When Stefan Hyman, Web Electronic Information Coordinator for the Undergraduate Admissions Office, launched the “Favorite Spot on Campus” YouTube contest this fall, he wasn’t prepared for just how passionate students would be about their campus and how they would find a way to fit this in to an already cramped schedule leading up to final exams.
The first YouTube contest, “Why Is Stony Brook So Hot?”, was initiated in the spring of 2008. The top prize for the first contest was an iPod. This year three cash prizes of $1,000, $500, and $250 were offered.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions loaned out its own Flip video camcorders to students who lacked access to a recording device.
“The creativity displayed in the creation of these videos exceeded expectations,” Hyman said. “In addition to getting the entire campus involved, our goal was to create a collection of authentic testimonials and creative videos from our students about what they personally enjoy most about our campus.”
He explained that the most important task in the Undergraduate Admissions Office is to provide prospective students with as much information as it can about Stony Brook, so students can make informed decisions about whether to apply and enroll here.
“We’ve increasingly looked to social media realms like blogs, chats, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube as tools to give prospective students more access to our current students so they can get real answers to their questions from real students,” he added.
Five judges, who were from the School of Journalism, Office of Communications, and Office of Student Affairs, reviewed the submissions.
First place went to Paul Currie, “Roth Pond Piece of Mind”; second place went to Ben Thomas, “Atrium Song”; and the third place winner was Evgeni Iattcheni and Jon O’Rourke, “Finally Focused.”
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