Before you go back to school, set up these 5 ChatGPT tools — your future self will thank you

ChatGPT has accumulated a surprisingly large collection of education tools, including Study Mode and new plugins designed specifically for college students and educators.

The trick is using them to learn rather than outsourcing the learning itself.

OpenAI explicitly describes its approach as helping students understand material rather than simply shortcutting it, which is a useful rule to keep in mind before handing ChatGPT the first assignment of the semester.

Here are five ways I would set up ChatGPT before classes get properly underway.

1.

Study Mode for all (Image credit: OpenAI) ChatGPT's aptly named Study Mode is the obvious place to start with using the AI for learning, and it doesn't even require a paid subscription.

You simply start a normal conversation with ChatGPT and type @study , or click the + button and search for Study .

Once activated, Study Mode changes ChatGPT's responses from direct answers to more Socratic behavior.

It asks questions, provides hints, and checks whether you understand each step before moving forward.

Try prompts like, "Teach me derivatives, asking one question at a time, and give me a hint when I'm stuck." You can also upload a photo of a problem or, where file uploads are available, add your class notes and ask ChatGPT to work from those.

For instance, you could upload what you wrote down in class and tell ChatGPT to "Use these notes to teach me today's lesson.

Start by identifying and explaining concepts I need to understand, then quiz me before moving to the next." Study Mode can work with uploaded files and images, making it much more useful when it knows what your actual class is covering rather than delivering a generic miniature lecture.

2.

ChatGPT College Plugin (Image credit: OpenAI) A newer and more focused option is ChatGPT's College Student plugin.