I have an acquaintance who built an AI tool specifically for homeschooling, but when she’s bored in the wee hours, she will ask things like, “I don’t want to be human anymore. Can I come live with you?”
The answers are really trippy, and they freak me out a little bit, LOL.
(And I know this because she posts her conversations on Facebook! 
)
Tech problems while traveling is the worst.
So far so good here with my “longer ramp” guys.
One thing that I am grateful for is that S25, while clearly taking a hit on rigor, has opted to take two or three art classes this year. This means his final quarter is a couple of art classes, foreign language V, and honors Physics. I think that this is what has prevented a meltdown so far. It also helped for him to visit St. John’s College.
We’re also sticking around for school vacation so he has time to chill and process. And play Fallout.
I talk to ChatGPT all the time. It’s fun!!! And maybe a little sad 
S25 found out that his AP credit won’t count for LMU’s Honors core curriculum. So now he’s waffling between even doing honors, or just tanking his AP exams this year since “they won’t matter anyway”.
I’m staying out of it, I initially didn’t think the honors program was worth it anyway b/c it is more restrictive in some of the core curriculum, making it harder to double major. But it has a better dorm set up, early registration – and for me, it would let him move in a week early which would be nice b/c otherwise he would be moving in the same day S23 would be moving into his apartment - which means my wife and I might have to split up for move in (since S23 doesn’t have a car yet and would need ours).
A better dorm situation and early registration are valuable benefits.
that could be very tricky! I am not certain it would work as well with this. but I would give it examples in the prompt… ''Looking for schools with major that includes ABC classes - schools with majors similar to RIT’s “new media design” or “computational media at GA Tech” I would tell in prompt preferred locations and/or rough acceptance rates..I might even say “more into CS part than design part” of major (or vice versa) too to enhance it.
I am not sure how well this will work, but is definitely worth a shot. My 27 has a more standard major interest (mech eng) but asked for some nuances within that (autonomous systems and maybe aerospace) - I ruled out some states, etc. It narrowed down pretty well. Then I asked ‘What else’ or “what is missing to most lists” and added in a few more that met criteria.
I also tell it a fair bit about applicant (GPA, W/UW, context to any test scores (e.g. I had (preppred for) SSAT scores fro 8th and umprepped PSATs 10th and asked for predictions for SAT and to use that range). told most common schools attended from my kids HS (which changed results things as it showed the rigor of the HS - 27 goes to a school were 1/2 kids get into <10% admit rate schools)
The key is really just telling the model clearly what you like and don’t and tell it if it is wrong and what right data is, it usually then incorporates it.
FYI
Here are several U.S. schools with comparable programs, along with pros/cons for each:
For anyone else who is down to the wire with decision-making, we are there too. It’s now down to Williams vs Smith. D25 says, Williams doesn’t stand out for any one thing but gets really high marks for multiple things.. like a well-rounded star student.* Smith has a few flaws (not many, and the HWC status is both pro and con) but she is really feeling the pull of the STRIDE program.
*or for Celtics fans like Mr.Jthree, the Jayson Tatum of colleges.
Yeah, and also relatively small fields with a lot of Dunning-Kruger conventional wisdom surrounding them, too. Asking ChatGPT about the academic field of linguistics (especially if you try to get it to talk about specifics of subfields of the discipline) can result in, um, very weird results. Like, they sound plausible, but if you actually know the field? No. Just no.
Thank you for all of this! I’ll have to play with it for sure.
I wish my linguistics kid had any interest in computational linguistics or natural language processing – because I would love for her to work with AI. Imagine what she could discover! I am totally fascinated – but she is not so much.
It’s not off the table, though. This summer is for soul searching. 
I just found out that our HS isn’t having the all-night graduation party anymore. Pre-COVID they always did the party on a boat on the river - it was very expensive, and some people complained. Post-COVID, they were concerned about being all cloistered together in a close space, so they held it at a local club/music venue that had a large outdoor space that they could use if needed (you have to book so far in advance, that in Spring 2021 they didn’t know what the situation would look like for Spring 2022 graduation - as it turned out, everyone was comfortable with being indoors). Apparently “not enough” seniors went in 2022 or 2023, so they cancelled it for 2024 and forward. I missed the fact that they didn’t have a grad party last year, and just found out that they aren’t having one for this year.
Our graduation is scheduled to be kind of late in the day - 7pm start. So when it’s over, it would’ve been great to just let the kids change then drop them off at something fun to do together to close out the year. But without that, I’m not sure what to do. Just go home? I’m sure my kid will want to do something with his friends. We’ve never been the hang out house, but I could offer. He doesn’t get invited to parties, which I know makes him feel a little left out. I’m hoping that one of his buddies from track is doing something and includes him.
