Hi, I have youtube channel with 2k subscribers. I edit anime video clips and make sort of entertainment videos. Should I mention this in my college application? I want to choose computer science in my application but my channel is not related to it so…if I mention the channel should I choose undecided instead of computer science? Also, I am in top 30 local players in a popular mobile game, should I mention this or not?\
I also read in one of the threads that you don’t need to give the name of the channel in the application, is it true? If it is, do you recommend it?
I’m an international student btw 
I wouldn’t mention either of those things, I don’t think they’ll add anything to your application and at worst will be detrimental.
Your extra-curriculars don’t have to match your intended major, either.
Well…ok then. Though, I did think that youtube was worth mentioning since I had 2k subs
Of course you should list it as an EC. It is an interesting activity that you have put a lot of effort into. Your ECs don’t have to match your major. Keep your major as computer science if that is what you want.
Ok, I’m confused now, people are saying different things. Has anyone ever done this and gotten into a good university?
@me29034 btw, did you mean youtube or the game?
I meant the YouTube channel. I’d skip mentioning the game.
As for getting different responses, you have to realize that two different strangers on the internet have given you different opinions. I am a parent who has had one child go through the process and has a second one who will be applying this year. I looked at the other poster’s posting history and I believe he is a high school student who is applying to schools this year. Bottom line is that nether of us is an expert though I would like to think that I know more than your average high school student and have an adults perspective on what is important.
Thanks, I do hope I get some more replies from other experienced members in this thread.
I have similar experience to me290134 and my answer is similar, too. Probably wouldn’t mention the game and would think hard about whether and how to mention the YouTube product. It’s hard to be objective about your own work, so if you need to pull in a trusted adult advisor that might help you because the people reading your college app are going to look at it from an adult perspective. The decision on whether or not to include the YouTube product should be based on what else you have on your app and how that adds or detracts from the rest of it and - most importantly - what exactly that YouTube work shows about you in the context of your app.
Think like an independent reader. If you were to read an app with this information on it and a link to the YouTube content, what would you conclude about the applicant? Here are some possibilities:
- This person is creative and interesting. May or may not be directly related to your desired major. Could be a positive that shows you in a different light as a person and makes you interesting or could be a negative that makes them wonder why you spent all this time doing x, y, z and not doing any ______ activities.
- This person is likeable. Or, if they don't see the charm in the content - this person is an annoying idiot. As an adult, sometimes when I watch the YouTube channels my teen is interested in, I find them fascinating and other times I'm annoyed at what a waste of time and how dumb they are.
- This person has marketing skills or is a true expert in this field. Again, could be an interesting fact about you as a person and shows your depth or could be a "so what" response, depending on your intended field of study and the rest of your app.
- This YouTube content represents something of critical importance to this person. You only have limited space on your app to show a complete and compelling picture of who you are. What you choose to list, how you describe it and what order you list it in shows them not just what you value but how you make decisions about what is appropriate. Will this YouTube channel info add to your app and show them good judgment, make you appear an interesting person with good judgment about what is important... or not?
Without seeing the rest of your app and also the YouTube content, there is no way any of us can give you a well-informed response, we’re just guessing. My guess is that if you have plenty of other good quality ECs this could be a great way to show another interesting side of you. If you don’t have other good quality ECs, it could help show what you spend time on but be very careful about how you describe it so it shows the right things about you. If the content is potentially annoying to adults, think hard about it you want an AO to see it.
Good luck.
While I am a high school student (and female), I suggested avoiding mentioning the Youtube channel because, as the above poster said, evaluating the quality of an entertainment Youtube channel is subjective and it could come off in a lot of different ways depending on who’s reading your application. If you don’t have many other extra-curriculars, it could come off that you spend all of your time on social media/watching anime. However, I’m not an admissions officer, so do whatever you think would make yourself come off as a good applicant.
Dont do the game. Do the youtube channel though. You can put it as a hobby.
@milee30 Do you have to mention the channel name in the application?
Are you asking if there is a rule that you have to mention the channel name? No. You can describe it in generic terms without using the actual name.
Then I’ll just do that to avoid any chance of it undermining my application instead of giving me an advantage, how bout that?