When ChatGPT can draft a Common App essay in 12 seconds, it’s hard not to ask: what’s still real in the college application process?
Admissions offices are asking the same thing.
That’s why a growing number of colleges are turning to interviews and video introductions as the new barometers of authenticity. Schools like Brown, University of Chicago, CalArts, and USC (for portfolio-based programs) are giving students the option—or the requirement—to record short videos as part of their application.
Others, like Duke, Harvard, and Princeton, continue to emphasize post-submission interviews with alumni to gather a more personal picture of the applicant.
The message is clear: colleges are looking beyond the page.
They want to see how students think, how they communicate, and how they show up when the script runs out.
The Rise of the On-Camera Applicant
While video components aren’t universally required yet, the trend is unmistakable. International and homeschooled applicants are already being asked to submit recorded interviews through third-party platforms like Vericant and Initial View. CalArts has required a 90-second video for admission. And more institutions are offering opt-in video introductions as part of their holistic review.
According to CTK College Coach, colleges are now evaluating student interest, confidence, and clarity of purpose through these moments. One interviewer from the University of Richmond shared that the only question they were tasked with answering post-interview was: “How interested is this student in attending?”
That’s not about GPA. That’s not about essays.
That’s about presence.
Why IMPACTER Was Built for This Moment
IMPACTER doesn’t just capture presence—we measure it.
Through short, open-ended prompts, students reflect aloud on experiences, challenges, motivations, and moments of growth. They do this regularly—once a month or more—building a longitudinal portfolio of authentic voice that tracks:
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Grit
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Purpose
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Growth mindset
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Self-control
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Perspective-taking
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Compassion
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Curiosity
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Gratitude
These reflections can be spoken or video-recorded, and are scored by our neural assessment engine—not for grammar, but for depth, clarity, and human insight.
It’s not a one-shot video under pressure.
It’s a reflection history—a curated portfolio of who the student is becoming.
And when senior year arrives, students don’t have to fake authenticity under a deadline.
They already have it, documented and measurable.
The End of the One-and-Done Personal Statement
Colleges know that essays are now a weak signal. In the age of AI-generated text, admissions officers are asking deeper questions:
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What has this student overcome?
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What drives them?
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How do they articulate who they are?
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What kind of presence will they bring to a classroom?
Those questions aren’t answered by a 500-word essay alone.
But they are answered—in part—by IMPACTER reflections.
When a student shares how they discovered purpose while helping a younger sibling navigate a learning disability, that voice carries weight.
When a student talks about their first job and the self-control it took to balance school and work, that story doesn’t need polish to be powerful.
Toward a New Kind of College Application
The future of college admissions will belong to students who can reflect, communicate, and show up with clarity—not just high test scores or perfect prose.
And if colleges are moving toward voice, presence, and purpose, it’s time our schools did too.
IMPACTER isn’t just a curriculum add-on.
It’s a system for capturing the very human strengths that colleges—and the world—are now trying to see.
Want to help your students build a real portfolio of future-ready skills and reflections?
