The U College Videos

Guide Rating -

The Bottom Line

There's no substitute for visiting college campuses to see schools for yourself. However, the U's college videos are a great way to get a feel for each campus and learn the basics in a format that's fun and easy to process. Well worth the price, the U's college videos are a no-brainer for any applicant considering a school covered by the U.

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Pros

• Videos are very high quality and are well produced
• Profiles cover most areas of academics and campus life
• Lots of visuals give applicants a sense of each campus

Cons

• Limited number of colleges available
• Narration by WB stars is engaging but a little cheesy

Description

• Videos are roughly 15 minutes in length
• Each video is hosted by a WB actor
• Applicants choose a list of schools and are mailed a DVD

Guide Review - The U College Videos

Founded by a recent Columbia University graduate, theU's mission is simple: to provide a series of "high-energy, MTV-style college video tours" that will enable college applicants to get a better sense of college than they could from books and websites alone.

Ultimately, the U is successful in accomplishing this task. While the frenetic pace and teen-actor narrations may be annoying to some, the videos themselves are well-produced, in-depth looks at each college that would be worth the .99 per school price for the video clips alone. But the U has also done its research, giving practical feedback on everything from curriculum to weather. And while more subjective opinions would be disputed by some (e.g. at such-and-such college, partying takes a backseat to studying), the U seems to make at least an honest attempt to distill the conventional wisdom about a college and pass it along for the unitiated.

The U's videos are more of an overview about each college than anything else (although they're a lot longer and more comprehensive than you might at first assume). But if you're a student frustrated by the lack of usable college information, or you're a parent trying to get your child motivated for the college admissions process, the U's videos will probably be a great place to get started.

The U is currently offering a sample college video of your choice on their website, with no signup or personal information required.