I'm not a tech person, so I'm hoping for a straightforward explanation! I've been using ChatGPT for a while now, mainly for learning complex topics, but recently it's been unreliable. I'm prepping for finals and need a reliable tool to quiz me on my classes. Because of this, I've switched to using Claude, but I'm finding it tricky to customize. I'm looking for advice on how to best set it up and any quirks I should be aware of. For example, it keeps reminding me to contact a healthcare provider when I ask healthcare questions, which gets frustrating since I work in that field. What tips do you have for making Claude more useful for my needs?
3 Answers
Claude can be quite rigid, so it's important to give clear prompts, especially if it's a topic it isn't eager to address. To keep it focused on your material, try uploading PDFs or other documents relevant to your studies. Make sure to instruct it to prioritize those files over general advice. Just a heads-up, its cautious nature means you might hit usage limits, so plan your interactions accordingly. Plus, Anthropic's updates can change its performance, so be ready for that!
Absolutely! Just tell it your context using a clear prompt, and it should follow your lead. Also, encourage it to avoid unnecessary disclaimers like that.
Claude lacks memory between sessions, so you'll have to set it up each time. Use the 'What personal preferences should Claude consider in responses?' setting for global preferences or create projects where you can outline your instructions specific to that context. It works best when you directly tell it what you need, like 'I'm a student studying healthcare, please avoid suggesting I contact a healthcare provider.' Capitalizing important phrases can help, but don’t overdo it!
Got it! So should I keep everything related to my courses under one project? Can Claude handle multiple threads in a project, or does it treat each chat separately?
Yes, keep related questions in one project! Claude will only refer to messages within that project, so it’s a good idea to outline your expectations upfront.
I've seen that Claude is way more cautious, especially with health topics. It's great at reasoning but needs very specific directions. If you don’t guide it well, it might get vague or overly cautious. Just be clear and precise every time you chat!
So being specific is key, right? That seems to be the general advice here. Thanks for confirming!
Exactly! The clearer you are, the better it'll respond.
Thanks for the insights! So if I provide my notes, it should stick to them? I really need it to focus on the actual content without redirecting me to consult a doctor all the time.