Writing your college application is an important part of taking this next step in your academic life. The right application can help get you into the college of your choice, with a poorly written one failing to represent your achievements fairly. But filling out the required paperwork and writing the all-important essay isn’t something that comes naturally to everyone – and even if it does, there’s still an element of time pressure that can faze even the most relaxed student.
With Artificial Intelligence (AI) becoming a key tool for so many areas of business, it makes sense that students are increasingly wanting to turn to it for their studies too. However, there’s a fine line between using AI to support your application and turning in something that is completely computer generated. Aside from the ethics of submitting an AI-generated application, it’s also a poor representation of your personal character and abilities, which may reduce your chances of getting accepted.
In this post, we explore three ways you can ethically use AI for your college application, without crossing any boundaries.
Getting ideas for essay topics
Your personal essay is a chance for the admissions committee to get to know you. You want to draw the reader in and make them want to find out about you, providing a more well-rounded view of yourself. Whilst your academic results are important, ultimately there will be many students who have similar grades to you, so you need to ensure that you stand out.
This can feel hard to do, but AI can act as a prompt. You’ll be able to provide brief information about your experiences, and the AI tool can then prompt you to expand further, potentially identifying areas of interest. Especially if you’re someone who isn’t used to talking about themselves, this can be helpful for drawing out interesting anecdotes that are exactly what the interviewer is looking for.
Reviewing your application
Most people these days use a document editor to write their college applications, which generally picks up on spelling and grammar mistakes – but what about simple improvements? Whether you write in the same way that you speak, or simply don’t excel at essay writing, this can impact how professional your application looks. Alternatively, if English isn’t your first language, you may just want some reassurance that what you’ve written reads well.
AI can review your writing, going a step further than simple word processing software to suggest phrasing changes or areas where you haven’t been as clear as you could have been. Whilst ultimately you’ll still want your own voice to be heard on the page, there’s no harm in a second opinion.
Deadline management
With so many different deadlines to keep on top of, as well as your ordinary schoolwork and other commitments, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Applying for college is an exciting but sometimes stressful process, and you may be wondering how you’re meant to remember every little detail.
Fortunately, AI tools can act as a personal assistant, sending you reminders and showing you your progress. They can also be useful for keeping any document links or screenshots in one place, saving you frantically searching through your laptop as the deadline looms closer.
For those who need larger tasks such as ‘write admissions essay’ broken down, AI tools can also be a good place to create personalized checklists, with each item having its own due date. Not only does this keep you on track, but it can also be motivating to see, in comparison to one unfinished large task.
Support your application, don’t replace your original voice
The key to using AI in your college application is to ensure that you can still be identified from your writing. Admissions officers don’t want you to become a robot – they’re interested in what you have to say and what you can bring to the table. With that being said, there’s plenty of ways that AI can help reduce the stress of the application process and ensure you represent yourself in the best possible light.
However you use AI, it’s crucial that you ensure it’s ethical and in line with the college rules – otherwise, you could tarnish your chances of getting into your preferred institution.
