Oh come on @carolinamom2boys, not one person on here said that they have the right to tell you what to post on an open forum (especially me) and if you or your kids want to post a carefully staged video of opening an admissions decision and leaping and screaming with delight, I would never tell you that you cannot, must not, do so.
I would never go looking for videos of kids reacting to admissions decisions, (which seems like a strange thing to do to me but apparently not to some others) so you will never have to endure any personal criticism from me. All I’m saying is that if something like that pops up on my FB feed, I will personally think the posters are twits and apparently a few others will agree. Apparently you don’t think that I have the right to say that on an open forum but here it is anyway
No disagreement here at all. Being accepted to a university is important and personal and is a wonderful thing to share with friends and family who really care for the student. OTOH, a video of a kid opening an envelope or email and staging a loud, exuberant response for the benefit of the recording is just obnoxious and self-aggrandizing IMO.
The culture has apparently changed such that being a self-celebrating showoff is now a good thing to more and more people and while my kids would never have even thought of posting such videos, other parents seem to encourage it.
What seems sad to me will seem wonderful to others. Whatever.
I was incredibly happy to get accepted into six schools in six different states, especially my current university. I’d probably have wanted to post a video of my acceptance to my school if my dad hadn’t already opened the letter and told me lmao. I was ecstatic to announce my “signing” for my school, though, and I posted a few move-in anticipatory posts here and there.
I didn’t bash anyone who was accepted to/chose to attend schools that denied me; instead, I just gave them the congratulations that they deserved. Less than 1% of the world is college-educated. You have an incredible opportunity. Be sure to take it.
@Joblue You left out the beginning of my post where I stated I would never post one myself, but if I ever change my mind, I’ll be happy to celebrate with the rest of the “twits " and " show offs” . I hear there’s quite a few of us, and I should be in good company.
Personally, I would never video my reaction because I’m not really into posting a ton of videos or pictures of myself on social media. With that being said, I completely understand why people do post videos. Ever since I started applying, my mom has been begging me to let her video me on “the day” because she is a very sentimental person and loves taking pictures and videos of important moments. I come from a huge family scattered all over the world, and it’s not really feasible to call everyone individually every time I hear from a college. So who cares if I or anyone else posts a video on Facebook? My family cares about my life, and if my sick, 80-year-old grandma wants to see the look on my face when I open my letter who are you to look down on me or anyone else for it?
Posting a video on Facebook doesn’t hurt anyone. I think it all comes down to what kind of person you are and how you respond to the successes of others. A couple of my friends who have already heard from their schools have posted their reaction videos, and I think it’s really sweet, not cocky or a “humble brag.” So many of my friends from my own school and from other parts of the country are applying to colleges right now and I can’t be there in person with all of them, so I love that I can see a video of how they reacted to their acceptance! If it bothers you, keep scrolling or unfriend them, why do you care so much that you had to make a whole post calling excited high schoolers narcissistic?
If teenagers seeing their hard work pay off bothers you so much, why are you on College Confidential??
Huh? Please show me where I said that teenagers seeing their hard work pay off bothers me?
You are arguing past me and setting up straw men. I love seeing teenagers enjoying the fruit of their labors by going off to whatever college they attend and making the most of the opportunity to have a full and satisfying life. None of this has anything to do with some phony “show” they put on when they post a “reaction to college acceptance video”.
Face it, the fact that you know you are being recorded takes all the spontaneity out of the moment. People always feel they have to play to the camera and since most people are terrible at acting, it is usually cringeworthy and fake.
By all means, set up cameras all over your house when acceptances are due and put on an Oscar-worthy performance if it makes you happy. It’s very likely that everyone will be kind and congratulate you. Just don’t kid yourself that what you are doing will be an authentic experience for all who will see it.
I think here’s nothing wrong with posting acceptance videos but it’s kind of embarrassing. If anything, it’d be way cooler to just play it nonchalant and say " no big deal." Or just move on and be normal about it.
I think it’d be amusing to watch. I wouldn’t mind taking part in others’ happiness and share in it. If that makes them happy, that’s great. But I think that if you don’t want to watch it, that’s your decision as well. I wouldn’t discourage people from posting though
“Huh? Please show me where I said that teenagers seeing their hard work pay off bothers me?”
@Joblue Huh? Please show me where I said I was talking about you I haven’t read any of your comments, I was simply sharing my thoughts about OP shutting down teenagers wanting to share their acceptance videos.
