AI and College Admissions: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

One of the most pressing topics in college admissions today is students’ use of artificial intelligence (AI) when writing their application essays and the potential consequences that come with it. As a parent, you may wonder: Is AI the secret weapon for college applications? However, the answer isn’t black and white—it depends on how students use it. What truly matters is whether they rely on AI to generate generic essays or leverage it to enhance their creativity and craft engaging responses. In this article, we’ll explore the advantages and disadvantages of using AI and how students can harness this powerful tool to stand out in a competitive landscape.

How AI Can Help You

While concerns about AI use persist, it can be a valuable tool for students when applied thoughtfully and responsibly. Free platforms like ChatGPT, for example, can aid in the brainstorming process for application essays and provide feedback. For students struggling to choose between ideas or different angles, AI can offer reasoning to help them decide on a direction. It can also suggest topics, themes, or approaches based on prompts to help students overcome writer’s block and explore ideas they may not have previously considered. Once a student has completed their first draft, AI can identify areas that require further development or clarification and recommend where to incorporate personal reflection or additional details.

AI is also an excellent resource for quickly summarizing content and gathering information. For instance, a student writing a supplemental essay about their favorite book could use AI to refresh their memory on the main plot points, key chapters, and characters. This information allows students to focus on synthesizing their ideas and crafting an original response. However, it’s important to note that AI can produce hallucinations—incorrect and misleading results—and may not always generate accurate information. If a plot point or character description seems off, it’s always best to double-check the text to ensure accuracy and draw your own conclusions.

Additionally, students can use AI to find articles featuring successful example essays. With its web-searching capabilities, AI can quickly generate a list of sources for students to consult, learn from, and gain inspiration. After reviewing these sources, if students have lingering questions about why a particular essay or form is effective, ChatGPT can provide an analysis highlighting key elements and offering insights into what works well in a strong application essay.

Understanding the Consequences of AI Misuse

While AI can streamline the writing process for students, excessive reliance on the tool poses significant risks and may jeopardize their chances of college acceptance. For instance, in response to the recent increase in AI-generated essays, top universities like Brown have issued public statements warning against the use of AI in the application process:

“Brown… reiterates our own independent policy that the use of artificial intelligence by an applicant is not permitted under any circumstances in conjunction with application content. While an applicant may use artificial intelligence to assist with spelling and grammar review, in the same way as any other platform that supports basic proofreading, the content of all essays, short-answer questions and any other material submitted by an applicant must be the work of that individual.”

Brown’s statement aligns with those from many collegiate institutions and organizations, including Common App, which have implemented policies addressing application fraud related to AI usage. Students should use tools like ChatGPT judiciously to ensure compliance with these policies, understanding the detection of AI-generated content in their essays could lead to application denial or revocation of admission offers.

In addition to using detection tools like GPTZero and Copyleaks, admissions officers read thousands of applications each cycle and are adept at identifying essays that seem disingenuous or generic. Recent studies confirm that, beyond being less varied than human writing, AI-generated essays tend to resemble those written by male students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds with greater social privilege. As colleges and universities strive to create more equitable admissions processes and build a diverse student body, it’s increasingly important for applicants to present authentic, distinctive voices that contribute to a plurality of perspectives and experiences.

Given these factors, students should be aware that relying too heavily on AI heightens the risk of submitting an essay lacking a personal touch, exciting language, or a distinctive voice. Since the personal statement is an opportunity to showcase your character and unique perspective, using AI to generate a large portion of your response can lead to a missed chance for admissions officers to truly get to know you and your interests on a deeper level.

Cultivating Writing Skills for Lifelong Success

Another danger of relying on AI is the loss of students’ abilities to construct strong arguments and compelling essays and the stagnation of their writing skills. Consider the example of GPS: before its invention, people depended on physical maps and actively used their navigational skills to travel from one place to another. However, with the advent of GPS technology, most individuals now depend on apps like Waze or Google Maps to determine their routes, often struggling to navigate without them. 

Similarly, if students develop a habit of relying on AI to write their essays or response papers, they risk neglecting their critical thinking skills and may struggle to articulate their ideas clearly. Building strong writing skills is essential, with benefits that extend far beyond the classroom—it helps us make sense of and communicate with the world around us. Starting as early as freshman year, students can sharpen their skills by writing daily, whether through free writing, taking notes, organizing schedules, or journaling. Writing just a few hundred words a day strengthens verbal and communication skills, preparing students to excel in high school, college, and beyond.

Conclusion

As AI becomes an increasingly prevalent tool, students should remember that cultivating the ability to write with clarity, creativity, and conviction is a lifelong skill extending far beyond the admissions process. By developing strong writing skills early on and using AI responsibly, students can leverage technology as a supportive resource for brainstorming and providing valuable feedback without compromising the integrity of their work—or jeopardizing their chances of college acceptance. Ultimately, application essays offer an opportunity to stand out in a competitive landscape by showcasing your authentic voice and demonstrating your ability to think critically and communicate effectively. Admissions officers want to know who you are and what makes you tick, so don’t be afraid to let your unique voice shine through in your writing!

Are you ready to get a jump start on your personal statement? Our team is ready to support you as you embark on your application journey. Request a consultation today!

If you’re ready to dive deeper into your college application, check out the guide that our college admissions experts put together to help you navigate all the criteria admissions committees look at.

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