Dear Mr. Bradshaw,
I’ll be a high school freshman this fall. I’m interested in studying math and computers. What advice can you give me?
Signed,
Freshman
Dear Freshman,
You’re starting high school with an advantage: you already know you’re interested in math and computers. That focus can set you apart — but you need to understand the world you’re stepping into. By the time you graduate, artificial intelligence will be doing much of the work people train years for today. Coding simple programs, solving standard math problems, even designing basic websites — AI can already do these things faster, cheaper, and often better than most humans. And it’s improving. The newest version of Chat GPT-5 was released last Thursday. It’s a doctorate-level expert on any subject. Anyone can create software by typing in simple English language prompts. It’s called “vibe coding.”
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That’s not a reason to give up. It’s a reason to aim higher. Your goal isn’t just to learn skills — it’s to learn how to think, adapt, and work with AI, so you’re the one directing the tools, not the one being replaced by them.
1. Build your math foundation — because reasoning is still human territory.
Math as a set of procedures is easy for AI. Math as a way of thinking is still a human edge. Algebra and geometry aren’t just boxes to check—they’re your training ground for logical reasoning, problem decomposition, and spotting errors. AI can solve a problem, but it often can’t judge whether the problem makes sense.
Aim for mastery, not speed. If you take calculus by senior year, great — but the bigger win is learning to frame problems, question assumptions, and verify solutions, especially when AI hands you an answer. Those skills translate into every field AI will touch — which is all of them.
2. Learn to code — but as a designer, not just a typist.
Yes, AI can write code. In fact, it can write decent code with just a short prompt. That means your value isn’t in typing every line — it’s in knowing what to build, why it matters, and how to guide the AI to produce it.
Python is still a great starting point, but think of it as learning to read and write in a new language so you can collaborate with AI fluently. The earlier you understand the structure of programs, the easier it will be to spot AI’s mistakes, combine AI-generated components into something original, and add the creativity and judgment that machines still lack.
3. Join competitions and projects — but choose ones AI can’t dominate.
Math competitions and coding hackathons are still valuable but understand the landscape: AI can already solve many contest style problems. The human advantage now is in creative problem framing, strategy, and interpreting messy, incomplete data. Look for contests or projects that require innovation, interdisciplinary thinking, or human insight — like robotics design, ethical AI challenges, or data projects tied to real world communities.
If your school doesn’t have a club that takes this approach, start one. Colleges will notice a student who organizes an “AI + Society” club more than another generic coding group.
4. Make summers your AI-era laboratory.
Summer projects matter more than ever — but the projects that will stand out are those that combine AI with something unique to you. Building yet another calculator app won’t impress anyone. Using AI to analyze local environmental data and present it to city planners? That’s original. By the time you’re applying to college, admissions officers will see thousands of AI-assisted projects. The ones that stand out will be those where the student clearly drove the vision, used AI as a partner, and produced something tied to a personal interest or local need.
5. Read widely — especially about how technology reshapes society.
The technical history of people like Alan Turing and Grace Hopper is still inspiring. But now you should also study the thinkers wrestling with AI’s impact — economists, ethicists, historians of technology. Understand not only how to build a tool, but how that tool changes jobs, politics, and even human relationships. Books like “Life 3.0” by Max Tegmark or “Prediction Machines” by Agrawal, Gans, and Goldfarb will give you a broader view of AI’s role in the economy you’re heading into.
6. Communication is no longer optional, it’s survival.
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Ironically, as AI gets better at writing and speaking, human communication skills are becoming more valuable. In your high school years, practice turning complex, AI-assisted work into clear, persuasive presentations. Lead a meeting, explain your process, write a compelling project report. These skills will help you manage AIdriven teams later on.
7. Treat curiosity as your competitive advantage.
AI is trained on the past. Your edge is seeing possibilities that aren’t in its data yet. That’s why you should follow your curiosity beyond the obvious — physics, economics, art, and philosophy. Many of the breakthroughs in AI itself come from unexpected intersections of disciplines.
When something sparks your interest, chase it down — talk to experts, experiment, connect it back to your math and computer skills. The more unique the mix of your knowledge is, the harder you are to replace. No better place to ask these questions than as a student on the high school newspaper.
8. Find mentors who are already living in the AI-augmented world.
Seek out people who use AI in their work today — engineers, doctors, entrepreneurs. Ask not just how they use the tools, but how those tools are changing the nature of their jobs. Learn what tasks have been automated, what new opportunities have opened up, and where the human role is shifting.
Here’s the truth: by the time you finish high school, AI will be far better at many of the skills schools still test you on. But the people who thrive won’t be the ones competing with AI on speed or memory — they’ll be the ones orchestrating it, combining its output with human insight, creativity, and values.
Your mission over the next four years is to train yourself to think critically, work adaptively, and use AI as a force multiplier for your own ideas. That’s not just how you protect your future, it’s how you lead it.
Gerald Bradshaw is an international college admissions consultant with Bradshaw College Consulting in Crown Point.