Many busy college-bound seniors will be tempted to use AI to draft their college admissions essays. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it might sound like a good idea: I’ll just use ChatGPT to brainstorm. I’ll just use Claude to help me draft an outline. But using AI to create any part of your college application essays will immediately short-circuit the one thing admissions readers are looking for: your unique perspective on the world that arises from your unique lived experience.
It’s important to remember that your essay is only one of thousands that an admissions reader will read during an application season. After reading many essays back-to-back, admissions readers can easily recognize the hallmark patterns and themes that signal AI use. When they sense that an essay was generated using AI, they may simply stop reading that entire application, moving it to the “do not admit” list.
The personal statement and supplemental essays are the only chance you have to share your personality, inner thought processes, feelings, core values, and unique perspectives with the people who evaluate your college application.
The choice to use AI-generated prose and content for such an important essay shows readers that the writer either does not care enough to put forth sincere effort for this particular university’s admissions process, or that the writer lacks good judgment. A reliance on AI will show readers that the writer is not the kind of student who cares to invest time and effort in difficult intellectual tasks.
To avoid this fate, the best way to begin your college admissions essays is offline. Print out the prompt, grab a notebook and something to write with, and get comfy. Stepping away from the blank screen will free you of the pressure to type out clear prose and will give you the luxury of time to think, reflect, and be creative — none of which AI can do for you.
Getting started on a draft is arguably the most difficult moment in writing. Slowing down to listen to yourself first will ultimately result in better essays. Take time before you start writing to think about what you want to say. Read the prompt, then jot down your first thought. This might be a list of memorable and transformative experiences you have had that relate to the topic. It could be a list of skills and character traits you’re proud of and that you’d want to share with admissions readers.
If you can get comfortable with this initial brainstorming process, away from screens and the temptation to outsource your thinking to AI, your future essay will be much easier to write. It will be built on the foundation of self-expression that can only come from your own imagination.
Later, when you’re ready to write, bring these notes with you as you open your computer screen. Use your own notes, not AI, as the reference guide when it’s time to turn ideas into sentences. Drafts don’t have to be perfect — but they do have to be written in your own words. Drafts that begin in this way eventually become essays that admissions readers will truly enjoy reading, since they reflect your own original thinking.
When it’s time to revise your first draft, that’s where you can bring in others to help! Whether it’s a friend, a teacher, or a writing coach, you can share your ideas with others and talk about how your draft sounds. Sharing your own ideas will help you refine your draft so that it genuinely sounds like you. Admissions readers love an original essay, one that stands out from all the AI-generated prose floating across their screens. When they see your unique qualities shining through, they’ll be much more likely to move your application to the “admit” list.
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