CCAS Instagram Takeover Program
The Columbian College Instagram Takeover Program highlights the diversity of CCAS students, faculty, staff and alumni voices. Our community enjoys witnessing the many interesting and unique aspects—and impact—of campus life and beyond. From internships at museums and trips to Nationals Park, to research in the lab or out in the field, to fun photos around campus or in the workplace, we want you to share your experiences and demonstrate what you’re proud or passionate about!
If you’d like to participate and “take over” the CCAS Instagram account, please review the guidelines and fill out the application form. We look forward to hearing from you!
Takeover Process and Guidelines
Selected individuals will be contacted and assigned a period of time (1-3 days, depending on availability) to take over the @gwucolumbian Instagram account.
Photos
Aim to post once a day. Introduce yourself in an introductory post, listing your name, class year and major (students and alumni), or title (faculty and staff) and anything else about yourself you’d like to share. Tag your personal profiles if you feel comfortable.
Captions
Keep them short and fun! One to two sentences max. Explain what you’re doing in the photo and be sure to include #GWCCAS and #GWU. Write posts in the first person and sign them with your name at the end. For example: – Abby
Instagram Stories
In addition to daily posts, you are welcome to post Stories. Aim to post no more than 5 stories per day to maintain engagement without overwhelming your audience. Your story content can link to your latest posts, show brief videos, share student life highlights, or use interactive elements like polls or questions to engage with students.
Content
A few examples of what types of things to post: you and friends enjoying D.C., photos of your classes sharing #OnlyatGW moments, extracurricular involvement, etc.
Most of all, have fun! We love to see posts reflective of students truly enjoying their GW experience!
Note: All photos and captions should be an appropriate representation of CCAS, and appropriate for all ages.
Tips for Taking Great Photos
- Post photos of yourself or a group.
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Don’t always selfie! Have someone else take the picture! It’s a simple tip that can help you capture more of yourself and your setting.
- Practice the “rule of thirds.”
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The rule of thirds dictates that an image should be broken down into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, so you have nine parts total. Place points of interest in these intersections or along the lines to add balance to your photos.
- Focus on one subject.
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Adjust your phone’s camera focus on the most important element in the photo. Choosing a point on which to focus keeps photos from appearing too blurry.
- Add a filter and crop.
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Once you’ve taken your photo, you can use filters and crop the photo to frame the subject correctly. Strategically used filters can enhance your photo. Be careful; too many filters can distract from the photo.
- Find different perspectives.
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Taking a new perspective on a familiar place (the monuments, for example) can make a common photo look unique and new.
