20 practical, difficulty-rated ways Individual Major students at Hobart and William Smith Colleges can use AI — 10 easy, 6 medium, 4 hard. They start at “Explain your interdisciplinary framework” and run up to “Model an integrated theoretical system”, drawing on 16 tutorials between them. Every card carries a starter prompt already written for Individual Major, so you can copy it and go.
Before you use these on graded work: check your professor’s policy on AI.
It differs by course, and these examples are study aids — not permission.
All Individual Major AI use cases
Easy
Explain your interdisciplinary framework
Clarify how two fields connect for a proposal reader. The linked tutorial covers a 10-step ChatGPT prompt system — standard definition, an explain-it-to-a-10-year-old version, real-life analogies, a simple diagram, then a comparison table — that you aim at any concept you're stuck on, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayA repeatable prompt sequence that turns a confusing idea into a definition, an analogy and a diagram you can check against your course notes — enough to use on Individual Major work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Explain your interdisciplinary framework — Clarify how two fields connect for a proposal reader.
Start with a one-sentence definition, then explain it as if I'm 10, then give a real-world analogy. Finish by flagging anything scholars genuinely disagree about — and tell me what you're unsure of.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
Generate research questions bridging psychology and art. The linked tutorial covers three brainstorming methods in ChatGPT — a reusable custom-instructions 'brainstorm paradigm', an AI-diagram tree that fans one topic into dozens of branches, and a SWOT prompt to pressure-test an idea, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayThree prompt patterns you can reuse to go from a blank page to a categorised list of options, plus a way to stress-test the one you pick — enough to use on Individual Major work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Brainstorm a cross-disciplinary topic — Generate research questions bridging psychology and art.
Give me 10 options grouped into 3 themes, then mark the 3 most original and explain what makes them stronger.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
Condense an economics article for a humanities-focused student. The linked tutorial covers MacMost's copy-paste method — pull an article into reader view, paste it into ChatGPT after 'summarize this:', then ask for a set word count or a 10-bullet version; also how to grab a YouTube transcript to summarise a video, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayHow to compress a long reading or video into a summary of the exact length you need, and why pasting the source keeps it accurate — enough to use on Individual Major work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Summarize a reading from another field — Condense an economics article for a humanities-focused student.
Give me (1) a three-sentence summary, (2) five bullet-point key claims, and (3) anything the author asserts without supporting evidence. Text below:
[PASTE THE TEXT HERE]
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
Explain terms from a field new to your major. The linked tutorial covers ChatGPT's Study Mode (type /study), an interactive tutor that guides you with questions step by step instead of just handing over the answer, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayHow to switch ChatGPT into tutor mode so it drills you on terms and ideas rather than doing the thinking for you — enough to use on Individual Major work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Define unfamiliar disciplinary jargon — Explain terms from a field new to your major.
Define each term in one clear sentence, then give a concrete example of each in context. Once I've read them, quiz me on them one at a time and tell me what I got wrong and why.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
Write a first pass explaining why your major is coherent. The linked tutorial covers AI Academy's approach to long-form writing: never ask for the whole essay at once — break it into smaller prompts across two tabs and a document so you keep control of the argument, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayA workflow that automates the writing but not the thinking, so the argument stays yours and the draft stays checkable — enough to use on Individual Major work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Draft a rationale statement — Write a first pass explaining why your major is coherent.
Help me write this, don't write it for me. First ask me 3 questions about my argument, then propose a thesis and a section plan. Do not draft full paragraphs until I approve the plan.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
Request a meeting to approve your course of study. The linked tutorial covers drafting an email in ChatGPT and improving it through conversation — the first draft is deliberately generic, then detail is added turn by turn — plus what not to paste in for privacy, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayWhy the first draft always reads like AI, how to iterate it into your own voice, and to keep real names out of the prompt — enough to use on Individual Major work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Draft an email to a faculty advisor — Request a meeting to approve your course of study.
Keep it under 150 words: polite, specific, with one clear ask. Give me two versions — one formal, one warmer. Don't include real names, ID numbers, or anything private.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
Note how a sociologist and historian would study the same event. The linked tutorial covers a compare-and-contrast prompt in ChatGPT (demonstrated on Buddhism vs Hinduism) that asks for similarities and differences, then expands any point you want more depth on, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayA prompt for structured comparisons, and how to push ChatGPT to elaborate on the specific dimension you care about — enough to use on Individual Major work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Compare two disciplinary methods — Note how a sociologist and historian would study the same event.
