Even though my days of filling out college applications are long gone, I can still remember the frustration of trying to set myself apart from my classmates. AP classes. National Honor Society. Varsity Soccer. Spanish Club. The list goes on.

The trouble is, nowadays, colleges across the country receive thousands of applications from students with exceptional grades, tons of extra-curriculars, volunteer work, and a stellar essay (even if it’s BS).

So how does one prove themselves more worthy than their peers?
Tufts University thinks that YouTube is the way to go.

Ever since Legally Blonde came out, I’ve always thought a college application video was a great idea! And apparently, so do a lot of other people. So far this reading season, Tufts has received about 1,000 1-minute long vids showcasing everything from weird talents to remote-control elephants to DJing at a rave (yes, really).

While videos may not be the best way for a high school senior to choose their dream school (may I suggest a campus tour?), they just might be the new best way for colleges to choose their incoming student body! Wouldn’t you want your school to see who you REALLY are, rather than just a list of your (totally exaggerated) accomplishments typed out in size 12 Times New Roman? After all, we’re so much more than that! Our friends and family love us for our quirks, why shouldn’t the Dean of Admissions?

Even though I didn’t have the chance to do this back in ’07, I think it would be cool if other schools followed in Tufts’ footsteps and gave students another way to set themselves apart. After all, college admissions is one of the most important times in a young person’s life – if they’re gonna do it, they should be able to do it right.

What do you guys think?

If there’s one thing that’s certain about each Olympics, it’s that the Games are sure to launch some mega-watt stars. Some athletes go from zeros-to-heroes in a matter of seconds (think Hannah Kearney and Alexandre Bilodeau), and even a lucky few have more lasting careers in the limelight (Apolo Ohno). But as we revel in the glory of today’s Olympians, why not find out what some of our past champions are up to these days?

Michelle Kwan
Nation: USA
Sport:  Ladies’ Figure Skating
Olympiads: Nagano 1998 (Silver), Salt Lake City 2002 (Bronze)
Where is she now? Kwan was always vocal about her quest for Olympic gold. After nine US and five World Championship titles, the peak of the Olympic podium was the only prize to elude her. She made a brief attempt at a comeback in 2006, but numerous injuries sidelined the star and signified the end of her competitive skating career. Though she’s not competing, Kwan will still be jet-setting around the world. She finished her bachelor’s degree in international studies & political science at the University of Denver this spring, and recently began her master’s degree in international relations at Tufts University.  When she has free time, Kwan serves as an envoy for public diplomacy for the US government.

Nancy Kerrigan
Nation: USA
Sport: Ladies’ Figure Skating
Olympiads: Albertville 1992 (Bronze), Lillehammer 1994 (Silver)
Where is she now? Kerrigan is  forever ingrained upon the American cultural memory for her helpless howls after teammate/nemesis Tonya Harding hired a hit-man (literally!) to whack her knee in hopes injury would prevent Kerrigan from competing in the 1994 Olympics.  Not only did Nancy recover, but she grabbed the silver medal after two impressive programs. Shortly thereafter, Kerrigan retired from competition, toured on the pro circuit, graduated from college, and got married. Just before the start of the Vancouver Games, however, Kerrigan’s name resurfaced again, albeit for tragic reasons.  Her brother, Mark Kerrigan, was charged with assault and battery shortly after their father was found dead in their childhood home at the end of January.  Since then, she has been laying low with her family.

Picabo Street
Nation: USA
Sport: Alpine skiing
Olympiads: Lillehammer 1994 (Silver, Downhill), Nagano 1998 (Gold, Super-G)
Where is she now? After capturing the hearts of Americans everywhere with her spunky attitude, unique name (her ultra-liberal parents let her pick it herself), and her win in the Super-G by the tiniest of margins (just .01 second), Picabo Street retired from competitive skiing. She has since given birth to two sons and married, but her life in the limelight is far from over. A feature film about her life is set to start filming this year in Argentina.

Jamie Sale & David Pelletier
Nation: Canada
Sport: Pairs figure skating
Olympiad: Salt Lake City 2002 (Gold- tie)
Where are they now? Sale and Pelletier were the photogenic couple from Canada whose performance to “Love Story” riveted the audience in Salt Lake.  After a rival Russian pair was “unfairly” granted the gold medal, the Canadians’ protests uncovered a judging scandal which resulted in their being awarded a dual gold medal and the complete overhaul of the international figure skating scoring system. Now retired from competitive skating, the couple has since married and given birth to a son, and can be currently  heard trash talking giving commentary on the figure skating events for Canadian television.

Dan Jansen
Nation: USA
Sport: Speed Skating
Olympiads: Calgary 1988, Albertville 1992, Lillehammer 1994 (Gold, 1000m)
Where is he now? Dan Jansen’s tear-jerking story made him a legend. His sister Jane, who started his speed-skating career, died just hours before his Olympic debut where he promised her he’d win gold. Jansen spent the 1988 and 1992 Olympics grappling with his grief and  failed to deliver, crashing numerous times in competition. Finally, in 1994 he struck gold (and a world record!) and took a victory lap with his infant daughter, Jane. Though his story can be seen, recapped, in those Visa commercials that air every twenty seconds or so, Dan has since moved on to other athletic pursuits. He has run four marathons, most recently the New York City Marathon in November, for charity.

But dorm-room sex is just as challenging for the non-practicing roommate. Allow me to paint you a word mural:

You’re trekking home to your room after an excruciating night in the library. Your bed is calling your name from across campus, and it’s taking all of your energy just to make it back. Just as you are opening the door and can practically feel your blanket’s sweet embrace wrapped around your body, the familiar moans and grunts of your roommate and her ape-like boyfriend ring like fire alarms in your ears. Sexiled again.

You have two choices: Make your presence known and hope they cease and desist or opt for headphones and heavy metal. Or you can face your fate and spend the night tossing and turning on the cardboard-like couch in the lounge.

Well, if you’re a student at Tufts University, the weight of this hefty decision has been taken off your shoulders once and for all. Under a new ResLife policy, students are not allowed to engage in sexual activity while their roommates are in the room.

Personally, I think that Tufts is sticking its nose in business that should be discussed and decided between roommates themselves. Instituting a sex policy that is virtually un-enforceable seems a bit extreme. And unless the horny couple actually wants an audience to cheer them on, I think they would wait for privacy anyway, with or without the existence of a formal policy mandating it.

Common courtesy dictates that no roommate should have to be a witness to lovemaking that is not their own (unless, of course, they’re into that sort of thing), but I feel sorry for the freshman male who gets paired with a hermit roommate that never leaves the solitude of their room.  Soon dorm-room sex will be replaced with bumping uglies in the bushes and humping on top of the dining hall.

So Tufts, what is more disturbing? Public displays of fornication or a slight rocking from the top bunk? Instituting this sex-policy seems like a slippery slope. Next they’ll be outlawing co-ed sleepovers and issuing chastity belts. Stay out of my sex life, ResLife, and I’ll stay out of yours.