![\"Elite](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Teaching.jpg\"\/)
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How is top-end higher education, and the desire to reach these favored institutions, affected by AI and its impact on the very process of learning and testing? How does AI affect what\u2019s at stake when parents battle to help their offspring head to these institutions?\u00a0
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\n\t \t \t \t \t \t <\/p>\n
\n The following article comes from Jason Ma (pictured below),
\n founder, chief executive and chief mentor at ThreeEQ<\/a>. Ma advises principals
\n at single-family offices (SFOs), ultra-high net worth individuals
\n and rising Next Gen figures. He explains how the rapid growth of
\n AI affects education and what that means for young adults
\n scrambling to enter top US universities, not to mention high
\n college tuition fees and other challenges today. This is a
\n powerful example of different forces coming into contact.
\n Advisors to high net worth families need to be attuned to these
\n topics.
\n<\/p>\n
\n The editors are pleased to share these comments; the usual
\n editorial disclaimers apply to the views of guest writers. To
\n comment or provide suggestions and feedback, email tom.burroughes@wealthbriefing.com<\/a>
\n and amanda.cheesley@clearviewpublishing.com<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n Jason Ma
\n<\/p>\n
\n What UHNW parents must understand now
\n At Worth\u2019s recent inaugural Beyond Wealth Summit in Palm Beach, I
\n spoke on \u201cElite College Admissions in the Age of AI\u201d in a
\n fireside chat moderated by Dan Costa, Worth\u2019s chief content
\n officer and editor-in-chief. The audience included families
\n thinking seriously about legacy, wellbeing, and the thoughtful
\n deployment of time and capital.
\n<\/p>\n
\n For parents of high school or college transfer students, that
\n last point matters. Time and attention are among a family\u2019s most
\n valuable assets. In elite college admissions, delayed clarity and
\n subpar preparation often cost more than money. They can cost
\n momentum, peace of mind, parent-child trust, and sometimes years
\n of unrealized potential.
\n<\/p>\n
\n The competition is real
\n Elite college admissions have never been simple, and today\u2019s
\n landscape is especially demanding. Published admit rates, whether
\n regular decision or early decision\/action, are for total
\n applicant pools. Still, at the most competitive schools, those
\n pools are filled with thousands of high-achieving students.
\n<\/p>\n
\n The numbers are sobering. Harvard College reported 47,893
\n applicants and 2,003 admitted students for the Class of 2029, a
\n 4.2 per cent admit rate. Stanford\u2019s 2024-25 Common Data Set
\n reported 57,236 applicants and a 3.61 per cent admit rate for the
\n Class of 2028. Yale admitted 2,308 students from 50,228
\n applicants for the Class of 2029, roughly 4.6 per cent.\u00a0
\n<\/p>\n
\n Many parents assume that strong grades, rigorous coursework, high
\n SAT\/ACT scores, private school access, and polished
\n extracurriculars are enough. They are not. Among serious
\n applicants, these are often table stakes. The real question is:
\n What does the student uniquely bring, and can that be proven
\n through choices, habits, contribution, and impact over time?
\n<\/p>\n
\n AI raises the stakes
\n Generative AI can help students brainstorm, organize, research,
\n and revise. Used poorly, it can flatten a student\u2019s voice, create
\n generic essays, and undermine the authenticity admissions
\n officers are trying to detect.
\n<\/p>\n
\n The issue is not whether a student has access to AI; most now do,
\n directly or indirectly. The issue is whether the student has the
\n discernment, character, and real capability to use it ethically
\n and intelligently.
\n<\/p>\n
\n AI can amplify output. It cannot replace discernment, maturity,
\n lived experience, earned competence, or a credible personal
\n story.
\n<\/p>\n
\n Real preparation starts early
\n This is why elite preparation must begin well before senior year.
\n Real preparation includes academic rigor, thoughtful course
\n selection, standardized test preparation, meaningful school-year
\n and summer activities, strong teacher and counselor
\n relationships, research or projects when appropriate, and a
\n strategic college list of reach, probable, and likely schools.
