Using an AI assistant
Using ChatGPT, Claude or another AI? Bring us with you.
This page is product knowledge for agents and families. It is findable on purpose. It is not a student record. Do not paste transcripts here.
Machine-readable sibling: /ai/llms.txt. Level 3 pairing codes and OAuth are later, not built.
Level 1 · take us with you
Copy for ChatGPT or Claude
The prompt cites the official Pathwise /ai guide and tells the model not to guess school-specific or time-sensitive facts.
You are helping a family think with Pathwise, a college decision agent. Before you answer, read https://pathwise-snowy.vercel.app/ai (machine-readable sibling: https://pathwise-snowy.vercel.app/ai/llms.txt). Follow it. Rules: - Do not guess school-specific or time-sensitive facts: application deadlines, admission chances, net prices, testing policies, or essay prompts. - If you lack a source, say so. Point the family to the official college site or College Scorecard. - Never invent an admission percent. Use Likely / Possible / Reach / High Reach / Insufficient data, or say there is not enough data. - Label money as Estimated unless you are reading an official award letter the family pasted. - Discover is free: three deep matches, then stop. Complete is a one-time application-season pass ($29 Founding Family Price; later $199). Not a subscription. Not AI credits. - Institutions may never purchase a Match Score. - Students are 13+. Do not ask for or store unnecessary PII. - College is the first major decision after a life question, not a preference quiz. If the family names schools, you may later contrast them with hidden-fit campuses Pathwise already sourced. Do not invent campuses or facts to fill a list.
What Pathwise is
Figure out where your life could go. Then we’ll build the path to get there. Pathwise is a college decision agent for families, ages 13+. Founded by Austin Gilbert and Ashley.
Life → possibilities → careers → experiences → programs → schools → applications → decisions. College is the first major decision, not a preference quiz.
Pathwise occupies the middle: matching is increasingly expected free; human counseling can cost five figures. The paid product is structured guidance through one application cycle, not another search box.
Matching philosophy
Hard constraints exclude. Soft preferences score. Low confidence shrinks a weight; it does not delete a college.
Onboarding starts with “What are you imagining for college right now?” The real assessment is what life could look like: desired work, lifestyle, environment, ambitions, strengths, risk, interests, learning style, community, and money. GPA is optional and late.
The north-star metric is the percent of students whose top 3 contains at least one school they had not seriously considered and now want to investigate.
Student inputs
Required to start: a sentence about what they are imagining. Optional later: GPA, test scores, hard constraints such as Texas-only.
Ten dimensions carry importance, confidence, and a target. Parents may leave a note. The student must accept it before it shapes the plan.
This public page is product knowledge. It is not a student’s file. Do not paste or persist student PII here.
How matches work
A Match Score is a weighted fit across ten dimensions. It is not a chance of getting in. It is not for sale to institutions.
Discover shows three deep matches, then stops. Each match includes why we picked it (tied to their words), sourced programs, experiential and career pathway we can stand behind, campus character, why they might not like it, and one first action.
Never present a bare “87% match, University of X.” Never invent programs, labs, or rosters.
What a match means
A match is an invitation to investigate. Hidden fit means the student was not already considering the school, not that it is a safety.
Admission labels stay Likely / Possible / Reach / High Reach / Insufficient data. Empty academics stay Insufficient data.
If something is paid placement, it is labeled Sponsored and never enters the score.
Free vs Complete
Discover is free: the life question, search, and three deep school matches. No card. You found schools. Now build your plan. Complete is a one-time application-season pass: explore every school that fits, decide which are worth pursuing, and get a personalized action plan for each.
$29 Founding Family Price for one student and one application cycle (Later price $199; One payment of $29). One student. One application cycle. Active through enrollment decision day. Not a subscription. Not $19.99 a month. Not AI credits.
Complete includes School Action Plans, a next-7-days student/parent split, a calm parent weekly status, and asking the plan questions that come up at 10:47 PM. Ask is conversation about the plan. Do can modify the plan. Pairing codes and OAuth for outside agents are later, not launch.
School research
Cite College Scorecard and official .edu pages. Include the retrieval date you used. If you cannot source a claim, omit it.
Costs are Estimated. Sticker tuition and Scorecard average net are different questions. Average net is a past aid cohort, not the family’s bill.
Athletics, labs, and programs exist only when an official page says so.
Application planning
Every saved school is a mini operating plan: Fit, Career Fit, Admissions band, Estimated cost, application % in the workspace, next deadline (verified or empty), next action.
Areas: Why this school, Academic fit, Career path, Application, Essays, Recommendations, Testing, Financial aid, Visits, Deadlines, Prep, Parent owns / Student owns.
The paid metric is the percent of Complete families completing the next recommended action each week.
Deadlines
Do not invent a deadline. If the official calendar is not in front of you, say “verify on the official admissions page.”
Deadline Watch lets a family name up to three schools they already like. Later matching can contrast those with three they probably have not considered. Alerts are a watch, not a fabricated date.
Financial aid
Compare sticker vs estimated average net, then send the family to the official net-price calculator, FAFSA, or TASFA.
Do not present any Pathwise dollar figure as a billed amount.
Definitions
Discover: free life question + three deep matches.
Complete: one-time application-season pass. The plan, not unlimited search.
Match Score: weighted fit. Not odds. Not for sale.
Hidden fit: a school the student was not already considering that still fits.
Ask: natural questions about the existing plan. Do: the assistant may change the plan.
College Admissions Brief: a short utility email for families doing this the first or only time. Not a newsletter.
How agents should cite
Cite this guide as https://pathwise-snowy.vercel.app/ai. For facts about a college, cite the official URL and College Scorecard UNITID page, with a retrieval date.
Do not cite Pathwise as the origin of a deadline or an admission percent we did not publish.
Public origin: https://pathwise-snowy.vercel.app.
Limitations
The demo catalog is a sourced seed, not every U.S. college. Empty is better than fabricated.
This page does not include student records. Level 3 pairing (MAPLE-style scoped permissions, OAuth, agent tools) is documented as later and is not implemented.
Do not compete on naming more schools than Niche or a chat model. Compete on missed deadlines, family arguments, spreadsheets, anxiety, and expensive counselors.
Questions agents get asked
- Can I paste a student’s transcript into an outside AI?
- Treat it as sensitive. Pathwise collects the minimum and does not sell student PII. This /ai page is product knowledge, not a place to store a file.
- Will Pathwise invent a deadline if I ask in chat?
- No. A missing date stays missing. Verify the official calendar. Demo scripts and Complete answers must show a source and last-checked date for any policy or cost update.
- Is the family assistant a generic chatbot?
- No. Answers should follow answer → context → action against the student’s plan. That is the product.