This is the first I’ve heard of people posting acceptance videos.
As other posters have pointed out, such a video requires an advance decision to film yourself opening a college’s letter. The most anyone at my school said about their acceptance online was one girl who posted “(College) class of 2019” on Facebook. Nobody put up a video of themselves hyperventilating over winning the admissions lottery at a very selective college.
I suspect many posters here would find it narcissistic in the extreme if an acquaintance posted a video of him/herself opening an employer’s reply to their job application, hyperventilating over the decision, optionally shedding a tear or two, and telling the camera “SEE! YOU CAN DO IT TOO! OMG I’M SO EXCITED! YES!”
If anyone remembers the girl who posted a video telling the world it’s possible to get into Stanford with a 1700 SAT, a statement tantamount to “You can get into Stanford with a 1700…if you’re as wonderful as me,” that sort of message is one I consider more than a little vain.
To the suggestion that those wishing to avoid such videos simply not watch them: by the same logic, an incessant stream of cat videos could be posted on this site without detracting from its usefulness as a resource.
The students getting these acceptance letters are, we’re told, some of the most mature applicants in any given college’s pool. I’d like to see them prove it.
Funny how so many critics of these videos begin by saying they’ve never seen or heard of them before. Check this short video out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiNb55Do1ow Most of them were recorded by parents. And honestly, I watched it and all I felt was happy for those people seeing their hard work pay off…if you don’t feel the same way, I think that’s more of a you problem.
Not true at all. I strongly suspect most of these videos are taken by parents who waited for their kid to get home from school and open the letter, and for that matter are posted by parents a lot of the time. FWIW, despite the fact that I am OK with this phenomenon, I wouldn’t do it. It isn’t my style, but then I don’t use Facebook either. I started my page years ago, and I think I have checked on it maybe a dozen times since and I don’t think I have ever posted anything to it.
Am I the only person who likes to watch those videos ? I go searching for them on Youtube. They are very encouraging and proof that at least one person got into HYPS this year lol
I’d never seen an acceptance video before this week, honestly. But I’ll watch my cousin’s kid’s marching band video and a friend’s baby’s first birthday video, and another friend’s dog at sheepdog trials. So if someone wants to post an acceptance video because Imogen got into her first choice school, yeah, sure, why not? At least they’re not starting some obnoxious political argument.
I was thinking in terms of what usually shows up in the facebook feed.
If it mean I don’t have to sit through another rancorous discussion of the relative merits of guns, religion, or Donald Trump, I will happily watch the acceptance videos of every child in the senior class.
Everyone seems to assume that the point of this thread is to be critical. I see it more as (mostly) friendly advice – my son and his friends would be horrified if anyone posted this kind of video of one of them and the subject of the video would be mocked if the student actually posted it themselves (they’d be more understanding of the embarrassing parent who records and posts everything for the parents’ friends and family). If it was a school to which many applied, but few were accepted, it also would be seen as gloating. Also, the internet is forever – today’s “cute” video is next fall’s humiliating moment when one of their new classmates happens upon the posting. I also find most of these videos contrived and self-absorbed; while my opinion is not relevant, I think it’s good advice to tell students and parents that they should consider that there will be a certain amount of that reaction before they post anything publicly.
@higheredrocks I think perhaps the reason some might see it as critical is the use of terms like “humiliating” or “contrived and self-absorbed” or “twit”. Or possibly that someone is giving unasked-for friendly advice about social behavior. The combination tends to imply that one believes the listener to be either a social dolt or unconcernedly gauche- by one’s own standards, which are of course indisputably correct.
And perhaps that’s a misinterpretation. But it is, I think, an understandable one.
Personally? My S can do, or not do, as he likes. I’d probably discourage him from doing it (because I’m his mum and he’s seventeen, and I’m supposed to be judgey about his behavior) but in the long run, it’s his story to tell, not mine.
College confidential is for the kids. How utterly ridiculous that peeps with 20,000+ posts are telling kids not to celebrate. Maybe you should get off college confidential since your kids have long passed getting into and exiting college. Your obviously sick of helping and celebrating with them. You now want to dictate to them what is acceptable to post. Holy cow your people need a life.
I haven’t read any of your comments, I was simply sharing my thoughts about OP shutting down teenagers wanting to share their acceptance videos.