Tufts admissions videos on You Tube

<p>I can’t tell if I feel bad for iCalculus, for just being an altogether negative person, or if I should laugh at how viciously he/she feels the need to attack simple, funny Youtube videos. Lighten up.</p>

<p>OldWell, I think, more accurately, Calculus is an unhappy, jealous soul.</p>

<p>And, Calculus, I sent the math dances and “in my shoes” youtube video link to everyone I knew with a good sense of humor and healthy enough self-esteem to appreciate another person’s successes and creativity. My two friends who teach math at Cal sure appreciated it as did everyone else on my send list.</p>

<p>And while I don’t know the girl who did the math video, I wish I knew how to comment on her youtube video, given that I don’t know how to subscribe to the youtube site.</p>

<p>“Cot graph,” it near killed me.</p>

<p>And Calculus before you spout your oft-spouted vitriol, reread my original post–I said that it was an (undergraduate) friend at MIT who so appreciated the video, along with the others mentioned.</p>

<p>Call me unhappy and jealous, but I cannot stand to see calculus bashed by a bunch of “bimbos,” for lack of a better word. Those girls make themselves appear as if they are barely passing calculus. You would think that these videos are supposed to portray the person as intelligent, put-together, and thoughtful. </p>

<p>The video about the girl dancing was entertaining, somewhat funny, and did not go overboard. Its flaw was that it was a bit embarrassing.</p>

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<p>I liked the scatterplot graph best.</p>

<p>I was interviewed for this. My video is one of the ones shown (the Color Stop Motion one).</p>

<p>I personally disabled the ratings and monitor the comments, although I have not received one negative comment. Most are from current Tufts students. </p>

<p>I was really excited when I saw the youtube supplement. I don’t expect to get in based on a one - minute video, but I might as well give them something a little bit more tangible than test scores and grades. I have faith in the strength of my application, the video was just to make me a little bit more memorable to admissions officers out of the thousands of applications they read. If I don’t get in, it’s fine. I honestly had FUN making the video.</p>

<p>^ Your video was awesome. My favorite.</p>

<p>iCalculus; </p>

<p>You have gone from “Yes, I realize that perhaps I shouldn’t judge someone based on a personal video…” to calling the “Dancing with Math” student a “bimbo”. Really?</p>

<p>Lighten up a little. It will serve you well. Admission officers and employers like smart people, but they like smart people who are creative and have a sense of humor even more.</p>

<p>^^^ I loved your video! My favorite, hands down.</p>

<p>^^ Oh, agreed. I have no idea how you did it, but the music, the images, everything was really well done.</p>

<p>I’ve got to agree with SWHarborfan and raschu on this one: iCalculus - you are rigid, self-important, and often just plain offensive. I wouldn’t want you in my kid’s college community.</p>

<p>@ OldWell, Keilinger and ED2Please</p>

<p>Thanks! Glad to know people liked it. </p>

<p>Thank god for CC, I was wondering why the views jumped 1,600 in one day. I usually only get about 30 and it freaked me out…then I found the article.</p>

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<p>Funny, I see this as easily going the other way. One my best friends in high school was a pretty hard core introvert, but he loved to make movies (still does). And if you had asked him, at age 17, to write an essay about himself, I know doing so would have been uncomfortable for him. Now, ask him to find a way to tell a story in a 60 second video, and he would have been thrilled. The truth is, without options like the YouTube video or the blank sheet of paper applicants can use, the admissions process is “tainted” towards writers more than anyone else. If you are a totally fascinating person, but not a comfortable writer, it’s hard to get that across. These sorts of prompts are Tufts’ attempt to balance that where we can.</p>

<p>Actually, if there’s one thing that’s really surprised me about these videos, it’s how often the applicants themselves are in them and how infrequently a narrative is used. I’m still holding out hope for someone cunning enough to tell a film noir story in 60 seconds. </p>