Give me a table of the key similarities and differences, then one short paragraph on which difference matters most and why.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
List sections integrating your combined fields of study. The linked tutorial covers using ChatGPT across the research-paper workflow — finding a topic where a genuine gap exists, then structuring the paper around it, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayHow to pick a defensible topic and lay out the sections before you start writing — enough to use on Individual Major work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Outline a capstone project — List sections integrating your combined fields of study.
Give a topic-sentence outline only — not full prose. For each section, state the argument it makes and the evidence it would need.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
Rephrase a technical idea for readers in your other field. The linked tutorial covers a 10-step ChatGPT prompt system — standard definition, an explain-it-to-a-10-year-old version, real-life analogies, a simple diagram, then a comparison table — that you aim at any concept you're stuck on, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayA repeatable prompt sequence that turns a confusing idea into a definition, an analogy and a diagram you can check against your course notes — enough to use on Individual Major work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Explain a concept across audiences — Rephrase a technical idea for readers in your other field.
Start with a one-sentence definition, then explain it as if I'm 10, then give a real-world analogy. Finish by flagging anything scholars genuinely disagree about — and tell me what you're unsure of.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
Suggest foundational texts spanning your two disciplines. The linked tutorial covers ChatGPT's Deep Research mode — it asks clarifying questions first, then spends minutes reading many sources and returns a long report with every claim linked to a citation, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayHow to commission a sourced research report, and where to open the activity log to see which sources it actually used — enough to use on Individual Major work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Generate a reading list — Suggest foundational texts spanning your two disciplines.
List credible sources with a one-line note on what each contributes. Prioritise peer-reviewed work, include links, and tell me explicitly if you are not certain a source exists.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
Integrate articles from disparate disciplines into one argument. The linked tutorial covers ResearchRabbit — seed it with one paper, then explore the citation network visually to surface related work and spot gaps, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayA way to map a literature landscape from a single starting paper instead of searching keyword by keyword — worth checking against your Individual Major course material before you lean on it.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Synthesize sources across fields — Integrate articles from disparate disciplines into one argument.
Group the sources below into themes, show where they agree and disagree, and name the gap that's left. Do not invent sources.
[PASTE SOURCES OR ABSTRACTS HERE]
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
Sequence courses and skills to cover both fields coherently. The linked tutorial covers building a custom study plan with ChatGPT using the Ultralearning why/what/how framework — benchmarking how others learn it, then a week-by-week plan with deliverables and grading rubrics, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayA prompt sequence that produces a personalised study schedule with checkable milestones, plus a pass where ChatGPT critiques the plan as an expert — worth checking against your Individual Major course material before you lean on it.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Build a personalized study plan — Sequence courses and skills to cover both fields coherently.
I have [X hours per week] and my exam is on [DATE]. Build a week-by-week plan with specific deliverables, and for each week give me a way to check I've actually learned it.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
Combine qualitative and quantitative tools for your project. The linked tutorial covers designing a study end-to-end in ChatGPT — research questions, hypotheses, survey items, sample size and sampling method, R code for the analysis, then implications and titles, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayA full research-design workflow, including how to answer a reviewer who says your sample is too small — worth checking against your Individual Major course material before you lean on it.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Design a mixed-methods approach — Combine qualitative and quantitative tools for your project.
Propose a research question, hypotheses, method, sample and sampling strategy, and the analysis plan. Then critique the weaknesses of your own design.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
Analyze whether a concept holds meaning in another discipline. The linked tutorial covers ChatGPT's Study Mode (type /study), an interactive tutor that guides you with questions step by step instead of just handing over the answer, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayHow to switch ChatGPT into tutor mode so it drills you on terms and ideas rather than doing the thinking for you — worth checking against your Individual Major course material before you lean on it.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Map how theories translate between fields — Analyze whether a concept holds meaning in another discipline.
Define each term in one clear sentence, then give a concrete example of each in context. Once I've read them, quiz me on them one at a time and tell me what I got wrong and why.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
Structure arguments justifying your major to a committee. The linked tutorial covers ChatGPT Projects as a workspace — turning a rough idea into a full plan with timelines, task assignments and a risk assessment that stays organised across sessions, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayHow to go from a vague goal to a structured plan with milestones and risks, kept in one persistent workspace — worth checking against your Individual Major course material before you lean on it.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Plan a self-designed curriculum defense — Structure arguments justifying your major to a committee.
