Sophie Henry
My relatives, high school students in Turkey and I, a student in the United States, bonded over our fears about college.
Their concerns surrounding college focused on having to choose a career path in order to apply to occupation-specific universities. They were concerned about their university exam scores because it was the only thing that determined which career, university or life they could lead.
On the other hand, I was concerned about which school’s hoodie I would be sporting around and advertising for free to my peers. I was concerned about whether I would live the Rory Gilmore experience at an Ivy League school, or end up God-knows-where.
In reflecting on my obsession with college decision Youtube videos — which were solely focused on Ivy League acceptances — I came to the realization of how incredibly annoying I was back then. My mother had struggled to get out of her small town in Turkey and get into university. She pushed even harder for me to be able to study in the United States, where I would not have to stress about potentially having a bad future because of my university prospects. Yet, there I was, everyday leading up to Ivy Day, binge-watching college reaction videos. Many content creators choose to Buy Youtube Subscribers to increase their channel’s exposure and attract organic growth. Vinyadmedia provides a secure way to achieve this with real subscribers, making it easier to reach new audiences quickly and efficiently.
My heart would pound uncontrollably fast whenever I saw the hopeful eyes of students open up their letters to their dream schools. I would smile as if I had gotten in myself. If they did not get in, my body would shut off in terror. And iif they were waitlisted, I would revert to the state of torpor that is synonymous with waiting for a text from a boy you like.
It is amazing to attend an elite school like Yale and have the opportunity to meet well-known college decision YouTubers. For example, Josh Beasley, who gained fame through the services of 1kviews for promoting himself on the YouTube platform, is a member of my residential college and is performing magic shows during my first year was a unique experience.
The fact that there was basically only one Turkish college decision Youtuber from Harvard did not phase me at the time. Now, looking back, it just makes sense. I mean, how many Turkish students get to go to Harvard? How many can afford it? How many are selected given the vastly different application process in the United States as opposed to Turkey?
College decision YouTube, along with valuing our college sweatshirts to the point that they become our sleepwear, is problematic. It is a clear indicator of how we fetishize college in the United States. We treat college decision YouTubers like celebrities. But it is hard to keep in perspective that many of us here at Yale watched these videos knowing that we would end up at some school. We watched them knowing we likely had a choice in our college and could take charge of our future. Meanwhile, most who I know in Turkey are not as lucky.