UCLA Housing welcomes incoming Bruins with Snapchat dorm tours
UCLA Housing has been posting dorm tours on Snapchat to engage incoming freshmen. (Daily Bruin file photo)
By Kuhelika Ghosh
Aug. 23, 2016 12:43 p.m.
UCLA Housing has taken a digital approach to showcasing campus life by posting dorm tours on Snapchat.
To answer the overwhelming amount of questions UCLA Housing receives daily, the Office of Residential Life decided to have student staff post dorm tours on Snapchat, said Sara Miller, UCLA Residential Life media supervisor.
The snaps, which receive between 700 and 1,000 views each, will be posted on weekdays until the end of August on UCLA Housing’s official Snapchat.
“We think it is a great way to engage with incoming first years and help them understand the space available in each dorm,” Miller said.
The video tours show students what each building offers, including laundry rooms, bathrooms, dorms and lounges, she said.
In Monday’s snap, Cindy Thai, a rising fourth-year political science student, took viewers on a tour of Dogwood in De Neve Plaza. Thai said she usually starts shooting the video outside and moves from the bottom of buildings to the top. As she walks, she gives viewers her own commentary about dorm life.
On Monday, Thai filmed 10-second clips of an empty room and her own room. She also showed viewers how to use space effectively by storing items inside the cabinets behind the bathroom mirrors, she said.
Thai added she is an avid Snapchatter in her personal life and enjoys shooting the housing tours on Snapchat. She takes students’ feedback and chooses to showcase halls that are requested.
Miller said the tours get students excited for the new year and help them decide how much they should pack for college. Incoming freshmen often reply to the dorm tours on Snapchat, thanking them for the extensive tours, she said.
UCLA Residential Life started branching out on social media last year, when they began hosting Snapchat student takeovers. For instance, a UCLA gymnast took over UCLA Housing’s Snapchat for a day to give viewers a tour of the locker room, Miller said.
Miller said she thinks Snapchat has proven to be the most engaging outlet for UCLA Residential Life. The office plans to continue showcasing clips of UCLA student life on Snapchat.
