With the recent publication of a number of articles discussing AI and its potential impact on the college admissions process, we have received some requests to update our views on the topic.
In our opinion, while AI is popular topic for publications looking to garner some attention, from an admissions standpoint it should be viewed as a continuation of a trend. The past few years have seen universities increasingly use algorithms, big data and predictive analytics. There are several reasons why universities are broadly using more technology, but one clear driver has been yield pressure. While few schools admit to managing their admissions to account for yield, schools like Boston University, Clemson, Northeastern, Tufts, Tulane and the University of Chicago are just a few of the schools that have been mentioned as doing it.
Importantly, enrollment management software and advances in the ability of schools to gather and process large amounts of data have led to an increase in the number of ways schools judge applicants and how likely they are to attend specific colleges. Somewhat surprising to many families is that these factors are not simply test scores and grades, but also personal qualities and traits determined by key words in essays and correspondences. Some schools also compare applicant behavior and attributes with the traits of their most successful graduates (as found in their libraries of previous applications). Importantly, interactions with regional representatives, college visits, the amount of time spent on college websites and emails opened also play a role in the predictive analytics used in many schools’ admissions processes.
While many will focus on schools like NYU, UPENN and Georgia Tech being associated with AI and what that might mean in their application process, the truth is that things have not changed that much. In the new world of technology/data driven admissions, applicants generally benefit from communicating more. Regardless of if a school cares about demonstrated interest, advantaged students are the students who communicated with regional representatives sooner and more frequently with questions generated by time spent on the specific college website, virtual calls and/or visits. By doing this, applicants effectively demonstrate a knowledge of what makes each school different and special. Understanding what each school favors in their process can be an enormous advantage. The summer and time off from school is a great time for students to start this process. While we understand what specific schools value in their admissions process and the best ways to approach them, students and families with the time and who are willing to dig can generally learn some of what schools’ value as well.
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