The ‘Michigan, Give Me One More Chance’ video got Lawrence Yong off the wait list and into his first choice university by showing them something a little different but a whole lot charming.
As high school students, we all wanted to get into the school of our dreams, but the 140-word personal statement seemed like an impossible way to show our worth. Instead of writing a letter underscoring all the fine talents and achievements Lawrence racked up, he sung it to the tune of ‘I Want You Back,’ hoping his message would resonate with the university in a positive way. The assistant admissions director stated that the video demonstrated the interest they were looking for, when deciding which wait-listed students to consider. Seeing as last year the University of Michigan only accepted 42 out of 14,600 wait-listed students, Lawrence showed creativity is king.
It doesn’t hurt that his acapella is light on the ears, either.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Alternative Application Media
- Students are creating unconventional and creative application media to distinguish themselves, which could be a new frontier for content creation and marketing opportunities.
- Personalized Applications
- Personalized and unique mediums such as videos or poems can help to show universities and job employers a candidate's personality and creativity in a distinct way.
- More Interactive Recruitment Process
- The emergence of personalized application media will result in universities and employers adopting a more interactive recruitment process that goes beyond the traditional application form and personal statement.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Higher Education
- Universities could leverage personalized and creative application media to attract and enroll students, potentially altering the traditional college admissions process.
- Online Education
- Online learning platforms could create a marketplace for creating personalized applications, giving students access to materials and resources to help create eye-catching content and providing a new avenue for content creation and marketing opportunities.
- Human Resources
- Employers can experiment with personalized applications to identify individuals who are both qualified for the role, and bring a unique perspective and approach to their work, potentially resulting in more innovative and diverse teams.
