Want to visit West Coast and Ivy League schools but can't fathom a cross-country trip? No problem. A new company called "The U" has a solution: DVD tours of colleges, complete with student and faculty interviews and insider looks at campus life.

Here's a mention in the Chronicle of Higher Education:

High-school students no longer need to visit a college to get a feel for its campus. A new series of fast-paced DVD documentaries --- packed with footage from parties, and interviews with students and professors --- gives viewers an inside look at life at 50 top colleges.

Doug Imbruce, the 24-year-old founder of The U, the company that produced the DVD's, graduated from Columbia University last spring. Mr. Imbruce, who majored in English and comparative literature, says his creations were inspired by Cribs, the MTV reality show that takes viewers on tours of celebrities' homes.

Unlike most products that claim to ease the difficult process of picking the perfect college, Mr. Imbruce's DVD's turn what many consider a life-altering decision into an opportunity to entertain. In a market flooded with print college guides, The U's DVD's are the first of their kind.

Stars from popular television shows, including the WB network's Everwood, narrate each 15-minute disc as techno music thumps in the background. Shots of campus scenery are interspersed with clips of students partying, discussing their course loads, and giving tours of their dorm rooms. [....]

"There's an incredible disconnect between higher-education marketing and the way kids think and speak," says Mr. Imbruce. "Why not give them information in a way that's hip and relevant?"Visit the company's site here and take a sample tour. Then decide if it's worth $14.95 for each school.