Take a look at what's out there for you!

   

Take Our Survey!
To how many colleges do you plan to apply?

It isn't too hard to
figure out which jobs
are hot now.

Great Computer Deals For College-Bound Students!
Apple Store
Dell Store
HP Store
USA Notebook
elcome to CollegeConsole.com's countdown of the Top 5 admissions videos of 2011!
countdown
"No Talking Heads..."
That was our motto as we searched for the Top 5 college admissions videos in America, and we stuck to it.

A lot of college videos convey useful information, and some of them are actually pretty good.

Good...but not good enough.

We've found five admissions videos that stand above the rest.  Clips with personality, pizzazz, a sense of humor, and a willingness to present their colleges from a unique perspective. No lip-synching, no break-dancing, and no "commencement multi-media." We promise!

Are you ready for some fun?   Let's roll film!

 1 The University of West Virginia, Morgantown, WV

www.youtube.com/watch?v=22up9twy9Cc (4:56)

What do you get when you take a corny, irrelevant theme and turn it into humorous inside look at a big state university? First prize in the CollegeConsole.com Best Admissions Video Contest! West Virginia University’s Mountaineer mascot dreams of a rugged life in the wilderness, but spends his time roaming the WVU campus in buckskin fringe—musket in hand, a feisty coonskin cap on his head, and a puzzled look on his face. But in the end he finds his inner Mountaineer and sets out to share that pride with the rest of us. There’s a story here—a ridiculous story, but that’s what we like about it. Enjoy!
 2 The University of Missouri, Columbia, MO

http://admissions.missouri.edu/mizzou-life/student-perspective/rx-success.php (2:09)

This spot-on send-up of those icky Big Pharma ads is 100% brilliant, right down to the spiffy “good humor” man handing out ice cream in the Shangri-La otherwise known as the Missouri campus. The earnest voice-over dutifully recites a long list of “disclaimers” that are really Missouri selling points and concludes, “Isn’t it time you talked to your admissions rep about Mizzou?” Perfect! The bluesy tiger chucking rocks into the pond is our top LOL moment of the entire contest.
 3 Macalester College, St. Paul, MN

www.youtube.com/macalester (5:15)

Watch enough admissions videos and you’ll get an idea just how stuffy college brass can be. Macalester College’s President Brian Rosenberg is an exception, playing the goofy good sport in this day-in-the-life spoof. The nebbishy Rosenberg (who sleeps in his rep tie) inhales helium, tries to con little kids out of their pocket change, and even takes a sweaty turn as Macalester’s Cro-Magnon mascot. Silly good fun—although Minnesota can look forbidding in February.
 4 The University of Delaware, Newark, DE

www.youtube.com/DelawareAdmissions (7:52)

Everyone knows what a song and dance college admissions can be, but the University of Delaware puts new meaning in that metaphor with a tuneful campus tour. With a cast of thousands (seems like it, anyway), this perfectly choreographed epic covers the campus with Broadway flair. The leads are engaging, the bit players charming (we love the dragon lady in admissions), and nearly everyone has a cameo, from the provost to the marching band. It’s a high-energy romp that will leave you tapping your toes.
 5 Beloit College, Beloit, WI

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcnb-uNJWK4 (1:46)

A healthy population of squirrels is something you'll find on just about every college campus, but have you ever wondered what they were thinking? Thanks to Beloit, now you'll know. These cheeky classmates spy on lectures, hide homework, and help with campus clean-up when anything tasty hits the ground. If only the Beloit faculty could teach them not to talk with their mouths full!
Honorable Mention
We’re suckers for people in cute animal costumes, and two Chicago-area universities have obliged. Northwestern’s half-minute clip (0:31) includes a beautiful ballerina in wildcat whiskers, and Loyola-Chicago’s wolf mascot takes us on a whirlwind tour of career possibilities (2:44). The latter is catchy for a while, but it goes off track when the wolf starts doing food prep. Uh, guys, you can do that without an expensive college degree.

Speaking of animal mascots, the University of Miami has a whole slew of them featuring Sebastian, the school’s lunatic ibis. University President Donna Shalala, although more at home in the realm of policy than the world of comedy, doesn’t get ruffled about a few feathers in her coffee cup (0:40).

Like U Del (our #4 pick), Yale University puts its message to music, with starry-eyed students warbling through stunning views of campus. But this unabridged take on the musical genre is too long—way too long (16:49). We were intrigued at the outset, but growing numb by the 8-minute mark—and we were less than halfway through. Get some good editing software, guys, and get back to us next year.

Lots of colleges feature “grand-tour” videos, in which students take you for a fun (or not-so) look around the grounds. It’s a barely-better version of the “talking-head” genre we’ve come to dread, but at least you get a feel for the campus. We’re not sure why this one from Providence College (9:37) stuck with us, but it’s our pick for best of this genre. Tim and Caroline seem like the kind of people you’d like to go to school with—but truth be told, it was probably their sassy white jackets that made the biggest impression.