Story of a YouTuber at Harvard
How I Became a YouTuber
Since 2017, I have been posting videos once or twice a month centered around college and my life at Harvard. I started watching YouTube videos in middle school and considered creating my own content for a long time. In high school, I began recording videos of family vacations and uploading them to a private channel. I enjoyed capturing the memories, editing the clips, and storing them in a place I could find forever. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college though that I began to upload semi-regularly on a public YouTube channel. I had discovered that a friend recently launched a channel and was gaining a decent amount of views and subscribers. I thought if he could do it, then so could I – and my channel was officially born.YouTube initially served as my creative outlet. It was exciting to experiment with different editing formats, video ideas, and ways of engaging my audience. Now though, I see YouTube as a means to connect with and help students from around the world. It has been so rewarding to receive kind comments and messages from high schoolers thanking me for sharing my college application process. It is even more exciting to meet subscribers in person. Since my channel launched, three Harvard students have approached me on campus expressing how much they enjoy my content. Knowing that I’m able to make a difference in just one person’s life is the reason I continue making videos. One unexpected benefit from my YouTube channel has been its ability to break down the “Harvard” stereotype. Because of the school’s competitive admissions process, the name “Harvard” often comes with connotations about the institution and its students. In reality though, the undergraduates here are just like those at any other College; we have the same motivations, struggles, and thoughts. Thus, it is especially powerful when viewers express how genuine they feel my channel is and how watching my videos has made them less intimidated about applying to Harvard. I also monetize my channel, which means that I can generate some revenue from the advertisements placed on my videos. Though it is not much, it is very satisfying to be rewarded for my hard work.
My most popular video to date:
My channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWwSvl4gU5UzIVS7VQeAUoA/about