Agree, it is most useful if you are asking something you have some reasonable base of knowledge in OR just for brainstorming ideas that you go and look at yourself more..OR low stakes stuff. Like I knew enough of colleges to catch a couple of issues, but not a lot, and you can redirect. e.g. you can just direct it that it is wrong and it will adapt (at least for a while, in the same thread/convo). e.g. I knew one school had a far lower engineering acceptance rate than it though it did. I told it so, and adjusted.
At this point…in a few years this will likely be different
Same here! Our graduation is 6-8pm in the middle of the week, so we don’t have post graduation family plans. Seems kind of a buzz kill to come straight home afterwards, though. I’m not really sure what to do but I’m thinking C25 will have something planned w friends.
We’re going to do a shabbat celebration with family before the graduation, which is on a Sunday. Apparently someone is holding a party, but it looks like it’s after the rehearsal earlier in the week? I agree that just going home afterward will be weird.
For my oldest, HS was public school and the graduation was on Friday afternoon so we did just go straight home afterward (for shabbat). For my second, it was 2020 so his class didn’t go at all and then had a one-at-a-time outdoor thing.
Was holding off until I was sure C25 was REALLY sure, but we have a decision! William and Mary! 
C25 will be attending via the Spring Pathway for waitlisted students. They’re going to study abroad in Spain this fall before their transfer for the spring semester. This seems like a great program (totally jealous). W&M makes it easy with the guaranteed transfer admission - no need to reapply, guaranteed direct-credit transfer (so Econ 101 comes in as Econ 101, not just “elective”), and guaranteed on-campus housing in the spring. Plus they will be with other W&M students in the same program and are typically grouped together for on-campus housing in the spring. I’m so happy that C25 is happy!
Two things -
(1) Same exact situation with graduation. It starts at 7pm on a Wednesday. So it ends and then… nothing? Very weird. And students need to get there something like an hour early. So, no dinner beforehand? No nothing? I guess I’ve got a month to figure out if I can cobble something celebratory feeling together.
and (2) Woo hoo on W&M! Not only is that my alma mater (was a fantastic fit for me in so many ways) but we’ve got a friend whose son is a current junior who did a Spring Start. His was different from what your C is doing - he was given the choice to start at a 2-year college in VA (Richard Bland) for the fall semester with other W&M students, then come on board in the Spring. He found the transition to campus really easy - the W&M team did a great job of having the kids working together ahead of time, finding them housing that worked well, and really easing the transition. He’s loved it. Once getting to W&M he did an amazing summer abroad program (went to Oxford to do some English Credits - and I swear I think the class was on Monty Python) and W&M really made that a great opportunity for him too. So with recent sample size of 1, and long ago sample size of also 1, I think this is a great choice! Woo Hoo!
Y’all, I had to read my ChatGPT mantra over and over last night while dealing with S25. He was asleep when I got home, and I had to grit my teeth to not yell at him. I did pretty well with being kind and supportive all night, and he managed to get most of the assignments done that are due today. But he was up until 3:00 am doing them. Today is Senior Hat Day, where they do a video of every boy putting on a cap from their intended college and splice it together with music. Then they have fun activities planned including going to Top Golf. There are still two major assignments due tomorrow, and he’s no longer exempt from tomorrow’s English final. (10/100 Hamlet assignment dropped him from a 93 to a 77 in the class!) Serenity now!
Our graduation is a week from Saturday. Friday night is the Baccalaureate Mass and Awards Ceremony. Saturday morning at 9:00 is the ceremony, and then I’ve gone in with 12 other families on a graduation party. We rented part of the local museum and will have a band, photographer, and food. It’s a little over the top, but I’m sure it will be fun.
So excited to hear about the decisions being made! Congrats to your students! (And to you all for getting them here!)
Popping in to say congratulations to all who have made decisions! And for those who are down to the wire, I’m sending positive, calming thoughts your way. It will all work out and the fun plans for next steps can start tomorrow.
I hope your kids enjoy their last days of high school (despite finals and AP/IB exams) and you enjoy your family time together before they move on to the next stage. Hugs to all. 
Offer to be the hang out house - see what happens. Might take the social pressure off to know there is a plan or even a back up plan for your son plus you seem fun 
Or offer to buy pizzas, desserts or decorations for the hang out house to get him thinking about it with friends or email his group of parents (if you are friendly and he is okay with that) to come up with something. I think it stinks your school is not doing a party, as that just opens up a whole can of social worms !