HigherEdMorning.comCollege musical? The video that's redefining recruiting

College musical? The video that’s redefining recruiting

January 29, 2010 by Geneva Reid
Posted in: Admissions & Financial Aid, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views

What’s the latest rock music sensation? Yale’s new admissions video — take a look and see why. The video is called “That’s Why I Chose Yale,” and all the singing and dancing may make you think of High School Musical. (Click here to view Yale’s video.)

In fact, the students and alumni who created it admit they used the Disney hit for inspiration.

They picked a good source.

High School Musical became a marketing phenomenon from the time it first aired on TV in 2006. Its soundtrack even held the No. 1 spot for an album of any kind that year.

To give you some idea of how well Yale’s video is doing: It’s been viewed more than a quarter of a million times since it was launched not long ago on YouTube.

According to a report in the Washington Post, the video “feels like an episode of Glee, the popular TV show that overnight made it socially acceptable and even sexy to sing in the high school show chorus.”

Did Yale hit on the recruitment tool of the future? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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  • Lynne Browne

    I liked the video. I think it might be a bit too long, however, I am not in the targeted audience.
    When I think of Yale, I think of “stuffy”. This video, changed my opinion.

    I especially liked the library scene.

  • Beverley Disnard

    Very well done … a bit long. Did anybody run this by Emily Gilmore?

  • Holly Franquet

    I thought the video was very well done. I am thrilled–and a little jealous–at the talent that abounds at Yale! The singing and acting were first rate, and the lyrics were really clever.

    However, as a TRIO employee, I wonder how my low income urban high school students will respond. They are obviously not the target audience for this video, but I’ll be happy to recommend it to them and see what they say. I hope that it will get them excited about the facilities and activities they may encounter at any college as well as help me reinforce the message that if you want to go to a cool university like Yale, you need to do your absolute best in high school.

  • Beverley Disnard

    Hooray for Yale and a good sense of humor! Everybody loved “The Gilmore Girls” and the strong association with your fine university. Emily would have kvetched, but in the end she would have approved of your new admissions video.

  • http://www.pablohunny.co.uk Alicia Robinson

    I agree, it’s a bit too long. However, I suspect that the target audience is prepared to listen to something rather more dry for a bit longer.

    It certainly succeeded in making me wish I’d gone to Yale :D


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