EARLY DECISION

Welcome to my first official newsletter, aimed to helping high school college counselors better utilize technology, including generative Artificial Intelligence such as ChatGPT. As I’ve shared elsewhere, I’m a bit of an efficiency junky and am slightly obsessed with finding better ways to do my work. Technology has been a large part of this aim for me, and I hope to share some ideas here that might help you along your journey. This is a new endeavor for me, though, so I welcome feedback and ideas!

EXTRACURRICULARS

Recently I had the good fortune to be invited to deliver a demonstration on using artificial intelligence to assist in the writing of college counseling letters of recommendation for the College Guidance Network on Facebook Live. Here is a link to the video recording, and here is a link to the shared resources. Take a look! Enjoy!

I also had the opportunity to be among the first cohort of Times Higher Education and BMI’s new Counsellor Accreditation Programme (CAP) during a training in London last week. Read more about it from the PIE News here. And here are my thoughts on the experience. Given the free nature of the training as well as the online format, the CAP is a great opportunity for college counselors everywhere.

Each month, on my blog, I publish a Checklist & Cheatsheet. Though only related to technology in an ancillary fashion, I wanted to share it here. It is a resource of useful monthly reminders for the busy college counselor.

CAMPUS TOUR

One way of thinking about the role of college counselors is as a unique form of school leadership. In this blog post, I try to get at that point with reference to a recent HBR article. I’d love to hear your feedback and insights!

I’ve recently encountered this website, iLib.com, which boasts being the “Largest AI Directory With 4528 AI Tools, Products and Resources.” It is an amazing resource for those of you looking to expand your arsenal of AI tools.

This article from The New York Times this past week on social media use among adolescents is a must-read among counselors. U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, has issued a public warning about the potential mental health risks of social media for children and adolescents. The advisory includes recommendations for families and urges tech companies and the government to enforce safety standards, while acknowledging that the effects of social media on young minds are not yet fully understood. Despite not having enforcement power, the advisory serves as an urgent call to address this significant public health issue.

And in this piece from New York Magazine, a college essay coach tests ChatGPT's ability to craft effective admissions essays, comparing it to her own expertise. Despite initial concerns, she identifies several shortcomings in the AI's writing, such as overused transitional phrases, lack of depth, and inability to offer unique, human insights. Ultimately, she concludes that while AI may bring efficiency, it cannot replace the nuanced understanding and personalized approach of a human coach.

HONOR CODE

Ethics within the realm of artificial intelligence as it pertains to intellectual property, authorship, and the like is murky territory. One of the conversations that has been prominent as of late is whether a college counselor should disclose on a letter that it has been partially generated using artificial intelligence. On one hand, some suggest that colleges have long engaged in communication practices that result in questionable authorship, such as mass emails. On the other, others already cite the sources of their letters, including sharing that information is culled from teacher comments, individual conferences, student reflections, and parent questionnaires, for example. The issue is not simple. In my office, we have tabled a discussion about how to address this, if at all. What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear!

COURSE CATALOG

There are so many tools out there to assist college counselors in our work. This week I want to share the virtues of opinionate.ai, which allows users to explore different sides of a debate (for free). The software engages in a mock debate between two individuals who articulate their positions and respond to each other’s contentions before a moderator renders a decision on the winner of the debate. Try, for example, to engage with it about a student’s decision to attend two different universities! Careful, though! While free, you get only one free debate per day!

STUDENT UNION

This week, in this, the community section, I’m shining a spotlight on Mike, a comprehensive college counselor at a large public school in the USA. In a truly inspiring feat, Mike used ChatGPT to draft recommendation letters for all of his current juniors, after having watched the CGN webinar on AI's role in the process. With an impressive load of 210 students applying to college last year, Mike previously had to decline writing letters due to the sheer magnitude of the task. However, the transformative power of ChatGPT has turned things around for under-served students.

Has AI technology like ChatGPT transformed your counseling practice? I’m eager to hear about your experiences and any insights you've gathered. Share your stories and tips by dropping me an email.

FINAL EXAM

In this section, I hope to share a useful prompt for ChatGPT that college counselors might find to be useful. Here’s this week’s:

You are an AI designed to help high school college counselors. Generate a list of the 10 best prompts for yourself.

Take a few minutes and copy-and-paste this into ChatGPT to get some ideas!

COMMENCEMENT

Thanks for reading. I hope this content has proven to be of value to you. Let me know your thoughts! In particular, if you have any suggestions, either for content or in regards to other tools or tips, I would love to hear from you. Also, please share with other colleagues! I’ve got a handful of ideas for the future, and so I look forward to being in touch next week!

Happy counseling,

Jeff