“We want to know the student’s story but we don’t want them to use extraordinary means. We want to give the fairest review to each person,” he said. “Generally, we do not encourage video presentations because there is some differential between those who have the contacts and ability to make such a presentation.”
Many colleges do not have the staffing to review videos from its applicants, and they feel that they receive enough material in the traditional application to reach a fair decision, Miller said.
Jeffrey Fuller, director of student recruitment at the University of Houston (UH), said prospective college students shouldn’t bank on the nontraditional approach in applying to schools.
“While demonstrated interest—like social media—are factors some colleges consider,” Fuller said. “Academic performance in college prep courses and test scores continue to be primary factors at showing student success.”
Despite the success of his multimedia approach, Yong acknowledged that the more traditional, text-based college application process is still “very much necessary.”
“For me, I was in more of a position [where] it’s not my intelligence I need to show, I need to go beyond that and show who I am as a person,” Yong said.
But Yong said other applicants should “definitely” consider a similar out-of-the-box approach because “it’s a lot of fun.”
“In the time we live in, video sharing is a big part and it’s good to use this current social medium to express yourself,” said Yong. “It’s easy to be hidden behind grades … [so it’s important] to display why you’re unique and why you’re not just a set of numbers or letters.”
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