College Admissions in the Age of AI and What AI Literacy Will Mean to the Experience
It's a rite of passage for many, but choosing a college (or dealing with sting of rejection) has never been so fraught with uncertainty thanks to AI's obscuring of the path ahead.
Over the past few weeks, I've attended several events bringing together academics, industry leaders, advocates, and students to discuss a range of issues related to how we build AI responsibly.
In all cases, the balance of attendees was tipped toward students pursuing advanced degrees in AI/tech innovation-related fields, including human-computer interaction, cybersecurity, global conflict, mind perception, and more. And all at NYC-area institutions, including NYU, CUNY, and Cornell Tech.
While I was meeting students digging into the future, friends, and family were simultaneously engaged in the time-honored ritual of managing the highs and lows of college acceptances, rejections, and waitlist notifications.
It feels as if this year was a particularly brutal one, not just for the sheer number of students applying, or the shrinking acceptance percentages at the most elite schools, but for the ever-so-present worry that we don't even know what an AI-obsessed world will mean to these students in four years.
While we might not know the destination, the path to the future is much clearer than it might seem. The seeds of what will make the next generation thrive have been planted, and it could provide an alternative point-of-view regarding what constitutes the “right” choice for a family.
Out With the Old
The traditional metrics used to choose a college, and the career paths we've relied on for decades as a guide, are slowly slipping away. The upside is that future-proofing an education is now about shaking things up, focusing on exercising different parts of the brain, embracing highly interdisciplinary programs, and digging into opportunities that refine and build social skills.
But what does this look like in practice?
It means considering the entire college experience—both inside and outside the classroom. It means seeking institutions that encourage the cross-pollination of ideas. It means valuing skills developed through extracurricular activities and social engagements as much as those learned from professors, and in labs.
In the years ahead, traditional rankings will also matter far less than whether a school provides the fundamental ingredients for developing the distinctly human capabilities that AI cannot replicate.
Skills & Courses to Consider
Below is a list of skills that will be increasingly valuable for college students as AI continues to transform the workplace. I've added some thoughts around what that could look like in practice, but it’s fluid and something to discuss with your teen.
While there is, of course, a certain required structure in college, the more flexibility a school allows for in what to learn and how, the better the chance of gaining some of these critical skills, including:
💪 Critical Thinking
At the top of the list in molding young intellect is the ability to evaluate information, identify patterns, and be able (and willing) to question what AI produces. For college students, this could be achieved via philosophy courses (logic, epistemology), interdisciplinary research methods, case-based courses in business or policy; and under teachers who encourage good-faith arguments and debate.
🧨 Emotional Intelligence
Understanding human emotions, navigating social dynamics, and building authentic relationships is the way we will navigate the years ahead. Empathy, understanding, and patience will be required as a way to both deal with the social and interpersonal challenges created by AI, but also in thinking through what problems the technology should seek to solve. Courses to consider: psychology (social psychology, developmental psychology), theater and improvisation, and conflict resolution.
✔︎ Ethical Reasoning
Making principled decisions about how to develop and apply technology responsibly is a skill already in demand. The need for ethics will only become a more critical in the years ahead as companies seek to consider the impact of radical innovation on humanity. Subjects to study and master here could include philosophy (ethics, applied ethics); science, technology, and society (STS) programs; professional ethics courses in business, medicine, or engineering; and AI ethics and responsible innovation.
📓 Interdisciplinary Thinking
Connecting concepts across different fields to generate novel insights will become increasingly critical to the development of AI innovation. It will also help us consider precedent, connect the dots, and search for patterns. In some ways, we've come full circle to the liberal arts focus of many GenX parents (we knew it would come in handy someday!) Also seek opportunities to pursue double majors or customized majors, courses with team-teaching from different departments, and thematic studies programs that cross disciplines. The key here is to seek connections around inquiry rather than just pursuing known career paths.
📈 Data Literacy
Understanding how to interpret, question, and utilize data responsibly is one of the most important skills college students entering the workforce should have mastered by graduation. It's a basic competency skill that will be as core as writing or learning a language. Classes to advance data literacy skills may include statistics fundamentals, qualitative research methods, information science, and digital humanities.
➡️ Systems Thinking
Finally, investigating how to recognize the way components interact within complex systems is a skill related to all of the above and gained from courses such as environmental studies, urban planning, network science, and complexity theory courses.
Outside of the Classroom
When considering the best school for your college-age student, the future requires us to also consider the importance of a rich and robust campus, the types of sports offered, what creative outlets are available, and whether a family can get behind the values embraced. School spirit, the passion of alumni, and even just having fun, aren't just nice-to-haves anymore, but actually strengthen the interpersonal skills required to take on the unknowns ahead.
Some of these core skills include:
🏫 Adaptability and Desire for Continuous Learning
Developing an “always-learning” mindset, an interest in continuously acquiring new skills, and a comfort with change, is a skill that can be gained by even just attending a school that is out of a teen’s comfort zone. It could also mean using summers to take on activities that are unexpected and outside a prescribed path, such as forgoing an obvious internship for a less-expected job. It’s zigging and zagging and fully absorbing the lessons of an irregular path.
📣 Effective Communications
Articulating complex ideas clearly in writing, speaking, and visual presentation has always been a desirable skill. But we also can't explore the challenges, disagreements, strategy, and opportunities of new technology without learning to communicate. This means getting off devices and practicing in real life. It can also mean clubs that encourage and cultivate writing, debate, and other communication skills.
🎨 Creative Expression
Finally, developing unique perspectives and approaches that extend beyond algorithmic thinking will continue to be key. It's what makes us human, and we should lean into it. Does the school your teen is considering have opportunities for creative expression outside of being an arts major? Is creativity celebrated even for those who don’t consider themselves the “creative type”…?
Looking Forward
As we navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of AI and education, it's clear that the traditional metrics for college selection need recalibration. The value of a college education in the AI era isn't diminished—it's transformed.
By focusing on the development of distinctly human capabilities like critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and creative expression, we prepare our teens not just for their first job, but for a lifetime of adaptation and growth.
The best college choice today isn't necessarily the most prestigious name or the one with the highest ranking. It's the one that creates an environment where your child can develop the interdisciplinary skills, collaborative mindset, and ethical framework needed to thrive alongside AI—not compete with it.
As families wade through this important (and sometimes painful) decision, remember that the ultimate goal is to nurture the qualities that make us human. By choosing educational environments that value adaptability, creativity, and human connection, we're preparing the next generation not just for the world as it exists today, but for the one they'll help create tomorrow.