important facts or something...</p>