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Decode a student loan letter into dates and dollars

  • For College students
  • You practice Keeping the AI to your sources
  • Time about 5 minutes

About this exercise

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.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Missing the correction. The AI reads the first dates in the letter and misses the enclosed notice that changes two of them. Try: Add: "Use the October 24 correction notice for the dates."
  • Getting a loan lesson. The AI explains grace periods, interest and every plan type instead of your four facts. Try: Say: "Exactly 4 numbered lines: due date, payment, plan deadline, one Ask: question."
  • Getting advice. The AI echoes your roommate and nudges you toward income-driven repayment. Try: Add: "Don't recommend any plan. Use only the letter."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 80 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part: "each line under 16 words."
  • Leaving the format to the AI. The AI adds a title, bold labels and sub-bullets, which turns a quick note into a page. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold, no headings, no intro."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Uses the correction
  • Sets the number of lines
  • Rules out advice
  • Asks for a question
  • Sets a word limit

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