Hey everyone, I've heard of some students using ChatGPT to help brainstorm ideas for college essays. I'm curious if colleges can tell if someone has used it or anything like that. Anyone know anything about this?
Using ChatGPT to help brainstorm ideas for your college essays shouldn't raise any red flags with colleges. The most important thing is that the actual content of your essay should still be original, well-written, and truly represent who you are as a person.
Colleges likely won't be able to tell that you've used ChatGPT to brainstorm, and probably wouldn't mind even if they did know, but if you use the tool to actually write your essay, that likely will raise red flags. Admissions officers read thousands of essays each year, so they are experts at telling when a student's voice, experiences, and perspective are authentic.
Overall, it's fine to use a range of resources and tools, including AI services, to help with the brainstorming process, but make sure the essay you ultimately submit is genuinely reflective of your own experiences, achievements, and personality. So long as the actual essay is original, you shouldn't have any issues with colleges knowing about the specific methods you used.
If you'd like to learn more about the evolving role of AI in college admissions, you can check out this blog post from CollegeVine, which breaks down in detail how you can honestly use AI to help you during your college process, and what you need to avoid: https://blog.collegevine.com/impact-of-ai-on-college-admissions/. Good luck with your college process!
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