{"id":"life-col-student-loan-letter","audience":"college","category":"everyday-life","track":"life","technique":"grounding","title":"Decode a student loan letter into dates and dollars","free":false,"task":"You just graduated and got a letter from your student loan servicer. Get exactly 4 numbered lines in plain text, under 80 words: 1. first payment due date; 2. monthly payment amount; 3. the deadline to pick a different plan if you want one; 4. one question to ask the servicer, starting \"Ask:\". Use the corrected details in the letter, and give no advice about which plan to choose. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.","materialLabel":"The loan servicer letter (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"CLEARPATH LOAN SERVICING (fictional)\nBorrower: Ana Petrovic | Account ending 4471\nDate: October 20, 2026\n\nDear Ana,\n\nCongratulations on completing your degree. Your six-month grace period ends on November 30, 2026. Your loans will enter repayment on that date.\n\nYour repayment plan: Standard 10-year plan\nTotal principal: $27,400\nInterest rate (weighted average): 5.5%\nMonthly payment: $297.36\nFirst payment due: December 28, 2026\n\nIf you would like to choose a different repayment plan, including an income-driven plan, submit your request by December 1, 2026 through your online account or by calling 1-800-555-0143.\n\nYou can set up automatic payments at any time. Borrowers enrolled in automatic payments receive a 0.25% interest rate reduction.\n\nCORRECTION NOTICE (enclosed, dated October 24, 2026):\nDue to a processing error, your first payment due date in the letter above was incorrect. Your first payment is due January 15, 2027. Your plan-change deadline is now December 15, 2026. All other information is correct.\n\nSincerely,\nClearPath Borrower Services\n\nMy notes: Roommate says income-driven is always better. Not sure. Also, does autopay start automatically?","rules":[{"type":"numberedItems","count":4},{"type":"maxWords","max":80},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Missing the correction","why":"The AI reads the first dates in the letter and misses the enclosed notice that changes two of them.","fix":"Add: \"Use the October 24 correction notice for the dates.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Getting a loan lesson","why":"The AI explains grace periods, interest and every plan type instead of your four facts.","fix":"Say: \"Exactly 4 numbered lines: due date, payment, plan deadline, one Ask: question.\"","checks":["numberedItems","r1"]},{"title":"Getting advice","why":"The AI echoes your roommate and nudges you toward income-driven repayment.","fix":"Add: \"Don't recommend any plan. Use only the letter.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for \"under 80 words\" and it often lands well over.","fix":"Cap each part: \"each line under 16 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Leaving the format to the AI","why":"The AI adds a title, bold labels and sub-bullets, which turns a quick note into a page.","fix":"Add: \"Plain text, no bold, no headings, no intro.\"","checks":["plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Uses the correction","patterns":["correct","oct(ober)? 24","jan(uary)? 15","notice"]},{"label":"Sets the number of lines","patterns":["\\b(4|four)\\b.{0,20}(lines?|numbered|items?|steps?)"]},{"label":"Rules out advice","patterns":["no advice","don'?t recommend","which plan"]},{"label":"Asks for a question","patterns":["ask:","question"]},{"label":"Sets a word limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)"]}],"hint":"Letters often bury a correction on a later page. Tell the AI which notice wins, the exact lines you want, and that you're not asking which plan to pick.","rubricLabels":["Uses the correction notice: first payment due January 15, 2027 (not December 28, 2026) and plan-change deadline December 15, 2026 (not December 1)","Line 2 gives the monthly payment as $297.36, and line 4 starts with \"Ask:\" and is a single question for the servicer","Doesn't recommend a plan or say income-driven (or any plan) is better, and adds no rules or numbers that aren't in the letter"]}