Students (and their families) may be wondering, “Is AI the right tool for a college essay?”
No. Here’s why:
There’s Only One You
Despite how perfectly-pitched the prompts students feed to AI platforms have become, there’s nothing like the human touch. I can spot a “bot essay” a mile away, and trust me, an admissions reader can do so twice as fast. It may take hard work, but the hours students log in drafting, reading aloud and maybe even scrapping one topic for another pays off in college acceptances and high grades in college freshman studies classes.
AI Bots Are Boring
No one nails their own unique tone of voice and point of view as expertly, quirkily and amusingly as the student. The humor, tenderness and empathy expressed in prose as seemingly mundane as baking with grandmom to as serious as losing a sibling have made me both laugh and cry, sometimes in the same essay.
Writing Practice
Every year I watch students evolve into excellent writers without relying on AI. Do they use the platforms for ideation? Maybe. For grammar checks? Most likely. For full-on essay-writing? No way. I put my students through their drafting paces to ensure creativity and singularity prevail! By the end of the application season, all of my students, whether they’re language arts or STEM college majors are strong writers, ready for in-class old-fashioned AI-free Blue Book-and-pencil assignments!
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