Several brick-and-mortar colleges have taken their application process online in one of the more unexpected locations: YouTube. Schools like Tufts University, The College of William and Mary, George Mason University and St. Mary’s College of Maryland have begun accepting video submissions in place of (or as a supplement to) written application essays. The purpose is for students to show more of who they are — live and in living color — and based on some of the submissions, who they are is a bit scary. Here is an assortment of some of the more oddball videos. Perhaps you’ll gain some inspiration for your own application…or maybe you can learn from their mistakes. (more…)

Somewhere amidst all of the tweets about who said what to whom and what they looked like when they did that thing the other day with that guy who had those things hanging from his thing OMGLOLROFLSOSBBQ… there are actually Twitter feeds that serve a function, like helping you make it into, through, and out of college. Here are 40 you should consider following if you’re a college student. (more…)

It’s Black History Month, and it’s never been easier to discover the richness of African-American history. (Those of you old enough to remember having to comb through 20-plus volumes of encyclopedias in the school library know what I’m talking about.) Whether you’re researching a project for class or are just trying to broaden your horizons, these 20 fantastic websites cataloging a wealth of information on black history are available with just a few taps of your fingers. (more…)

Here are some more vintage ads for correspondent courses, this time focusing on the more unusual course options…
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Before the Internet, people who didn’t have the time or money to attend in-person classes used to learn long distance through something called “the mail.” (more…)