WHat parameters did you give and how do you think ChatGPT did?
I just tried it right now and found the result funny. I wouldn’t try this for real.
I was super impressed by the answer I got to a basic question. This is going to be my second rodeo, so nothing new, but for someone just starting out, it touched on some great points and only really missed potential merit awards at private colleges.
I’m a california resident, where can I go to college for 30000 per year
As a California resident, you have access to various colleges and universities that offer affordable tuition options. Here are some options where you might be able to attend college for around $30,000 per year or less:
- California State Universities (CSUs): Many CSUs have tuition fees around $6,000 to $7,000 per year for in-state students. While there are additional costs such as room and board, these universities are generally more affordable for California residents. Examples include San Jose State University, California State University, Long Beach, and California State University, Fullerton.
- University of California (UC) Campuses: Although UCs can have higher tuition for out-of-state students, as a California resident, you’ll receive lower in-state tuition rates. While some UCs might exceed the $30,000 per year mark, others might come close to or fall below it. Check out UC Riverside, UC Merced, and UC Santa Cruz for potentially lower costs.
- Community Colleges: Community colleges are an affordable option for California residents. They typically have lower tuition rates, making them a cost-effective choice for completing general education requirements or exploring different fields before transferring to a four-year university.
- Private Colleges with Financial Aid: Some private colleges offer financial aid packages that can significantly reduce the cost of attendance. Institutions like Occidental College, University of the Pacific, and Loyola Marymount University may provide financial aid options that bring the net cost closer to your budget.
- Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) Program: Although not exclusive to California residents, some colleges in western states participate in the WUE program, which allows out-of-state students to pay reduced tuition rates. You can find participating schools and check if they offer programs you’re interested in.
Remember that tuition costs can vary depending on factors like the specific program, campus, and additional fees. It’s crucial to research each college’s financial aid options, scholarships, and grants, as they can significantly impact the overall cost of attendance. Additionally, living on-campus or off-campus, commuting, and other lifestyle choices can affect your total expenses during college. Consider all these factors when making your decision.
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If you are going to do this, use something like Bing which is a search engine powered by AI.
Reason being…ChatGPT does not have web access. It was trained using data up until Q4 2021, so won’t have anything more recent than that…new programs, updated acceptance rates, updated COA, current scholarships and FA policies, etc.
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Plus, the admissions landscape has changed quite a bit in the past 3 years - a nuance that’s probably not captured by ChatGPT.
I would not use ChatGPT for anything but as a writing tool at it current stage
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I just tried it with my D 23’s stats and other info (having been through the whole process with her), and the results were … nothing like what we actually did, including only one school she actually applied to (because it was an in-state safety, not someplace she really wanted to go). Then I tried it with S26’s info (granted, I have less info for him because he’s a rising sophomore), and the results were weirdly a little closer to what his list will probably look like. So then I refined my prompt for D23’s list, added a little more information, and I got the same bad list as before, more or less. My take? In the college search as in college-level work, nothing replaces your own research.
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And the valuable insights from the wonderful CC community here 
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A very basic one. I have played around with Google version to write a college essay. It’s very very bad. If some student attempted it they would fail in it’s current form. I am not suggesting anyone do this BTW. I just wanted to see what it would produce.
A lot of this will come down to people’s prompt engineering. Garbage in, garbage out. I’ve seen these generative AI’s do some truly amazing things but usually the people got those results after working for a while to refine the results by iterative prompt engineering, ending up with an extremely detailed and wordy prompt and a lot of playing with the variables on its sensitivities.
Someone just going in and typing a question and judging the result is going to have a very different experience than a true prompt engineering effort will produce.
Big ChatGPT update today, allowing custom instructions:
Custom instructions for ChatGPT
Details from Rundown AI (a good AI newsletter):
Allows you to insert two prompts of up to 1500 characters for ChatGPT to remember across conversations
Available in Beta for Plus users (everywhere except for the UK and EU) and ‘coming soon’ to free users
To enable, click the three dots under your ChatGPT history → Settings & Beta → Beta Features → Custom Instructions
Besides custom instructions, OpenAI has also increased GPT-4’s message cap from 25 to 50 every 3 hours