Yes, and that would be a good social interaction too! But, I have to say from a professional communication standpoint, ChatGPT in particular is a huge time saver. For busy high school kids who are managing school, sports, jobs, friendships, and college apps, I can see a quick check in with AI seeming like a major time saver vs waiting for feedback from another human.
I use ChatGPT all the time for boring technical writing that people are not reading to try to understand who I really am. I just firmly believe it is a TERRIBLE mistake for students to use it for writing assignments, creating writing etc. It makes writing very very boring.
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Totally hear you. I’m sure it’s not a great idea from a creative level. But, I am a math and science girl who has always hated writing. Things like ChatGPT have been a game changer for me. I can spend my time building strategy and solving problems, not figuring out how to communicate my findings. My college essay was so painful to write, and looking back, kind of cringey. I just think, for kids who really struggle to get ideas out of their head and onto paper, this could really help. But, I would love to see guardrails or suggestions of how to best use these platforms for college essays.
I think we have to keep at the forefront of our minds that teenagers don’t need perfect punctuation. 99% of teens are terrible at punctuation. AOs in fact, are probably skeptical when they see perfectly punctuated writing because it screams of AI.
As someone who has seen hundreds of student essays, I don’t let kids submit an essay with 100% perfect writing. Teens are not perfect. I think in my years doing this, maybe 3 students have written with flawless conventions of standard English. It just doesn’t happen, and even less so now when students have forgotten how to write.
An illustration: in my test prep work, kids barely know how to punctuate anything. The pandemic made that much worse. In fact, I’d say that maybe just over the past year, kids seem to be a little better with punctuation than they were say 2 or 3 years ago. One of the easiest ways I can help them is to discuss the classic Let’s eat Grandma example.
So what’s going on? Kids learn punctuation before 5th grade and are lucky if teachers mention it again. They forget. And with AI, why should teachers bother, quite frankly? They have so much on their plates and I am not criticizing them at all. But SAT and ACT STILL test on punctuation and grammar. Especially the ACT. It’s easy to argue that apart from taking standardized tests, they don’t need to remember how to punctuate. Texting is also a huge reason why punctuation is dying.
I’ll be interested to see if maybe colleges will pay closer attention to the subscores of SAT and ACT. Kids can’t use AI to take those tests. A perfect essay is going to be a red flag when the subscore reflects something well below perfection.
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I just read an article about the m dash and AI. The shorter dash, an “n dash” is a better choice perhaps. AI also uses the word “delve” a lot and students have been told to avoid that! No doubt other words.
All of these AI issues encourage us readers to leave student idiosyncracies intact in essays we read!
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Unfortunately, one of my daughter’s idiosyncrasies is that she overuses em dashes! It is funny, because she absolutely hates ChatGPT and will not touch it because of environmental concerns.
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This was interesting How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-) | Merriam-Webster
Maybe kids will switch to an en dash or hyphen ?
A hyphen in place of a dash! Heresy!
I think I will reread Eats Shoots and Leaves so that I can remember the good old days 
Actually, I would love it if an AO would comment. Is @MITChris still hanging around? Or any other AO who could give us insight?
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Ha ha back to Strunk and White! If AI doesn’t use hyphens, heresy may become the norm 
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I’m not an admissions officer, but I just attended a panel discussion with two Ivy League admissions officers. They were emphatic that students should not use AI for their college essays and that they could spot AI from a mile away as trained readers.
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Slightly OT, but the best punctuation has to be the semicolon; it’s a little period and comma combined! Swoon!
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Can we spot AI? I hope so.
One student told me casually that they had used AI and I told them I couldn’t work with them.
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I would actually welcome a return to standardized tests or even some sort of “in class writing” for college essays. Money will always be the differentiator for test prep and essay prep. The admissions professionals have to be willing to pivot with the changes in the tech world. And they need to really try to quantify the value of in person education…because if the next generation is educated by AI, it devalues higher ed as a whole.
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In the context of good grammar being a giveaway somehow… Many students of means use essay coaches/college consultants who ensure their grammar is correct, so when does that cross the line for a reader between “an essay coach helped me” vs “AI helped me” vs “I’m just really good at grammar”?
That’s kind of my point. Someone said it was better to have a human review your essay and give feedback, I am not convinced that is the case. Open AI could actually be an equalizer for kids who can’t afford private essay coaches. Once you really learn the nuances of Chat GPT etc, you can get it to advise you based on your unique way of communicating.
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I don’t think it makes sense to tell students to not use AI for essays, activities, etc. They are using it and should receive guidance on how to use it correctly and effectively.
Here’s GA Tech’s guidance for AI in application essays which seems a reasonable position. I’m sure other schools have posted their guidelines.
Statement on AI
AI tools can be powerful and valuable in the application process when used thoughtfully. We believe there is a place for them in helping you generate ideas, but your ultimate submission should be your own. As with all other sources, you should not copy and paste content you did not create directly into your application. Instead, if you choose to utilize AI-based assistance while working on your writing submissions for Georgia Tech, we encourage you to take the same approach you would when collaborating with people. Use it to brainstorm, edit, and refine your ideas. AI can also be a useful tool as you consider how to construct your resume in the Activities portion of the Common Application. We think AI could be a helpful collaborator, particularly when you do not have access to other assistance to help you complete your application.
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I read apps and can’t necessarily tell if the student used AI. I don’t think some posters here realize how strong AI writing can be if one continues to instruct AI on how to make changes in content, structure, tone, and/or grammar.
There are also many students who are excellent writers and don’t need much editing help from a parent, HS counselor or private counselor. There is no way for readers to tell the difference, no matter how much training we receive.
As a counselor I received beautifully done essays from students who were strong writers…typically very few edits needed. How sad if a reader were to think the essay wasn’t student generated when it was.
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Seems on brand for GT.
Great point. But is anyone actually giving them guidance? I live in an area with well funded schools. Kids are routinely accepted to top universities and many others as well. I have seen no evidence that they receive guidance at school about how to use AI. Of course, they are definitely using it. The kids I’m working with right now have their sights set high and I know they have used AI but they do still need human guidance.
On a more pessimistic note, I don’t think any of us should think that kids are better writers now. They are not. Maybe I have an unusual perspective from most people because I do test prep too. I will say, unequivocally, they are mostly terrible with grammar and punctuation, and that includes the very top students. They are very clearly using AI to help them write.
It’s probably inevitable, but we might have to resign ourselves to the complete disappearance of writing skills being taught at school.
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I would think that GA Tech would want to be front and center in the conversation on how to use AI. Someone needs to address this issue. Seems like colleges with strong comp sci programs would be well suited to give their input.