Indiana U Latest To Join Immersive College Selection Site for High Schoolers

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 05/20/09

Indiana University is the latest institution to join YOUniversityTV.com, a Web site intended to help high school seniors with their college selection process. The site, which launched in April 2009, is free for users and features a Second Life-like virtual environment. It provides videos and statistics on 400 colleges and universities based in the United States. A social networking component allows students and alumni to leave messages on other users' corkboards, comment on photos, exchange music, write on their blogs, and decorate their virtual dorm rooms by purchasing items from the YOUStore, which accepts YOUBucks.

Currently, the site features about 1,700 videos, some obviously professionally produced by the campuses featured in them and others done by amateurs showing student events, favorite hangouts, and sporting events.

An article in the campus newspaper for Indiana U, Larry Gonzalez, director of admissions, said the school joined the site to promote the institution to students who might not be able to visit the campus in person. "Other Big Ten universities were also participating in YOUniversityTV, so we decided to follow suit," Gonzalez told student reporter Mark Wilson.