????當羅伯特的形象閃現在墻上的大屏幕時，房間里所有的視線都聚集在了這位長相英俊的英國小伙子身上。現年30歲的羅伯特正在申請就讀多倫多大學(University of Toronto)羅特曼管理學院(Rotman School of Management)的MBA項目。

????這些目光來自該校MBA招生委員會的7位委員。他們一個個正襟穩坐，像影評人那樣評判申請者的視頻表現。羅伯特穿一身深色西裝，藍色的襯衫上系著一條紅領帶。他看上去信心十足，侃侃而談，至少沒有做一些促使招生委員們直接把他放入拒絕名單的事情。

????“大家好，”他用清脆的英國口音說道。“話說我希望同事們怎樣看待我呢？首先，我希望他們覺得我有趣、爽朗，是一位很好相處的同事，還能夠給充滿壓力的工作帶來一些樂趣。我可以幫助公司打破跨部門團隊之間的社交障礙，從而促使同事們更加有效地協同工作，我覺得這是我從事過的最有價值的活動之一。”

????歡迎來到MBA入學申請的美麗新世界。

????作為試點，羅特曼管理學院去年要求申請者以視頻形式回答兩個預先錄制的問題。現在，這所商學院已經將其作為正式的招生篩選工具。西北大學( Northwestern University)凱洛格管理學院(Kellogg School of Management )于7月29日表示，該校今年將要求MBA申請材料中必須包括視頻內容。與之相似，在即將到來的這個MBA申請季中，耶魯大學管理學院(Yale University's School of Management)也將要求申請者提交視頻資料。

????其他商學院也開始啟動視頻申請環節，但大多數學校依然給那些不愿上鏡的候選人提供了一些替代選擇。德州大學(The University of Texas)麥庫姆斯商學院(McCombs School of Business)和紐約大學(NYU)斯特恩商學院( Stern School of Business)均接受候選人以視頻形式回答問題，但同時也提供了幾種不同的回答格式（包括傳統作文）供他們選擇。加州大學洛杉磯分校( UCLA)的安德森管理學院(Anderson School of Management )去年提供了視頻選項，但一些學生抱怨說無法獲得必要的技術支持，該校隨后又取消了這種申請方式。最近，歐洲工商管理學院( INSEAD)暗示，在即將到來的這個申請周期，該校或將引入視頻訪談形式。

????一些招生官員希望，要求申請人在視頻上回答意想不到的問題，可以顯露出申請者在脫稿和未經排練時的表現。鑒于越來越多的申請者正在聘請入學顧問打磨他們的簡歷，幫助其修改作文，有的甚至自己動手撰寫推薦信，要看清楚申請者的“真面目”已經變得愈發困難。

????果不其然，面對這種變化，一些入學顧問已經做出了回應，他們開始以視頻提示的方式幫助申請者提高這方面的技能。芝加哥入學咨詢機構The MBA Exchange表示，該公司正在邀請一位“視頻專家”加入其團隊，向那些打算與目標院校進行視頻互動的申請者提供指導和反饋意見。“他的學術和專業資歷涵蓋戲劇、心理學、多媒體傳播等領域，他的加入能夠讓我們為客戶提供內容開發和逼真表演等方面的建議，”The MBA Exchange公司創始人丹?鮑爾如是說。這家入學咨詢機構表示，在提供視頻輔導時，他們并不打算向那些購買該公司“全套”咨詢服務的客戶收取額外費用。

????于商學院的招生官員而言，使用視頻還可以節省時間，因為它經常被用來替代書面作文，閱讀并評估這些文章需要較長時間。“評估視頻更容易一些，相對于枯坐著閱讀一份靜態的申請材料，視頻為我們的評審過程增加了一絲多樣性。”多倫多大學羅特曼管理學院MBA招生辦公室主任尼基?達席爾瓦如是說。

????When Robert's image pops up on a screen on the wall, all eyes in the room are transfixed on the handsome 30-year-old Brit who is applying to the MBA program at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.

????The eyes belong to the seven members of the school's MBA admissions committee who sit, like film critics, to judge the candidate's video performance. Robert is in a dark suit, with a blue shirt and red tie. He comes across confident and articulate, doing nothing at least to put him in the reject pile.

????"Hello there," he says in his clipped British accent. "So how do I like my colleagues to see me? First of all, I'd like them to see me as somebody who is fun and outgoing, who is good to work with and can actually introduce some fun into stressful working environments. I think some of the most valuable activity I've done has evolved around when we were able to break down some of the social barriers between inter-department teams to enable us to work more effectively together."

????Welcome to the brave new world of MBA admissions.

????Rotman, which required applicants to answer two pre-recorded questions on video last year as a pilot, is now introducing them as a screening tool for admissions. Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management said on July 29 that it would also require a video component to its MBA application this year. Kellogg joins Yale University's School of Management, which is also going to the videotape for this upcoming MBA application season.

????Other B-schools are dabbling in video, but most still offer alternatives to camera-shy candidates. The University of Texas' McCombs School of Business and NYU's Stern School of Business both accept video responses to questions that allow candidates to choose from several different answer formats, including the traditional essay. UCLA's Anderson School of Management offered a video option last year, but scrapped it when some students didn't have access to the necessary technology. Most recently, the admissions team at Europe's INSEAD has hinted that the school may introduce video interviews in its upcoming application cycle.

????Some admissions officials hope that requiring applicants to answer unexpected questions on video will show candidates unscripted and unrehearsed. That's become increasingly difficult at a time when applicants are increasingly hiring admissions consultants to sharpen their resumes, polish their essays, and coach recommenders.

????Already, some consultants are responding to the change by offering coaching to help applicants with the video prompts. Chicago-based consultant The MBA Exchange says it is adding a "video specialist" to its team to provide guidance and feedback to applicants as they plan for video-based interaction with their target schools. "His academic and professional credentials span theatre, psychology, and multimedia communication, enabling us to advise clients on both content development and authentic delivery," says Dan Bauer, CEO and founder of The MBA Exchange, which plans to offer video coaching at no extra charge to clients who pay for the firm's "comprehensive" consulting package.

????For a business school's admissions staff, the use of video also can save time because it's often used as a replacement for written essays, which take longer to read and assess. "It is easier and it provides a little bit more variety than just sitting down with a static application," says Niki da Silva, director of MBA recruitment and admissions at the Rotman School in Toronto.