cawacko
Well-known member
This article hit home for me because my niece is writing her college essays. Since we have a lot of Boomers on this board, I am curious how many of you actually use AI.
I use it at work to run financial models and review leases. We got multiple bids for work on our condo, so I put them all into AI and it gave me a breakdown and comparison in seconds. It was eye opening. My mom has major health issues, and I have even used AI to create a profile of what she is dealing with so I can better understand her situation. It feels a little creepy, but it has been incredibly helpful.
My mom is 78 and I told her AI could help her research her condition. She looked at me like I was out of my mind. She will use Google and that is it. (And now even Google starts by offering an AI response.)
As someone who has spent more than two decades helping high school students navigate how to write personal essays for their college applications, I regularly advise them to answer prompts fully, stick to the word limit and don’t lie.
Given those starting points, it may surprise some people to learn that I encourage students to use artificial intelligence as a tool to help generate content for their college application essays.
On the Common App used by more than 1,100 colleges and universities to simplify the application process, students must certify that “all information submitted in the admission process — including this application and other supporting materials — is my own work.”
Many colleges, including Brown University, do not permit the use of AI by an applicant under any circumstances in conjunction with application content. While applicants may use AI to assist with spelling and grammar review and basic proofreading, the content of all essays submitted by an applicant must be the work of that individual.
On the face of it, I endorse this policy. In fact, just two years ago, I was adamant that students should not use AI at all in their college essay writing process. And in a way, I stand by my story: Students shouldn’t employ ChatGPT or other AI engines to generate content that they submit as their own. Still, I think policies like Brown’s are being interpreted as sweeping bans on AI in college essay writing. As a result, colleges and the students attempting to adhere to their protocols are missing the point that, when used properly, AI can be used as a tool to help students learn to write better essays.
Of course, students shouldn’t turn to AI to write the sentences and paragraphs that make up their college essays. In fact, AI shouldn’t be generating any “personal” content for students at all. That said, these engines can serve as on-demand admissions essay tutors, providing guidelines and prompts for unearthing the details and reflections that imbue the best personal statements with intrigue and impact.
If, for instance, a student tells an AI platform they want to write a personal essay about their love of crafting intricate Halloween costumes, requesting prompts to help them explore this topic, AI might ask things like: What is a Halloween costume you created that you are especially proud of, and what was the inspiration? What does the process of creating a costume look like for you? Where else does this creative instinct manifest itself in your life?
Those questions are comparable to those posed by writing tutors, and, better still, they come free of charge to anyone with access to technology. They also represent potential pathways for more directed storytelling and reflection than a student would likely generate independently. Most students don’t have experience writing personal narratives before they are asked to do so for a college admissions essay.
While students applying to college should check a school’s specific policies on using AI on an application, using it as an assistive, self-teaching tool instead of as a ghost writer can lead to essays that are complex, contemplative and more authentic than something ChatGPT simply spits out. AI can actually help applicants hone creativity and strategic thinking, but only when used properly.
Since the proliferation of AI, its negative impacts have been apparent, and I’ve personally seen evidence of its use in college essays. There are the obvious gaps in logic (a student saying they were repulsed by a food they tried, followed by a 50-word description of how delicious it looked and smelled), the AI hallucinations about what someone’s grandfather did in World War I (although Grandpa wasn’t alive at that time) and the telltale em dashes (that most students don’t know how to properly employ — even though they appear everywhere in ChatGPT-generated content).
When students get to college, AI will be everywhere. Today, the major AI engines are courting colleges across the country for long-term contracts, and these tools will be available to students the second they set foot on college campuses. In every major industry, employees are being asked to explore the most valuable uses of this technology and not knowing the value of AI will almost certainly be a disadvantage for students who fail to experiment.
So, yes, we should be clear to students that they’re cheating themselves when they don’t do the heavy lifting of essay-writing themselves. We should emphasize that their authentic ideas and reflections will always outshine those of a machine — especially when sharing their own personal story. But we should also give guidelines for how to use AI ethically and demonstrate the difference between assistive ideation and content generation. Only then will we truly be preparing our college applicants for what is to come.
Stacey Brook is founder and chief advisor at College Essay Advisors, author of “The Uncommon College Essay: An Approachable Guide to an Intimidating Process,” and creator of CollegeEssAI, an ethical AI tool for college essay writing.