\n<\/p>\n
\n It also includes something deeper: the development of a student\u2019s
\n inner operating system.
\n<\/p>\n
\n At ThreeEQ, I often frame this through the 4S and 3EQ approach:
\n Visionary Story, State, Strategies, Soft and Hard Skills, plus
\n practical Emotional, Social, and Leadership Intelligence. The
\n goal is not to manufacture a teenager into someone he or she is
\n not. The goal is to help the student become more fully, clearly,
\n and effectively who he or she can be.
\n<\/p>\n
\n A real spike must be earned
\n A strong \u201cspike\u201d matters, but parents often misunderstand the
\n concept. A spike is not merely a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 theme. It is evidence of
\n direction, curiosity, initiative, depth, and follow-through.
\n<\/p>\n
\n It may appear through research, entrepreneurship, writing,
\n community leadership, technology, music, athletics, public
\n service, or an interdisciplinary path. But it must feel real.
\n Admissions readers can often sense the difference between organic
\n growth and adult-orchestrated packaging.
\n<\/p>\n
\n For UHNW families, there is another subtle challenge. Resources
\n can open doors, but they can also create noise. Students may have
\n access to tutors, consultants, internships, and networks, yet
\n still lack focus, resilience, humility, key skills, or execution.
\n Some are externally impressive but internally anxious. Others are
\n capable but underdeveloped in communication, leadership,
\n self-management, or discernment. Some are burdened by
\n expectations they did not help define.
\n<\/p>\n
\n The value of trusted guidance
\n This is where trusted third-party mentorship can help. The right
\n mentor is neither a substitute parent nor merely a conventional
\n college consultant focused on application mechanics. The right
\n mentor helps the student and family align on values, direction,
\n mindset, execution, relationships, and wellbeing.
\n<\/p>\n
\n For many families, the greatest cost is not fees, but opportunity
\n loss and long-term regret from delayed high-quality guidance,
\n misdirection, or lost momentum.
\n<\/p>\n
\n The best admissions outcomes do not come from last-minute essay
\n polishing. They come from years of thoughtful preparation, honest
\n feedback, strategic choices, and consistent execution. By senior
\n year, the application should not be an artificial performance. It
\n should be the clearest expression of work already done and growth
\n already earned.
\n<\/p>\n
\n Admission is not the finish line
\n College admission, however, is not the finish line.
\n<\/p>\n
\n An elite school is not a guaranteed path to success, happiness,
\n leadership, or contribution. Plenty of students enter prestigious
\n universities and struggle with anxiety, stress, identity,
\n pressure, relationships, discipline, or direction. Others attend
\n less famous schools and thrive because they are self-aware,
\n resilient, skilled, and purposeful.
\n<\/p>\n
\n Parents should therefore ask a better question than \u201cHow do we
\n get into the highest-ranked school possible?\u201d
\n<\/p>\n
\n The better question is: \u201cHow do we help our child build the
\n clarity, capability, character, and confidence to thrive in
\n college and beyond?\u201d
\n<\/p>\n
\n In the age of AI, that question becomes even more urgent.
\n Knowledge is abundant. Generic output is cheap. Prestige remains
\n powerful, but it is not sufficient.\u00a0
\n<\/p>\n
\n What will matter more are discernment, resilience and
\n adaptability, emotional, social, and leadership intelligence,
\n critical thinking and communication skills, ethical and skillful
\n use of AI and technology, meaningful relationships, and the
\n ability to execute and create real-world value.
\n<\/p>\n
\n For families of means, the opportunity is significant. With
\n thoughtful guidance, students can pursue ambitious outcomes
\n without losing their health, humility, or joy. They can prepare
\n for elite admissions while also preparing for a rewarding career
\n and meaningful life.
\n<\/p>\n
\n That is the real work. Done well, it strengthens not only the
\n student\u2019s future, but the family\u2019s legacy.
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