<p>i just got one in the mail today and <em>gasp</em> actually watched it.. i can't say it makes me want to go there even more although i'm applying RD... what did you guys think?</p>
<p>I haven't seen it yet.</p>
<p>I can tell you a bit of background. There is a strong sentiment among the students (and therefore the college) that "marketing" Swarthmore would be tantamount "selling out". Therefore, you will probably not see a slick presentation of "Hollywood-style collegiate lifestyles" from Swarthmore. That's why the DVD follows real students on real daily activities around campus.</p>
<p>From what I read of the students involved in the DVD, they seemed to mostly think it was a fair and honest portrayal and passed the "sniff" test of not being overly glamorous. The only complaint I read was that one student didn't think the DVD emphasized the academics quite enough.</p>
<p>It is this "honesty" that makes Swarthmore such a wonderful place, IMO. However, it does ensure that Swarthmore's marketing efforts [sic] will continue to scare kids off.</p>
<p>Do all students on the mailing list receive the DVD eventually? I'd really like to see it. Hmm... we'll see if it arrives in the mail in the next couple of days.</p>
<p>i got it and watched most of it..marlgirl i know if you go online to the swarthmore site..i think to <a href="http://www.swarthmore.com/unscripted%5B/url%5D">www.swarthmore.com/unscripted</a> you can see parts of it, like the student interviews..overall i thought it was pretty good and informative, but it just reinforced stuff i basically already knew and didnt change my opinion on anything.</p>
<p>They are supposed to be sending it out to all the "specs". </p>
<p>There is similar thing on the website -- the Swarthmore Unscripted videos. The video production people set up a video camera in the ugliest place on campus, an abandoned attic of an old building, a room with graffitti on the walls, broken glass, etc. Then, Swarthmore students were invited to sit in front of the camera and just talk off the cuff about their college experience. </p>
<p>The opposite of "slick production". However, taken as a whole, the student videos do capture a lot of the school's culture. These videos are certainly very different than the DVDs we ordered from Emory and Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>I wish I could post the pictures my daughter brought home of her college friends. "Girls Night Out" with eight of her friends at Johnny Rockets retro diner on South Street in Phila. Or, the "New York Trip" photos -- sixteen freshmen from her dorm took the Chinatown bus to NYC for the weekend, photos of them at the Metropolitan Museum or around the fountain in Central Park. Or Sushi Night -- a couple of the seniors on her hall organizing a sushi party, a Sunday night when all of them made sushi in the dorm kitchen.</p>
<p>I'd like to have it.</p>
<p>I remember that it was a cdrom disk that haverford sent me that got me interested in them.</p>
<p>That's been up on the website for a while, right? I think I've actually seen it before...</p>
<p>i dont know, but 12 of the videos on the site are on the dvd</p>
<p>The DVD is really cool. Some of the material on it overlaps with stuff on the website, but most of it was stuff I hadn't seen before. The first part is about 16 minutes long, and shows four or five different students throughout their day at Swat (One is an artist, one is a baseball player, one is a cyclist, one is a first generation college student, etc). The next part is around 14 minutes long, and features alums waxing about "The Meaning of Swarthmore," and also shows some very cool vintage Swat pictures. Then there are about 10 two-or-three minute little "confessionals" where students seem to be just talking candidly about Swarthmore and what it's done for them. Finally, there are some deleted scenes, one of which shows the "Screw Your Roommate" festivites, and was quite entertaining. I really liked watching the DVD, and I hope it's an accurate portrayal of Swat, not just an attempt to "sell it." It was certainly a lot cooler than other college DVDs I've watched.</p>
<p>Any idea if there is some way I can request a DVD? Or do I just have to wait until I can visit Swarthmore again in late winter/early spring?</p>
<p>I got the DVD, it wouldnt work on my PC so I'll try it on my DVD player. I'm on the mailing list i think that is why i got it.</p>
<p>Hmm... maybe I'll get it in the mail early this week? I think I'm actually on the mailing list twice with a request for information online, filling out a card at an info session, filling out another card at the info session at my school, plus visiting there in September and having my interview (can you tell that I'm interested in the school?). I really wanted to spend a night, but that would mean that I'd have to miss a day of school (I went over Labor Day in September) and I'm just really not willing to miss school unless I have to, you know?</p>
<p>...whoa..backwards senioritis? ive missed like 2 weeks of school so far..i love missing school..</p>
<p>no if i miss school it takes lots of time to make up. i h8 missing 2.</p>
<p>Hmm, we've been away all weekend with family. The mail is still at the post office. I look forward to it, though.</p>
<p>Although it does take a while to make up what I missed when I'm not in school, that's not why I didn't want to miss school. I just (as odd as this might sound to 99% of high schoolers) really love my classes. I couldn't stand to miss english, physics or vocal, and also really enjoy math and computer science and even history occasionally. It was more of me looking at my schedule (we have a weird schedule that changes every day) and being like no! I can't miss that day! I don't want to miss [insert class name here] class! And that day I'll miss [insert class name here]! Weird? Maybe.</p>
<p>Sigh. I checked my mailbox today but unfortunately found no DVD. I hope I get one because it sounds awesome.</p>
<p>cool deal - i went to the site and posted a comment about the dvd, and some guy emailed me and asked if he could quote me in their propaganda!!! yay!!</p>
<p>I hope I get a DVD...they're sent to all specs?
Maybe it'll come today...</p>
<p>I just got mine today :)</p>