Yesterday I found myself searching for Media Communication programs for undergrads. After an hour of \u2018research\u2019, I had three different Top 10 lists. So I sent it off to the friend who had asked for the options. Within half an hour, I got a message: Options in Europe only.
So I spent some more time and found 10 more options and sent it off. The response was: \u201cEurope. Not UK.\u201d
Repeat process and I had a list of 10 again. Response: \u201cPrograms in English please.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was about to begin the next search but then decided to speak to some people I knew in global media. After several calls, I had seven recommendations and guess what? None of the previous 50 were among the recommendations from the media people. I looked at the new list carefully. Would this meet the requirement? Wait, what was the requirement?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I sat back and started thinking. The past 5 hours I had been searching on Google, and then on ChatGPT, Claude and Grok. Why did I move from Google search to ChatGPT? And why did I start searching on Claude and Grok even though I was already on ChatGPT? Finally, I spoke to people who were actually in the media industry. I still wasn\u2019t sure if this was a good list. So I got onto a call to speak to the student who required the list of college programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turns out he had already done more or less what I had done and had compiled many lists, had a lot of information and everything looked good and everything looked challenging and was therefore having difficulty in making a shortlist.
So we started over with questions\u2026 and got stuck at the very first one: What do you want to study?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am not sure.\u201d
\u201cWhy did you pick Communication Media?\u201d
\u201cI am interested in journalism. But I don\u2019t see what the prospects will be in the future.\u201d
\u201cWhat do the universities say?\u201d
\u201cThey have the same kind of information. Digital media, technology, digital marketing, business intelligence, online journalism\u2026 none of that is interesting. If everything is digital, then what exactly will I be learning over three years?\u201d
\u201cWhat are you really interested in studying?\u201d
\u201cMany things but I don\u2019t know if I want to make a career in those.\u201d
\u201cBut you don\u2019t have to make a career in what you study.\u201d
\u201cIsn\u2019t that the point of going to university? To study something so that I can get a job in that field?\u201d
\u201cIs that why you want to go to university?\u201d
\u201cIsn\u2019t that why you went to university?\u201d
That was a very good question. Why do we go to university? How do we decide what to study? Is everybody clear about their decisions and reasons? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I was applying, I remember talking to everyone – friends, family, family friends, families of friends, teachers, whoever was willing to engage. Coming to think of it, I spoke to so many people because I did not find the answers I was seeking. But the boy next door had no such trouble, he was clear he was going to do engineering. The girl who lived a floor below had a great portfolio for her architecture applications. Her cousin sister who used to visit summers had taken a year off and then secured entry to a medical degree, she wanted to become a surgeon. Most of my friends had no doubts either. They all seemed to know what they wanted to do. One wanted to become an actuary and join the insurance industry. The others wanted to do a Bachelor\u2019s in Science and then do a Masters in Technology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had no idea what I wanted to do. Or rather I had too many things I wanted to do. As a result, when I thought of doing something, I used to go about finding the requirements for admission and then I would find criteria which I should have thought of a year ago, so I would shift attention to something else. Architecture, chemical engineering, statistics, journalism, design, history, physics, political science, marine biology \u2026 everything seemed so interesting and exciting. I thought of and applied for 12 different programs in 12 different universities in five different cities. I took professional aptitude tests and counselling only to find out that I could become anything I wanted to. And that didn\u2019t help at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, I can do that research in probably a day. But I realised that such \u2018research\u2019 is not really helpful for people who are uncertain of where the future lies. A more systematic approach is required to present information to help make a decision. This is where AI platforms can be helpful. One of the advantages of Open AI\u2019s ChatGPT is that you can configure your own custom GPT (feature available only for paid subscribers at the moment) by defining certain boundaries, a broad subject, specifying types of sources of information, conversation style, limit of responses, etc. For instance, I have just configured (no coding required, just words) a GPT to help me find information about university programs. The main purpose of the GPT is to quickly gather basic requirements (desired location, subject, interest areas within subject, scholarships, fees, types of university (new age, traditional, large or small intake), admission requirements, etc.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Btw, it took less than an hour to design this in collaboration with ChatGPT itself):<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 1: Access the GPT Builder<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 2: Define the Custom GPT\u2019s Role
Prompt: “What should your Custom GPT do?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paste this: This GPT helps students who are undecided about what to study at university. It guides them through four broad academic categories\u2014Interdisciplinary, Sciences, Humanities\/Social, and Arts\u2014helping them understand what each means, what subjects they include, and how to find real-time admission info based on their preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 3: Choose Custom GPT Name & Identity
GPT Name: UniGuide GPT
Tagline: \u201cHelping students make confident academic choices.\u201d
Personality & Behavior:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 4: Add Custom Instructions
Prompt: \u201cWhat should the GPT know about how it should behave?\u201d
Paste this: Guide students gently through their decision-making process. Start by helping them choose from four categories: Interdisciplinary, Sciences, Humanities\/Social, Arts. For each, show:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then use web browsing to return a list of up to 10 real programs with admission requirements, deadlines, fees, and links. Be empathetic and ask questions if the student is vague. Avoid assumptions and prioritize usefulness over fluff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 5: Enable Tools<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705 Enable Web Browsing<\/strong> Step 6: Test with Sample Prompts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Prompt: \u201cI don\u2019t know what to study, but I\u2019m curious about combining philosophy and tech.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Expected GPT Behavior:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Why This Custom GPT Beats Search or Raw AI Chat<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u274c Code Interpreter \u2013 Optional
\u274c File Upload \u2013 Not needed<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n