I've been writing about how critical thinking and communications skills will not be easily replaced by AI. People still prefer to negotiate with humans!
Now, less than two years since Chat-GPT 3 was released, we are already seeing its impact. While Computer Science is still a top major, graduates are finding a tighter job market. Companies are cutting back on hiring people who do repetitive work, including coding. How much will this filter trend down and how quickly?
What we are seeing is an increase in students choosing majors in the health fields. Patients are not ready to be cared for by robots in hospitals and clinics. For students who do not choose the grueling work and long process of becoming MD's, there are many options.
AI is becoming entrenched in hospitals. While it may eventually take over billing, coding, and EHR (electronic health record) maintenance, specialists are still required to manage the process. Telehealth practitioners and coordinators provide more flexible options for care. Nearly 500 US hospitals are owned by private equity firms. The hospital business has grown into an industry that employs administrators and managers in every department on a large scale. More assisted living facilities for the large baby boomer population will continue to be built, and employ more highly trained workers, including speech pathologists, physical and occupational therapists, and mental health therapists specializing in gerontology.
There is only a slight shift, but notice the difference in the top majors. Students are thinking ahead.
People often talk about scholarships as money that’s just there for the taking. That’s an oversimplification.
The main (and most reliable) source of funding comes from the colleges themselves. Institutional grants represent 33% of total undergraduate aid. Scholarships (private and/or institutional), merit, and grant aid, refers to money that does not need to be paid back. The best way to reduce college cost is to apply to institutions that offer generous merit-based financial aid.
Second, private scholarships are awarded by corporations, civic organizations and other external groups to provide additional financial support. This money is far more elusive. Things to remember about private scholarships:
These account for only about 7% of total undergraduate student aid.
High value scholarships are very competitive-chances of receiving these are low.
Smaller scholarships are slightly “easier” to obtain, but it takes many of them to significantly reduce the cost of attendance and most are awarded for one year only (you must reapply). They average around $1000.
Some colleges won’t stack these on top of their own merit aid, rather they reduce their institutional financial aid by the amount of the private scholarship. *This is a good question to ask at college visits - are outside scholarships stackable with your institution’s scholarships?
Applying for these is time consuming, requiring essays, applications and letters of recommendation. It is an intense process (for little payout).
They generate a lot of spam, since some search engines sell your information to third parties. Set up a separate email.
Some advertised scholarships may not even exist.
This is not to say that you should not apply for private scholarships. My recommendations:
Create a completely different email account so it is not to clog your current email with spam.
Recycle essays that you have already written. Find the scholarship to match (i.e., if you’ve written an essay about driving, search for safe driving scholarships).
Apply for local scholarships that have less competition. Ask your school counselor.
Do targeted Google searches in your major or career field. Check any professional organizations that you or your family is affiliated with to see if they offer specific scholarships.
Beginning this admissions season, colleges like the University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Vanderbilt University, Columbia University, Colby College, Northwestern University, and Washington University will begin accepting "Dialogues" from Schoolhouse.world, a platform co-founded by Sal Khan.
I appreciate the pros and cons of this. First, the con: don’t students have enough hoops to jump through? But I get the pro, too:
Why would colleges do this?
Grade Inflation: When so many students have perfect or near-perfect GPA’s, even with high rigor, colleges need to see beyond the numbers. That’s why essays matter…however…
AI Essay Concerns: With artificial intelligence tools making it difficult to determine if essays authentically reflect a student's voice and abilities, Dialogues offers a way to observe students' real-time thinking and communication skills during live conversations.
How does it work?
Authentic Interaction Assessment: The platform connects high school students worldwide for one-on-one video conversations about important topics like climate change, immigration, and artificial intelligence. This allows admissions officers to witness how students navigate differing viewpoints with curiosity and open-mindedness in real-time situations.
Should we expect elite college applicants be informed enough to discuss real-world problems? Should they be able to communicate effectively about them? No one is asking them to solve the problems.
Colleges have always valued strong communication skills. Perhaps these institutions are using Dialogues to dissuade students who apply because of the schools' prestige, but are not academically serious enough to engage in thoughtful, civil conversations with peers. That might make admissions' job of finding best-fit students easier.