620. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AS AN UNDERGRADUATE MAJOR: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast

Considering how prevalent the topic of AI has become in business, leisure, and education, it was only a matter of time before college students would choose to focus on its study. Amy and Mike invited college dean Jennifer Stephan to explore what you need to know about artificial intelligence as an undergraduate major.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. What do students study when they major in AI? What are some focus areas within an AI degree?

2. Is an AI major a replacement or improvement over a CS major?

3. Are there non-technical pathways to contribute to AI?

4. What majors besides AI and CS can prepare you for a career in AI?

5. What important questions should students interested in studying AI be able to answer?

MEET OUR GUEST

Dr. Jennifer Stephan has held a variety of roles across top colleges and universities, including professor, academic dean, and board of admissions member, in addition to serving as a private college counselor, alumni interviewer for Johns Hopkins University, and parent of three. She holds a BS degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, as well as an MS and a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.

Jennifer is currently the Dean of Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies for the School of Engineering at Tufts University. Prior to joining Tufts in 2016, she spent over two decades serving as a dean and a professor of Computer Science at Wellesley College, where she collaborated with colleagues at MIT, Olin College of Engineering, and Babson College to support students pursuing engineering. While at Wellesley, Jennifer served on the College’s Board of Admissions, reading and evaluating approximately one hundred transfer applications each year.

Jennifer also is the founder of Lantern College Counseling, a robust college counseling practice where she regularly employs insights from her experiences leading in higher education to help students develop their college lists and shape competitive, authentic applications. Jennifer specializes in STEM, computer science, engineering, undecided and transfer students

She is a member of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) and a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA).

Jennifer first appeared on our podcast in episode 541 to discuss NAVIGATING THE COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ADMISSIONS and in episode 559 for a Test Prep Profile.

Find Jennifer at [e-mail] or https://www.lanterncollegecounseling.com.

LINKS

Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an Undergraduate Major: What You Need to Know

Navigating the Competitive Landscape of Computer Science Admissions: An Expert’s Approach — Lantern College Counseling

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ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS

Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.