<p>My mom works part time, but to keep the whole family afloat, I started making YouTube videos anonymously (I will not link my channel). Nobody outside of my brother and mother know about it, and nobody on YouTube knows my name, but the ad revenue I generate is enough to keep us going. The reason that I remain anonymous is to avoid stalking, blackmailing, etc (the internet is a scary place).</p>
<p>My question regards putting that YouTube channel on my resume. If needed, I could prove that I had ownership of the channel, but would my secret be safe with the admissions officers? </p>
<p>I don’t think they would tell anyone. Things in the admission’s office are pretty confidential anyway. You could always be general, but how big are we talking here? Are you comfortable with sharing all the content in you videos with the admission’s office?</p>
<p>If colleges do not sign a non-disclosure agreement, then thinking it is safe is a gamble. They are not obligated to be quiet. Anyway, colleges reserve the right to verify anything in your app via an outside source, if they choose. And only God knows what agreement the college has with the outside verifier. Once out just assume it is out everywhere, unless there is an enforceable contract to deter distribution of the information.</p>
<p>@shawnspencer I mean, if I gave exact numbers it would become fairly evident, but let’s just hypothetically saythat I have over 100,000 subscribers. Again, I would be comfortable if I knew they wouldn’t go home and tell their kids, “Do you know ____ on YouTube? (S)he’s applying to our school.” etc.</p>
<p>Just to clarify, this is related to my personal opinion, but again, its for my entire family’s safety.</p>
<p>Well people know about the youtube channel but they don’t know who the real you is. People know CollegeLooker posts on CC but we don’t know who the real you is. So why don’t you just tell us the channel so we can have some fun right now, I can’t answer your questions anymore because I’m too overcome with curiosity. I’m wondering what you are posting that is so subversive that people will wan to tear your family limb by limb.</p>
<p>You sound very paranoid about internet safety. And I doubt youtube channels, no matter how successful, are unique enough for admissions people to go home and tell their families about you.<br>
What even is your category that’s so dangerous? Makeup tutorials?</p>
<p>Even if you hypothetically have 100,000 followers, it isn’t your make or break for a college app. It may not even be that interesting to adcoms. </p>
<p>If you are this worried about your family security (blackmail? well, that makes me wonder what the theme is,) it doesn’t sound like the sort of thing that is likely to enhance your app. So I don’t see where this is going. How do you think this is a tip for admissions?</p>
<p>If you are applying for financial aid, wouldn’t you have to report that source of revenue as well? Personally, I would tell the colleges. As long as your video content isn’t offensive or anything, then it will probably help you a lot (think of it like a celebrity (assuming you have tons and tons of subscribers and are pretty well-known on YT) applying for college). I feel like that would outweigh what little risk telling the adcoms would result in.</p>
<p>If you are applying for financial aid, wouldn’t you have to report that source of revenue as well? Personally, I would tell the colleges. As long as your video content isn’t offensive or anything, then it will probably help you a lot (think of it like a celebrity (assuming you have tons and tons of subscribers and are pretty well-known on YT) applying for college). I feel like that would outweigh what little risk telling the adcoms would result in.</p>
<p>People protect things for all sorts of reasons, including many reasons, which would not make sense to others. If the OP wants to protect this for whatever reasons, then it is a reasonable question. And the only reasonable answer is the colleges have no obligation not to share the information to whomever they choose. It is up to the OP to decide if it is crucial to his app or not.</p>
<p>You definitely have to report the income on your financial aid applications. If you do not, and are caught under-reporting your income/assets, you can be expelled from the college, have to repay need-based financial aid already received, and could face prosecution.</p>