In an effort to further ensure that American teen years are filled with enough extra-curricular activities and volunteer work to make Mother Teresa look like a greedy bitch, Tufts University is allowing applicants to include a Youtube video about what unique little wallflowers they are. I feel a little bit better that Tufts is a private institution—why else would the New York Times cover the story—but you know that such things are bound to catch. There’s two concerns I have with this trend: privilege and competition.
The whole shebang is bad enough when you click on the examples page and see a shining sea of white kids. While the idea to give prospective students a new way to express themselves isn’t a bad idea, video editing isn’t exactly a college necessary skill, or a regular part of the high school curriculum. Let’s be honest about the situation, the underprivileged are getting screwed here. Underfunded schools are less likely to have video equipment, much less a class. Proper video editing software is rather expensive. Knowing what you’re doing takes some time. And that’s all assuming you have a camera and a computer powerful enough.
More annoying is that this video contest is just one more thing to push onto the youth of America in order to increase the competition among students for the privilege of attending university. As I alluded to in the opening, we’re continuing to increase what is expected of our teens. Not only is learning citizenship not enough, but now it must be demonstrated, with mandatory service to graduate high school in some locals, and you’re going to want to cram in as many extra-curricular activities and leadership positions as you can to pad up that resume. Quite frankly, there’s nothing more annoying than someone who’s there because they want to line on the cv, especially as they’re often terrible leaders who should never be in charge of anything.
And in four years you’ll have a nice collection of business majors ready to take on the rigors of middle management. Turns out, well-rounded, outgoing, over-extended nuts aren’t exactly the kind of people who make all the improvements to society.
