TikTok has taken the world by storm. For the past few years, the app has grown massively in popularity, amassing one billion users worldwide and 130 million users in the United States alone. 

Social media has become an integral part of our lives. Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter have all been around for a while and can be scrolled through on occasion during the day. However, TikTok is newer, exciting and much more apt to endless scrolling for hours.

So I wonder now, why doesn’t Villanova have an official TikTok account? What is stopping the University from creating a new page on the extremely popular app? 

As I researched Villanova’s presence on TikTok, I came across a few accounts affiliated with clubs on campus, such as Villanova Television, Blue Key and The Villanovan. I scrolled through the accounts and found many videos with thousands of views, engagement in the comments and hundreds of followers. Although these accounts are great starting points for the University’s existence on TikTok, we need to have an official account for the school in order to truly make our presence known to the world.

Why does this even matter? What good will having a TikTok account do for Villanova? For one, it will catch us up to other colleges and universities around the country. Although TikTok is known for being light-hearted and funny, there is a sense of professionalism when it comes to having an account on the app. If Villanova were to create an official account, we may be seen as a more in-touch, exciting and genuine university.

When I think back to when I applied to colleges in late 2019, TikTok was just beginning to gain traction in the United States. If a school popped up on my “For You” page as I scrolled through the app, it would draw interest and maybe even influence which schools my friends and I applied to. 

As high school seniors, applying to college is overwhelming and scary. Seeing colleges and universities post about all they have to offer on campus helps ease tension and build excitement for a potential applicant’s future. An Instagram account, Twitter profile, website or brochure can only do so much when finding out about what goes on at a college. Having a TikTok account will help the University capture more than just the basics of what goes on. I truly believe that if Villanova got a TikTok, it would start to see more applicants and hype around the University.

TikTok is a place where many college students go to unwind at the end of the day and have a laugh or two. If Villanova got an account, current students would enjoy seeing the ins and outs of campus life, documentation of events that they missed to recap them on the action and potentially being featured on the account. As we always say at the University, it could also build a unique online community that students could engage with and talk about with their friends.

Think of all the possibilities for content on TikTok: A Day in the Life, Question & Answers, TikTok dance trends, Will D. Cat pranking students, Orientation recap, Special Olympics coverage, club highlights, advice from current students, behind the scenes of the basketball team and so much more. The possibilities are endless, and each day we spend without an account is another day without creative and engaging content.

We could have different students running the account week by week, encouraging diverse experiences by students in each of the different schools. Prospective students could look at these short videos, be inspired by the good times we have here at Villanova and apply. The more applicants and buzz that Villanova gets, the better students we will draw into our community.

There’s no risk, so why not do it? Villanova needs a TikTok account as soon as possible. Who knows: we may start popping up on “For You” pages across the world.