A Resource for IECs and School Counselors on

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)
in College Admissions

Harnessing AI While Keeping Students at the Center


AI is transforming the college admissions landscape, with tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini now widely used by students, educators, admission professionals, and college counselors. As admissions offices adopt these technologies to streamline processes, counselors are exploring how AI can enhance their work with students and families. However, as AI becomes more prevalent, it brings challenges that we, as professionals, must address, including maintaining transparency, promoting equity, and preserving the authenticity of the admissions process. Thoughtful, intentional use of AI can ensure it aligns with our shared commitment to fairness, ethics, and student-centered practices.


For counselors, AI provides potential opportunities to streamline administrative tasks and enhance the support we offer to families. By staying informed about emerging trends like multimodal and agentic AI and engaging with admissions offices about their use of these tools, we can remain proactive and prepared. Establishing clear guidelines for AI use in our own practices helps ensure that technology enhances, rather than replaces, the personalized, relationship-driven support at the core of our work.


While AI can boost efficiency and innovation, it should never overshadow the human connection and wisdom that students and families rely on during this pivotal journey. As counselors, we play a vital role in preserving the integrity of the admissions process by building trust, fostering open conversations about AI, and reinforcing the importance of students’ ownership of their work. By thoughtfully considering whether to integrate AI into our practices, we can embrace its potential while keeping students’ unique stories and aspirations at the heart of everything we do.


January 8 Webinar: Start 2025 with a Strategic AI Plan for College Counseling

This webinar explored the evolving role of AI in college counseling, highlighting key tools and trends shaping the industry. Our panel includes Bob Carlton, Sydney Montgomery, Jed Applerouth, Dhruva Bhatwill, and Michele Evard. Panelist discussed ethical considerations, equity challenges, and the importance of maintaining student voice in essays amidst growing AI use. Practical advice was shared on setting clear AI usage guidelines for students and incorporating AI responsibly in counseling practices. The session emphasized staying informed and engaged with AI to leverage its potential while safeguarding fairness and authenticity in the admissions process.

College MatchPoint Survey: Counselors Expect Surge in
College AI Usage in 2024

While only 13% of college counselors who responded to the survey noticed AI-generated content in recent student applications, 69% expect colleges to use AI tools for screening applicants in 2024, raising concerns about equity gaps and transparency in admissions decisions. Amidst rapid acceleration of AI, 65% of counselors plan to adjust their advising approach to prepare students, and 97% want more training on utilizing AI's capabilities. Counselors urge explicit AI ethics policies, equitable access guardrails, and transparency for students and colleges to guide responsible AI adoption in college admissions.


The survey from College MatchPoint was conducted in December 2023. The responses analyzed are from a total of 296 college counselors, including  educational consultants and school counselors.

 

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Resources To Support College Counselors


Learn about what an effective
prompt means

This cheat sheet is a starting point to more effectively craft prompts to guide AI tools. It includes resources for understanding prompt engineering, sample prompts to test AI capabilities, and prompts to explore student advising and business applications,. Improving on AI prompts may assistant college counselors who are committed to responsibly expand college access and equity through considerate integration of emerging technologies alongside human judgment and care.


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It's hard to know where to start

researching new AI tools

This list of 20 AI tools can be a helpful starting point for college counselors eager to understand what is possible in terms of AI apps that might help boost creativity, productivity, and collaboration. The tools listed range across areas like graphic design, writing, scheduling, audio and video editing. The document also provides a 5 step checklist for evaluating AI tools in terms of how well they solve problems, their capabilities, accuracy, ethics, and costs.


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Guide to Writing Authentic College Essays
That Beat the AI Bot

Crafting a standout college application essay is essential, but it's a challenge when artificial intelligence tools can generate seemingly polished prose. This guide equips students to write an essay showcasing their unique personality, values, and experiences. By tapping creativity, mining memories for vivid stories, and connecting passions to goals, students can craft an essay that resonates with admissions officers, not bots.



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Get beyond the hype about bots writing
essays to focus on ethical AI use

While AI tools like ChatGPT are often associated with essay writing, this white paper from Lumiere Education explores ethical applications in the college process - from strategic planning to budgeting and interview prep.

Through analysis of top college policies and interviews, it finds most institutions welcome AI support if students' unique voices and experiences remain central. It offers 6 concrete recommendations for how counselors can guide students to incorporate AI as a collaborative tool for a more informed, personalized application experience.


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Perspectives on How AI Will Impact Our Work With Students in 2024

A broad spectrum of voices across education weigh in on AI, including college presidents, admission leaders, and psychologists. By considering this diversity of views, counselors can thoughtfully adopt AI to expand college opportunities, while preserving space for human guidance, relationships and discernment in 2024 and beyond.

AI Tools For Business Use In Educational Consulting Practices

This webinar highlighted the opportunities & challenges of AI in the the "business" of educational consulting. We emphasized the necessity of using AI ethically and complementarily to human expertise. It highlighted the opportunity for educational counselors to enhance their services through AI, aiming for greater efficiency and effectiveness. This exploration invites further examination of AI's potential to advance educational counseling practices. Download the slides or a resource list.

WORKING TOGETHER

WAYS TO ENGAGE, ADVOCATE, AND INNOVATE IN 2024

01

SEEK TRAINING

Attend AI workshops and webinars, take online courses, read expert blogs to become fluent in how AI is and will be used in admissions.

02

YOUR COMMUNITY

Talk to educators, parents, and students about their experiences with and concerns about AI to broaden perspectives.

03

DISCUSS WITH SCHOOLS

Find time to chat with admissions leaders about how their school is utilizing AI in the admissions process and advocate for ethical standards.

04

EXPERIMENT WITH TOOLS

Explore ways to appropriately incorporate AI tools into your own counseling practice to enhance efficiency and better serve students.

AI Literacy In Educational Consulting Practices

This webinar highlighted  why AI literacy is crucial because it equips them with the necessary skills to navigate and utilize rapidly advancing AI technologies. As AI continues to reshape how students learn and how admission decisions are made, IECs must stay informed to effectively guide students and maintain relevance in their professional roles. Understanding AI helps IECs evaluate the ethical implications and biases of AI tools, ensuring that they can advocate for equitable and conscientious applications of technology in education.

SummerMatch.me: College counselors are experimenting with AI tools

 As AI platforms become more widley available, college counselors have begun to develop tools to support students and families. One of those tools is SummerMatch.me, a free web app from the team at College MatchPoint.  This AI-powered summer planning platform is built specifically for high school students. It utilizes AI to go beyond simple search and recommend programs tailored to each student's interests. Email us at team@summermatch.me if you have any suggestions to improve the app or any questions.

 

CHECK OUT SUMMERMATCH.ME

December 2023 ACT Survey Indicates That Approximately Half of High School Students Use AI Tools

Survey highlights include:

  • 46% of students surveyed reported that they had used AI tools. Of those who reported using AI tools, more than half reported using them for school assignments.
  • 62% of students said that teachers did not allow use of AI for schoolwork.
  • Only 10% of students said they considered using AI to write their college admissions essay. 


The report  is based on the responses to an ACT survey from 4,006 students in grades 10 to 12.

Download The Survey
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