I use it at work to run financial models and review leases. We got multiple bids for work on our condo, so I put them all into AI and it gave me a breakdown and comparison in seconds. It was eye opening. My mom has major health issues, and I have even used AI to create a profile of what she is dealing with so I can better understand her situation. It feels a little creepy, but it has been incredibly helpful.
My mom is 78 and I told her AI could help her research her condition. She looked at me like I was out of my mind. She will use Google and that is it. (And now even Google starts by offering an AI response.)
How to use AI for your college admissions essay — without cheating
As someone who has spent more than two decades helping high school students navigate how to write personal essays for their college applications, I regularly advise them to answer prompts fully, stick to the word limit and don’t lie.
Given those starting points, it may surprise some people to learn that I encourage students to use artificial intelligence as a tool to help generate content for their college application essays.
On the Common App used by more than 1,100 colleges and universities to simplify the application process, students must certify that “all information submitted in the admission process — including this application and other supporting materials — is my own work.”
Many colleges, including Brown University, do not permit the use of AI by an applicant under any circumstances in conjunction with application content. While applicants may use AI to assist with spelling and grammar review and basic proofreading, the content of all essays submitted by an applicant must be the work of that individual.
On the face of it, I endorse this policy. In fact, just two years ago, I was adamant that students should not use AI at all in their college essay writing process. And in a way, I stand by my story: Students shouldn’t employ ChatGPT or other AI engines to generate content that they submit as their own. Still, I think policies like Brown’s are being interpreted as sweeping bans on AI in college essay writing. As a result, colleges and the students attempting to adhere to their protocols are missing the point that, when used properly, AI can be used as a tool to help students learn to write better essays.
Of course, students shouldn’t turn to AI to write the sentences and paragraphs that make up their college essays. In fact, AI shouldn’t be generating any “personal” content for students at all. That said, these engines can serve as on-demand admissions essay tutors, providing guidelines and prompts for unearthing the details and reflections that imbue the best personal statements with intrigue and impact.
If, for instance, a student tells an AI platform they want to write a personal essay about their love of crafting intricate Halloween costumes, requesting prompts to help them explore this topic, AI might ask things like: What is a Halloween costume you created that you are especially proud of, and what was the inspiration? What does the process of creating a costume look like for you? Where else does this creative instinct manifest itself in your life?
Those questions are comparable to those posed by writing tutors, and, better still, they come free of charge to anyone with access to technology. They also represent potential pathways for more directed storytelling and reflection than a student would likely generate independently. Most students don’t have experience writing personal narratives before they are asked to do so for a college admissions essay.
While students applying to college should check a school’s specific policies on using AI on an application, using it as an assistive, self-teaching tool instead of as a ghost writer can lead to essays that are complex, contemplative and more authentic than something ChatGPT simply spits out. AI can actually help applicants hone creativity and strategic thinking, but only when used properly.
Since the proliferation of AI, its negative impacts have been apparent, and I’ve personally seen evidence of its use in college essays. There are the obvious gaps in logic (a student saying they were repulsed by a food they tried, followed by a 50-word description of how delicious it looked and smelled), the AI hallucinations about what someone’s grandfather did in World War I (although Grandpa wasn’t alive at that time) and the telltale em dashes (that most students don’t know how to properly employ — even though they appear everywhere in ChatGPT-generated content).
When students get to college, AI will be everywhere. Today, the major AI engines are courting colleges across the country for long-term contracts, and these tools will be available to students the second they set foot on college campuses. In every major industry, employees are being asked to explore the most valuable uses of this technology and not knowing the value of AI will almost certainly be a disadvantage for students who fail to experiment.
So, yes, we should be clear to students that they’re cheating themselves when they don’t do the heavy lifting of essay-writing themselves. We should emphasize that their authentic ideas and reflections will always outshine those of a machine — especially when sharing their own personal story. But we should also give guidelines for how to use AI ethically and demonstrate the difference between assistive ideation and content generation. Only then will we truly be preparing our college applicants for what is to come.
Stacey Brook is founder and chief advisor at College Essay Advisors, author of “The Uncommon College Essay: An Approachable Guide to an Intimidating Process,” and creator of CollegeEssAI, an ethical AI tool for college essay writing.
