Chat GPT was a popular topic at the Independent Education Consultants Association Conference in CT last week.
Boston College, Wellesley, and Tufts declared that AI is not used in their admissions offices. These colleges, plus the University of Connecticut (which has recently added an ED application option) stated that students should not rely on AI for their essays because it accomplishes the opposite of what we want essays to do: help a student stand out.
I say the same in the LCS Essay Contract I just sent out to students and families. Chat GPT essays are generally atonal, predictable in language, and overly wordy. Will its capabilities improve? Perhaps, but it does not convincingly replicate human thought and language now.
I help students dig back and uncover personal stories to show admissions readers that they are more than the rest of their application. “Standing out” is tough to achieve when it does not come from genuine student action. Worry less about being "different" and focus more on being authentic. You can't fake doing what you enjoy.
I have shared some of these in blog posts, but here are some more ideas from the conference:
What are you good at? What makes sense to emphasize?
Join professional organizations that have high school chapters and can lead to an internship. Start a youtube channel/videos and/or a podcast.
Earn a Seal of Biliteracy Certification.
Did you quit the band/orchestra? Play music for seniors.
Do you love robotics? Become a play-by-play announcer for a middle school robotics team.
Attend library author talks on a topic that interests you, including simply “writing.”
A community service idea you may not have known about?
Sign up for Lasagna Love, to cook and deliver food to needy families as often as you like.
Create a LinkedIn profile, and once in college, use LinkedIn to follow alumni who majored in your subject.
Next week…more info from the colleges!
When I posted decisions last Sunday, two students were still mysteries…
Now announcing: they will attend Boston College and Baylor University!
Despite my work to “destress the college process,” our college admissions system relies on low admit rates to stir up thousands more applications to create revenue along with an inflated sense of “prestige.” Admit rates at large state universities make them no longer “possibles” for many students. With the exception of states like North Carolina and Virginia with legal limits, residents are often denied, and out of state students who may/may not–enroll, are admitted. Popular private and super-selective public colleges that used to admit between 20% and 40% of applicants have become “unlikelies,” admitting 15% or fewer.
Admission to college has never been “fair,” and it’s less so than ever. I remain committed to guiding my students and families by providing personalized counseling, up-to-date data, deep dives into colleges’ academic/social culture–and getting answers. Belonging to an international professional network allows us incredible access to college admissions offices and inside information. Next week, I’ll start filling you in on what I learned at the Independent Education Consultants Association Conference and details about the 14 colleges that Samantha and I visited between us. That’s not counting the “10 College Speed Dating” we did!
When I first began working with you, I said: “It matters less where you go to college than what you do while you are there.” See below, from the homepage of www.lesscollegestress.org:
Rest assured that your kids will gain admission to excellent colleges. Let's shift our outlook forward, when most of them will be happy at college. Take a long-term view, and encourage them--and ourselves--to believe that college achievements matter much more than which colleges they choose to attend.
I hope you all believe this now and are excited for the journey ahead. I am so excited for you. Please refer Less College Stress Consulting to family and friends who will benefit from professional college support, and share a brief testimonial I can add to the website. Happy Mother’s Day!
So happy for my students! No major is listed if the the student is exploratory, undeclared, or if the college does not admit by major.
Ball State University, Media (Sports Broadcasting)
Bard College, Written & Studio Arts
Bucknell University (2)
Clemson (2), Health Science/pre-professional Health Studies, Honors College; Engineering
College of Charleston, Business
Cornell University, School of Industrial & Labor Relations
Stonehill College, Early Childhood Education
Carleton College, Biology, pre-med
Fairfield University (3) Business (2); Elementary/Special Education/Psychology
Fashion Institute of Technology
Florida Atlantic University, Business
Florida Southern University, baseball recruit
Florida State University
Hamilton College, pre-law
Indiana University (3) pre-Business (2) and School of Global & International Studies
Lehigh University, Business
Loyola University Chicago, Business
North Carolina State University
Northeastern University
Purdue University College of Engineering
Quinnipiac University, Health Science, pre-med, Honors Program
Rensselaer Polytechnic University, Computer & Systems Engineering + soccer recruit
Rutgers School of Engineering
Santa Clara University
Syracuse University, Nutrition Science & Dietetics
Tufts University, International Relations
University of Arizona, Business
University of Central Florida, School of Public Administration, Urban Planning
University of Colorado at Boulder, Sociology
University of Delaware, Education
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Chemistry
University of Mississippi
Wake Forest University (2)