AI Tools Can Transform College Admissions Process

By Brennan Barnard, Director of College Counseling at Khan Lab School

Could college applications become fun? Brennan Barnard challenges the traditional stress-inducing admission process, proposing innovative ways for students to showcase their identities using AI tools.

Holistic Admissions Need Modernization

While holistic admissions consider factors beyond grades (extracurriculars, essays, recommendations), the process remains largely unchanged for decades. The National Association for College Admission Counseling’s new Center for Reimagining College Access aims to push boundaries, but Barnard suggests immediate creative solutions:

1. AI-Generated Action Figures

Students could use AI image generators to create personalized action figures representing their strengths/interests, giving admissions officers visual insights. Example: Forbes' AI action figure trend.

2. Audio Portfolios

Tools like Google’s NotebookLM Audio Overview let students compile work into podcast-style narratives.

3. Video Submissions

Platforms like InitialView’s Glimpse enable 60-90 second videos. Barnard demonstrates a sample video made in minutes using free tool Descript.

4. AI-Powered Interviews

Sal Khan (Khan Academy) proposes AI agents for moderated student interactions, as piloted in Schoolhouse.world’s Dialogues program. Eight colleges already accept these portfolios.

Maintaining Traditional Options

Written essays remain valuable, especially with clear AI-use policies like Georgia Tech’s, which encourages AI brainstorming.

Call to Action

Barnard urges admissions offices to offer diverse expression methods, designing processes "with the user in mind." As AI reshapes education, college applications must evolve to reflect students’ authentic voices.

For more on college essays, see Barnard’s book Powerful College Admission Essays.