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Count service hours toward graduation with your school's limits
Practice: Giving the right context. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
Your school requires 40 service hours. Only hours with a supervisor signature count, and at most 10 hours can come from school clubs. Write exactly 5 numbered lines, one per log entry, each showing the hours that count and why, then one unnumbered last line: Total: X of 40, need Y more. Plain text, under 80 words.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Not giving the club cap. The AI counts all 19 club hours, like your friend. Try: Add: "At most 10 hours total from school clubs."
- Not giving the signature rule. The AI counts the unsigned park cleanup. Try: Add: "Only signed hours count."
- Not asking to see the work. Your counselor will want the breakdown. Try: Add a line to copy: "1. Food Bank: 12 (signed)"
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each line: "each line under 12 words."
- Forgetting where it goes. AI loves markdown tables and bold, which show up as clutter in a counselor form. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold, headings or tables."
What a strong prompt includes
- Gives the club cap
- Gives the signature rule
- Asks to show the math
- Sets a word limit
- Asks for plain text
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