It’s not uncommon that Breanna McClarey crosses paths with a Northeastern University student who instantly recognizes her face and declares, “You’re the reason I came to Northeastern.”  

The fifth-year criminal justice and political science combined major from Madison, Wisconsin, uses the booming social media platform TikTok to document her experiences at Northeastern and advise Northeastern applicants through the admissions process. 

Under the username @bremcclarey, her page sits at 14,500 followers and 1.4 million total likes. The New York Times reports TikTok has 1 billion active users. Its notoriously powerful algorithm ensures users see content that is uniquely specific to their interests. Google Senior Vice President Prabhakar Raghavan has even admitted that nearly 40% of 18-24 year olds turn to social media like TikTok for their information search rather than Google. 

The platform has allowed McClarey to reach Northeastern hopefuls in a way the admissions office cannot. 

On Aug. 12, 2021, McClarey officially achieved every TikToker’s dream: virality. She posted a video of her dancing to a viral sound, with on-screen text discussing colleges that she was interested in but did not end up attending. Captioned “huskies all the way,” the video’s 1.3 million viewers questioned why McClarey chose Northeastern. Thus, her Northeastern content was born. 

Northeastern’s social media team took note. McClarey said they reached out to her and asked her to create “day in my life” and “what’s in my backpack” videos that both positively reflected Northeastern and captured her college experience.  

Online and in real life, McClarey has a straightforward nature about her that shows. She stays true to her purpose: to inform. Applicants and newly-admitted students comment on her videos asking about co-ops, study abroad programs, student life and admissions, and McClarey films video responses to these questions. Receiving firsthand advice from a current Northeastern student is an unprecedented resource for potential and incoming students, and her online presence has single-handedly transformed the way college applicants understand Northeastern.  

First-year data science and business administration combined major Araya Kartik recalls the moment she received her acceptance to Northeastern. Her discovery of McClarey’s content mirrored that of many other new admits, and exhibited just how wide McClarey’s reach is.

“I went on TikTok and typed ‘Northeastern University’ in the search bar, and a video from Bre was one of the first results,” Kartik said.

When first-year psychology and data science combined major Julia Prescott received her acceptance to N.U.in, Northeastern’s first semester study abroad pathway, she was unfamiliar with the program and didn’t know what to expect. But for Prescott and so many other class of 2026 admits, McClarey’s perspective was invaluable. 

“Her videos visualized what being part of N.U.in London would look like. They eliminated any uncertainty and made me excited for the experience,” Prescott said. 

McClarey’s knowledge of Northeastern is vast, largely due to how early she became involved with the school. She joined Husky Ambassadors, the school’s tour guide organization, her very first semester. By sophomore year, she was co-presenting information sessions for prospective students alongside admissions officers. McClarey expresses gratitude for these early experiences.  

“I definitely got lucky that I was hired that early on, because that gave me more knowledge and experience with the admissions office,” McClarey said. 

 This was just the beginning of McClarey’s work with admissions. Last year, she traveled with the admissions team to Houston, Dallas and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she met countless parents and students who followed her on TikTok – an experience that McClarey couldn’t help but describe as “crazy.”  

McClarey shared that she does not get monetized by TikTok, but does have a paid position creating videos for Northeastern’s Student Support Initiative. The opportunities she’s been afforded, she said, are priceless. 

While on an international co-op in Paris last semester, Northeastern’s social media team flew her out to the London campus for 24 hours to cover Northeastern’s Empower fundraiser. She also filmed a video with the Board of Trustees last year discussing the power of social media, and even recorded a podcast with President Joseph E. Aoun.  

Chief Enrollment Officer Satyajit Dattagupta told Northeastern Global News that Northeastern received a record 96,327 applications for the fall of 2023, making McClarey’s role more important now than ever. However, Northeastern may need to start their search for a new poster child. McClarey will graduate in the spring of 2023, leaving an era of Northeastern content behind to pursue law school. While she knows this is not the end of the road for her content creation, she’s endlessly grateful for the opportunity she’s had to put a piece of her school out to millions online. 

“I think it’s so cool to share the uniqueness and the programs with other people,”  McClarey said.