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<p>I think this comment forgets something that I never EVER let myself forget: these are high school seniors. They are 17 years old. I, for one, am ridiculously pleased that Tufts doesn’t have a culture that resembles an investment bank. Does anyone actually want to go to a college that feels like an ibank? I love that our community is made up of active, fun, smart, and (at times) weird individuals who do and like and say surprising things.</p>

<p>If you go to youtube and put <tufts admissions=“” videos=“”> into the search field, a lot of videos pop up. </tufts></p>

<p>It’s true that these are optional videos. Nobody is required to submit one. However, I am not sure it is a good idea that these videos are out there for everybody on the planet to see. </p>

<p>In my son’s case, he did not apply to Tufts, but he did provide a link to a short youtube video on all of his applications. He uploaded the video and gave it a title and web link that would only be known to the admissions staff of each college. The video’s description did not mention my son’s name, the name of the college, and it didn’t use words like admissions and application. In effect, the video cannot be found through a search engine and the video is private. </p>

<p>I am wondering if Tufts should suggest to its applicants that they do the same thing if they want to preserve the privacy of their videos. </p>

<p>Of course, when the college admissions process is over, the applicants can take down their videos.</p>

<p>^^re#33. That’s what I was trying to express. The son of a good friend did apply to Tufts and did submit a video. But he disabled comments and viewing and provided a link on the common app for Tufts but did not label it in such a manner that others, other than AdCom of course, are able to view it. Maintained his privacy.
Now he thinks that this could be held against him, unconsciously or consciously. After all , Bacow hasn’t commented on it, current Tufts students and alums aren’t voting for him. It hasn’t received thousands of hits.
Query whether it is appropriate for anyone currently associated with Tufts, much less the Prez should comment.
Yes, it’s a great idea to have the option but everyone’s submission should be private.</p>

<p>Tufts is so cool. If you like their application process, you should see their viewbook. And Tufts is the national epicenter of the contemporary college a cappella scene. If I could turn the clock back 30-some years, it’d be high on my list.</p>

<p>Well, Dan, I’m certain after your comment that next year Tufts will experience an onslaught of 60 second film noirs.</p>

<p>Even though my daughter didn’t choose to do a video, I’m thrilled that it’s an option for other students. I loved the stop action one discussed earlier, but my new favorite video is the one by the two best friends (Cailey and Jessica) who are both applying.</p>

<p>^^^^^ BurnThis is onto something. Even for the applicants who don’t do the YouTube video (the VAST majority), even for the applicants to don’t do any optional essay, I think offering the option sends an important message.</p>

<p>I had a brief online ‘conversation’ last night with the guy who write this blog - [Creativity</a> Unbound](<a href=“http://edwardboches.com/]Creativity”>http://edwardboches.com/) - over Twitter last night. In it, I expressed some frustration with the challenge of moving applicants away from their preconceptions of what a “good” college essay is - the ‘formulaic expectations’ that lead applicants to tell us what they think we want to hear instead of what they want to say. The very presence of the YouTube video sends a signal that it’s ok to actually have fun with the Tufts supplement, if an applicant wants (to the extent such a thing is possible in a college application).</p>

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<p>Never. Absolutely not. Believe me, when I view these videos, I don’t have the time to scroll down to see IF there are comments, much less read them.</p>

<p>I think these videos are great—</p>

<p>Loved the few I saw (except the guy who gives RAVE parties-- not a fan of the drug culture associated with RAVES)</p>

<p>and my spouse has concerns like others voiced here…</p>

<p>I love seeing something of the personality fo these students and I am willng to bet that those with videos will have higher admissions than those without because you get to see a peek into who the kids are…</p>

<p>I wouldn’t want the comments available for my student’s video–
and would prefer if the videos were only available for the AdCom not the whole world just for student privacey’s sake…</p>

<p>Haha… NY Times just updated their home page with this story as a headline…
I think their also secretly obsessed with CC.
Here’s the link: <a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/education/23tufts.html?hp[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/education/23tufts.html?hp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;