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Check your college activity descriptions for impact
Practice: Showing an example of what you want. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
Your counselor says strong activity descriptions show specific impact with a number. Get exactly 4 numbered lines, one per activity description, each labeled exactly Strong or Weak by her guide, with a reason under 10 words, plain text. Don't rewrite any description or suggest new wording.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Asking to make them better. The AI rewrites every description, and admissions officers can spot AI phrasing. Try: Say: "Don't rewrite. Just label each one."
- Not giving exact labels. Without fixed labels, the AI gives soft feedback on every line. Try: Say: "Label each exactly Strong or Weak."
- Not naming the standard. The AI may call 'learned teamwork' strong because it sounds nice. Try: Add: "Use Ms. Park's guide."
- Not saying how many lines. The AI picks its own number, and it usually picks more lines than you need. Try: Be exact: "Exactly 4 numbered lines."
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total and it often lands 20% over. Try: Cap each reason: "under 8 words."
- Forgetting where it will be read. AI formats for a screen, with bold and headings that show up as stray symbols in your notes. Try: Say: "Plain text, no bold, no headings."
What a strong prompt includes
- Gives exact labels
- Uses the counselor's guide
- Says not to rewrite it
- Says how many lines
- Sets a length limit
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