Break this into phases with milestones, working backwards from [DUE DATE]. Include the top 3 risks and how I'd mitigate each.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
Weigh which disciplinary lens best fits your research question. The linked tutorial covers a compare-and-contrast prompt in ChatGPT (demonstrated on Buddhism vs Hinduism) that asks for similarities and differences, then expands any point you want more depth on, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayA prompt for structured comparisons, and how to push ChatGPT to elaborate on the specific dimension you care about — worth checking against your Individual Major course material before you lean on it.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Compare competing frameworks — Weigh which disciplinary lens best fits your research question.
Give me a table of the key similarities and differences, then one short paragraph on which difference matters most and why.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
Configure a tool spanning your specific field combination and sources. The linked tutorial covers building a Custom GPT from scratch in ChatGPT and feeding it your own past writing so its output sounds like you rather than generic AI, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayHow to set up a reusable assistant with your instructions baked in, so you stop re-explaining context every session — bring the result to a Individual Major professor or TA before it goes near graded work.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Build a custom research-assistant GPT — Configure a tool spanning your specific field combination and sources.
Draft the name, description, instructions and 4 conversation starters for this Custom GPT. The instructions should tell it to ask clarifying questions and to admit when it doesn't know.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
Structure methodology integrating two fields with validity checks. The linked tutorial covers designing a study end-to-end in ChatGPT — research questions, hypotheses, survey items, sample size and sampling method, R code for the analysis, then implications and titles, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayA full research-design workflow, including how to answer a reviewer who says your sample is too small — bring the result to a Individual Major professor or TA before it goes near graded work.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Design an original interdisciplinary study — Structure methodology integrating two fields with validity checks.
Propose a research question, hypotheses, method, sample and sampling strategy, and the analysis plan. Then critique the weaknesses of your own design.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
Write and debug code combining methods from both disciplines. The linked tutorial covers pasting a broken snippet into ChatGPT with the prompt 'scan the following code for potential problems' — it finds the bug (a divide-by-zero), explains why it happens and returns a fixed version, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayA debugging prompt formula, plus the habit of re-running the fixed code to confirm the error is actually gone — bring the result to a Individual Major professor or TA before it goes near graded work.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Analyze a dataset with mixed techniques — Write and debug code combining methods from both disciplines.
Tell me what's wrong, explain why it happens, then give the corrected version. Walk through the fixed code line by line with a concrete input.
[PASTE YOUR CODE AND THE ERROR HERE]
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
Simulate interactions between variables drawn from separate fields. The linked tutorial covers the fundamentals of ChatGPT — prompting basics, what it can and can't do, and how to personalise it, and the starter prompt below already frames it for Individual Major.
What you'll take awayEnough grounding to attempt an unfamiliar task with AI and judge whether the answer is trustworthy — bring the result to a Individual Major professor or TA before it goes near graded work.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an Individual Major student at HWS. My task: Model an integrated theoretical system — Simulate interactions between variables drawn from separate fields.
Walk me through how to do this step by step. Ask me any clarifying questions first, and show your reasoning so I can check it.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate Individual Major course.
This page lists 20 practical AI use cases written specifically for Individual Major students at Hobart and William Smith Colleges — 10 easy, 6 medium, 4 hard by difficulty. They range from everyday coursework help such as explain your interdisciplinary framework and brainstorm a cross-disciplinary topic through to project-scale work like model an integrated theoretical system. Each one comes with a starter prompt you can paste straight into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.
Which AI use cases should a Individual Major major try first?
Start with the 10 rated Easy — they need no setup and work on the first try. For Individual Major that means explain your interdisciplinary framework, brainstorm a cross-disciplinary topic and summarize a reading from another field. Once those feel routine, move up to the Medium tier, which includes synthesize sources across fields and build a personalized study plan.
What do I need to start using AI as a Individual Major student?
A free account with ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini is the whole list — no coding, no paid subscription, and nothing to install. The 20 Individual Major use cases here draw on 16 tutorial videos between them, and each card ships with a starter prompt already framed for Individual Major coursework, so the first thing you do is paste, not write.
Is it OK to use AI for Individual Major coursework at HWS?
Your Individual Major professor decides, and the answer changes from course to course and even between assignments — so read the syllabus before any of this touches graded work. Everything on this page is a study aid: a use case like "Model an integrated theoretical system" exists to get you through Individual Major material faster, not to produce something you submit as your own. If the syllabus is silent, ask before you use it.