Looking for a good way to spend the next few minutes? May I recommend … (looks at camera and grins cultishly) … this amazing recruitment video for Monash College?
In a coup of ironic low-budget filmmaking, a group of students, faculty and alumni from the Melbourne, Australia, university have created "A Dave in the Life of Monash," possibly the most oddly endearing recruitment video since their fellow countrymen at Central Institute of Technology attracted students with gruesome teleportation deaths.
In the Monash video, a student named Sam wanders across campus, searching for his friend Dave. Each student he meets is glowing with over-the-top praise for the school's amenities. "He could be at one of our … (looks at camera) … many social sport competitions!" "He was heading off campus to give back to the community and get invaluable life experience in one of our … (looks at camera) … many volunteering opportunities!"
I was sold a minute in, when the student manning the cookout grill says, "I hope you like your sausages delicious and your peer groups supportive!" (One current student has taken issue with some of the claims, noting that opportunities for volunteering and joining student groups can be more limited than the school lets on. But I suppose such criticisms are the price you pay when you go so cheekily hyperbolic in your sales pitch.)
Somehow balancing superlative sarcasm with actual campus pride, the video goes to show that colleges don't have to take themselves too seriously to earn serious consideration from potential students.