With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT, you may be curious about how they can support your college application essay writing, or if it’s even okay to use them at all. In this article, we’ll share the dos and don’ts of using AI in your college application essays.

Can I use AI to write my college application essay?

Yes, but use it thoughtfully. A majority of colleges and universities in the U.S. don’t have clear guidelines about how prospective students can use AI tools like ChatGPT in their essays and personal statements. However, this doesn’t mean that AI can write your essays for you. 

The purpose of college application essays and personal statements is to give colleges a deeper look at who you are—what matters to you, what you’re passionate about, and what excites you about the future. ChatGPT doesn’t know any of that! It’s up to you to tell your story. 

That being said, there are a few ways you can thoughtfully use tools like ChatGPT to support your college application essay writing. Check out the dos and don’ts below!

Using AI for college application essays: dos and don’ts

DON’T use ChatGPT to write your entire essay

We can’t emphasize this enough—do not use ChatGPT to write your entire college application essay. ChatGPT can create generalizations, resulting in responses that sound unoriginal and robotic. This will leave you with an essay that lacks personality and doesn’t give your reader a clear picture of who you are. That defeats the entire purpose of what a college application essay should do! Also, since college admissions officers are experienced in reading hundreds (if not thousands) of essays during each college application cycle, they may be able to tell whether an essay has heavy AI writing in it.

DO use ChatGPT to generate ideas

Your college application essay should reveal something about you through storytelling. If you’re having trouble deciding what to write, you can turn to ChatGPT to help you generate ideas and narrow down your topic. For example, you can ask it to come up with 10 questions to help you brainstorm topics or to elaborate on an idea you might already have. You know yourself the best, so while ChatGPT can help start your idea, it’s up to you to finish it. 

DO use AI to proofread your essay

While AI can’t tell your story, it’s a helpful tool for finding spelling and grammar errors and providing suggestions to improve sentence structure and clarity. You can also use it to identify whether your essay fully answers the prompt or is meeting the required word count. 

Want a more human review of your essay? Send it to us for free review! We’ll have it back to you within a week with specific feedback. 

DON’T share any personal or sensitive information with AI

Be careful when sharing personal information with ChatGPT, or avoid it altogether. While ChatGPT allows users to turn off chat history, it’s best to be cautious and not reveal too much about yourself—like your state, city, school, or any other sensitive information you wouldn’t want shared publicly. 

This is especially important in the context of writing your college application essay. The purpose of these essays is to write about something personal to you, which for some people may include sensitive or difficult topics. We recommend talking to a real person (like a parent or trusted educator) instead of ChatGPT if you need support writing your essay. 

DO keep your authentic voice

Showing your personality through your essay is crucial to leaving a lasting impression on admissions officers. Because ChatGPT provides widely generic responses, it can create a similar version of a story personal to you, but never the real and authentic thing. Colleges value authenticity, and your essays play a very important role in your overall application. 

DON’T use AI as your only tool for college application essays

Use our free resources to write a personal and thoughtful college application essay: 

• How to Write Your College Application Essay
• Understanding Common App College Essay Prompts
• Common College Application Essay Myths
• Free College Application and Scholarship Essay Review

Have any questions about writing your college application essay? Text #College to 33-55-77 to chat with one of our advisors. If you're using a mobile device, click here to have the text message set up for you!