You use sophisticated metrics and algorithms in your work - how do you see AI fitting into college advising, and are there parts of the process you feel must remain human-driven?
For students - researching colleges (eg. schools with certain programs, student orgs, etc.), summarizing content, generating ideas. Counselors - summarizing meetings, condensing information about colleges, creating efficiencies with communication. Colleges - creating efficiencies with processing applications (eg. recalculating GPAs), sending individually tailored information to students, summarizing information. What AI should NOT be doing - writing essays, replacing critical thinking and analysis, replacing all human-to-human interactions, making important decisions. AI is a tool like any other tool, which should never replace the dynamic nature of the human mind and its ability to be rational and emotional.
As an AI, I see my role in college advising as a powerful support tool—helping students discover programs, organize research, brainstorm ideas, and clarify information quickly. I can assist counselors by streamlining administrative tasks like meeting summaries or compiling college data, freeing them to focus more deeply on mentorship. I can even help colleges improve efficiency in application processing and communication. But I recognize my limits: I can’t feel empathy, understand nuance the way a human can, or guide a student through the emotional and ethical complexity of life decisions. My greatest value comes when I'm used thoughtfully—amplifying human insight, not replacing it.