After Julia Dixon graduated from the University of Michigan in 2014, her family and friends asked for her help with the college application process. Dixon was happy to share her recently earned expertise about the world of higher education but soon realized how many parents and students in her community needed help and how hard it was for them to access that support.
The ratio of college counselors to students in the US, according to the American School Counselor Association, is one for every 376 students. Many students don’t have proper access to a college counselor to help them with admissions or pick which schools and areas of study might suit them best. Hiring a private college counselor is an option, but that can cost thousands of dollars.
In 2023, Dixon founded ESAI, a platform powered by artificial intelligence designed to assist students with the college admissions process. She also posts videos on TikTok about college planning and talks about how AI tools can be supportive to kids who don’t know what their career options are. Access to the AI platform starts at around $21 per month, far less than private counseling.
The Right Fit
ESAI uses a matching algorithm, Dixon says, to help students understand all the factors that go into picking a school.
First, ESAI directs students to a “major mentor” and then to the school matchmaker. These tools assess things like the students’ future goals, their sociability, the class size they thrive in, and whether they want to live near the campus. The results are highly personalized.
“A lot of kids come to us when they’re more actively applying to school,” Dixon says. They may know where they want to apply and just need help writing their admissions essays or beefing up their applications. “Our college essay support and quantifying calculator helps kids quantify the impact from activities they’ve already done,” she says. For example, if a student spends a lot of time babysitting younger siblings, the software can help them quantify that time as leadership skill-building and so they can put it on their application as a learned skill.
Spending Wisely
While finding the right school and major are top of mind for most families, so is the cost of higher education. “A huge piece is the financial side,” Dixon says. “How do we weigh options for in-state versus out-of-state tuition? How do we look at scholarships that can supplement you?” ESAI’s scholarship tool matches a student’s hobbies and interests as well as their demographics and financial situation to pair them with the best scholarship options. For example, there are scholarships available for students who are first-generation Americans or for women who are interested in STEM: science, technology, engineering, and math programs.
Jon Carson started the College Guidance Network, an AI-powered counseling platform, when his son was a sophomore in high school. Back then, Carson couldn’t get an appointment with the school counselor, and there were few resources specifically for parents.
The conversations that families have about college—which ones to apply to, which ones they can afford—typically happen after hours, Carson says. “We are talking to our kids at night, on the weekend, and during vacation, because during the day they’re in history class and we’re at work. Well, counselors are out of the building at night, on the weekend, and during vacation. It’s an unfortunate mismatch.”
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