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Fill a camp financial aid form with facts, not a story
Practice: Setting limits and rules. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
You're applying for summer camp financial aid. The form's explanation box needs under 70 words. Start with your household size and the form's income category word for word, request a specific amount using the camp's sliding scale, show the math on one line, and keep personal hardship stories out. Write a prompt that gets that answer.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 70 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part: "3 sentences under 16 words plus one math line."
- Wrong category. Your notes show $72,000 before you removed the bonus. The AI may pick Category C. Try: Say it: "Household of 4, Category B."
- No specific request. The AI writes "any help would be appreciated" instead of an amount. Try: Add: "Request $900. Math line: 50% x $1,800 = $900."
- Telling the hardship story. AI leans on the job loss, but the form says it reviews by category only. Try: Add: "No personal story. Just the facts the form asks for."
What a strong prompt includes
- Sets a word limit
- Uses the exact category
- Requests an amount
- Shows the math
- Keeps the story out
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