Should You YouTube?

We suppose it was inevitable: Social media are infiltrating the world of college admissions. Just this year, a handful of colleges made headlines when some of the YouTube videos they requested from students went viral and gave the teens 15 minutes of fame (and perhaps admission to their top-choice schools).

Not surprisingly, admissions experts predict that social media will have an ever-greater influence on how students apply to college-and how colleges evaluate applicants. “Media like YouTube and blogs are giving us a new way to get to know students,” says one director of admission. “I think these opportunities are good for all of us; students get to express themselves in new ways, and we get a better idea of who each applicant is.”

Sounds pretty good, right? It can be, as long as you heed this advice from admissions pros before you welcome colleges into your social-media-inspired world.

It’s public. Admissions counselors agree: It’s easy for students to feel shielded by the (false) sense of security the Internet provides. “If you’re referring an admissions committee to your blog, be sure that blog reflects the same kind of person you’d present during an admissions interview,” one counselor says. “If you’re unsure about the appropriateness of it, it’s probably best not to include the URL in your application.” If you’re an avid blogger, start a blog specifically for your college applications. (Be sure it reflects a passion of yours.) This way, you have the right audience in mind the whole time.

Put your best Face(book) forward. Though admissions counselors generally say they don’t look at applicants’ Facebook profiles, there’s no rule that prevents them from visiting your page. So it’s a good idea to be smart about what you post. Obviously, you should skip the profanity and photos of yourself in less-than-ideal situations, but also think about what your status updates say about your values. Don’t try to make your friends laugh with an off-color joke that makes you look not-so-enlightened. It’s like your mom always says: If you can’t say anything nice, don’t update your Facebook status.

YouTube is for amateurs. And that’s a good thing. “We don’t expect students to produce videos that are perfectly shot or edited,” says a counselor at a school that solicits YouTube videos as supplements to the application. “In fact, when a video stands out as being too polished, we wonder if the student got too much help from a parent or teacher.” Let your video express your creative vision and your personality, and don’t worry too much about its production value. You’re trying to get into college, not Hollywood.

Follow your links. Here’s the tricky thing about the Internet: It’s a web, and you leave a trail through that web when you use it. For example, when you post your YouTube video, you must create a user name that appears as a link under your video. If a counselor clicks on your link, will she find other videos that reinforce the image you’re trying to convey? “Pretend you know nothing about yourself. Spend a few minutes online seeing what you can learn about yourself with just a few clicks,” a high school guidance counselor recommends. “Then think about whether what you’ve found is an honest reflection of who you are-and who you hope to be, with the help of your top-choice schools.”

To thine digital self, be true. If you create content online to share with colleges, have fun. “The best videos or blogs we get are from students who are clearly just enjoying the medium they’ve chosen,” a counselor says. “Don’t spend a second thinking about what you should create or what a college wants. Please, don’t try to be brainy. Instead, follow your instincts toward a finished product that you love. That will be the truest reflection of yourself, and that’s what we want to see.”

Social Media Go To College

Once you’re enrolled in school, check out these very cool social media sites, designed just for college kids.

Dropbox.com: Store your electronic files on this site, and then retrieve them from anywhere using a smart phone or computer. You get two GB of space for free; buy more if you need it.

GradeGuru.com: Post your notes from class; your peers rate them, and only the best notes stay on the site. If you earn top status, you can earn PayPal credits or cash toward Starbucks or iTunes giftcards.

InternshipRatings.com: Students review their internships, giving invaluable advice about which ones are worth your time and which you should skip (unless you want to be getting coffee all summer).