Yale is not Disneyland, objectively speaking. But the comparison is apt: anachronistic buildings; endless streams of tourists and celebrities; deep coffers; and an even deeper sense of endless opportunity. Most students choose to come to Yale because of some combination of academics, extracurricular activities, and a gut feeling, but I’m sure it can’t hurt that everybody is so freaking happy to be here.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions seems to have internalized this fact when creating the new admissions video “That’s Why I Chose Yale.” A prospective student I spoke with referred to the video (with some combination of enthusiasm and derision) as “High School Musical: Ivy League.” The spirit of Disney’s weirdly self-aware cash cow pervades the video, which is ridiculously, amazingly campy—though still subtle.

People who aren’t in on the joke will bop along with the rhyming couplets, while people who see the self-satire inherent in the conceit of an over-the-top musical about everyday life at Yale will chuckle. Yale’s version mimics High School Musical stylistically: It’s easy listening pop, with the kind of dulled shredding guitars that are designed to offend no one—that are, in fact, so inoffensive that everyone hates them regardless. That said, Andrew Johnson, ES ’06, the admissions officer who wrote and scored the video, works wonders within the genre, creating music that, while not memorable, is tolerable and even enjoyable. “That’s Why I Chose Yale” features plenty of smiling, pretty faces, vaguely witty one-liners, and fundamentally, some real talent. Sam Tsui, DC ’11, a YouTube celebrity, plays a starring role, and guest roles are given to various other Yalies active in theater, dance, and other performance arts.

“In creating the video, we hoped to showcase the energy and community on campus in a novel way,” Johnson said. “We decided on a musical because we felt it would be entertaining enough to keep people’s interest, while also showcasing the vast reserve of willing undergraduate talent on campus.”

The video, though it paints Yale as an idyllic academic theme park, is true to that energy. It is telling that the entire video was created using Yale resources available to any undergraduate with some funding and know-how.

“That’s Why I Chose Yale” also seems close to day-to-day life. It traverses the most common spots on campus, is full of familiar faces, and seems to capture the essence of a Yale experience in the same way High School Musical captured high school: teen life devoid of real teen life, a sunny portrayal lacking the malice, intense emotions, and bad experiences that mar most people’s adolescence. This idealization of Yale, however, is only fitting. High school seniors are nervous enough about the future. They don’t need Yale reminding them that life can be tough, even when you’ve been accepted to your dream school.

Yet many students outside the theater community deride the video, citing its weakness as a strategy to attract prospective students. Some argue that the video will only attract those already likely to attend Yale, those who would be intrigued by the singing and dancing, rather than widening the audience interested in Yale. This critique misses the point. All three prospective students I interviewed said that, while they were not particularly enticed by the new video, they could not imagine it preventing them from applying. If nothing else, this new video is an improvement over the old one, which, according to The Washington Post, was not only deeply entrenched in the style of the late ’90s, but was also potentially misleading and spotlighted two people who have since died.

There is, however, one complaint about the admissions video that transcends matters of taste: the inexplicable omission of Dwight Hall and other organizations devoted to social justice and service at Yale. Community service groups are important to a huge cross-section of the population at Yale.

“Over 75 percent of students participate in community service through Dwight Hall during their time at Yale,” Anna Jo Smith, MC ’10, a former co-coordinator of Dwight Hall, said. “More students do community service and social justice work than any of the other extracurriculars shown in the video.”

I guess that’s why she chose Yale.

”That’s Why I Chose Yale” could have been enhanced by at least a consideration of community service and Dwight Hall, if only to placate those who found the video too treacly and frivolous. The exclusion of a vital part of Yale life and an important factor in town-gown relations speaks to an attitude that makes it easier to characterize Yalies as self-centered brats. The inclusion would also have given a more accurate picture of Yale’s student body. If having fun, going to class, and joining clubs and interest groups is central to life at Yale, then caring for others and joining together to serve the community certainly is as well. It’s a shame that, in an attempt to market Yale to a wide audience of prospective students, service and volunteerism were ignored.

Still, it seems that this new video, far from simply replacing the old one, has instead transcended it. “That’s Why I Chose Yale” shows a frenzied, Technicolor campus of dreams, while still managing to impart to the viewer an impressive amount of information. It may be hit-or-miss with some viewers, but the admissions office is concerned with attracting students who are a good fit with Yale, not just anyone who can click on a YouTube link. The video will likely attract those who possess a trait that might be vital at Yale: the ability to laugh unabashedly at oneself.

Prospective students I spoke to about the video were concerned about its childish glee, its neglect of the aspects of college that transform teenagers into adults. But the video is more meaningful in not portraying students as solemn and “grown-up.” My time at Yale has shown me that college isn’t necessarily the time to try to be an adult—there is, after all, nothing adult about swiping into a dining hall three times a day; having rousing discussions in section; or consulting multiple advisors about your semester schedule. “That’s Why I Chose Yale” triumphs because it depicts Yale as a place where people become self-aware, involved and active adults—but manage to act like little kids along the way.