University of Waterloo Enlists Alumni and AI for Admissions Process

The University of Waterloo is introducing an innovative approach to its admissions process by enlisting the help of alumni and artificial intelligence. The admissions team has reached out to alumni, asking them to read and score a minimum of 100 admission information forms for the next incoming class. Each form is part of the application process for the university’s highly sought-after programs in fields such as engineering, math, science, and aviation.

Ian VanderBurgh, the university’s associate vice-president of strategic enrolment management, emphasized the importance of understanding applicants beyond their academic records. While academic performance remains a crucial factor, the admissions team is keen to learn more about each applicant’s experiences and perspectives. “When students apply to university, there are lots of factors that are really important for us to understand about these students,” VanderBurgh noted, highlighting the need for a holistic evaluation.

The admission information forms consist of four questions, each requiring concise responses of up to 150 words. These questions explore applicants’ interests, goals at Waterloo, and extracurricular involvement, including the time dedicated to those activities. VanderBurgh explained that alumni volunteers will receive training and a scoring rubric to ensure consistency in evaluation. This initiative aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of each applicant, including their challenges, leadership experiences, and passions.

Collaboration Between Alumni and AI

The evaluation team will comprise both alumni volunteers and admissions personnel. In a bid to maintain accuracy and fairness in the grading process, the university will also employ an artificial intelligence system to review each form. This AI will utilize the same scoring rubric as the human evaluators, and in cases of discrepancies, a third human reviewer will assess the forms to ensure alignment.

Reading and scoring of the forms is scheduled to take place from January 5, 2024, to March 15, 2024. This initiative builds on a pilot program launched last year, designed to engage the university’s extensive alumni network, which numbers over 260,000.

Salman Jivani, associate vice-president of engagement at Waterloo, expressed enthusiasm about alumni involvement. During the initial rollout of the program, 894 alumni responded within 24 hours of the call for volunteers, with 290 ultimately participating in the process. “Alumni are passionate about this,” Jivani remarked, noting the mutual benefits for both the university and its former students.

This approach is seen as a unique way to foster alumni engagement, offering them an opportunity to give back to the institution. As the university seeks to create a well-rounded incoming class, this collaboration between alumni and AI reflects a forward-thinking strategy in admissions practices.