How can admission essays carry even an ounce of weight going forward?

[Anonymous]

I'm sure many of you use ChatGPT or the like in your daily lives and see its power to write just about anything.

Is it time for schools to 100% kill all essays? Honestly, what's the point?

[Anonymous]

If you don't recognize AI slop, you probably think you're getting great stuff out of chaptgpt. With the amount of reading AOs do, I think they can tell.

[Anonymous]

I don't use AI at all in my daily life. We're on the cusp on an energy and water crisis in Virginia because of AI.

[Anonymous]

It's always been the case that rich kids could buy "editors" to write their essays. It would be entertaining to have kids submit essays as part of a standardized testing...I predict that admissions would change quite a bit if admissions officers could see how kids actually write without "support."

[Anonymous]

I guess - I think the main point of the essay is to write about something the application couldn't capture;

Like: You asked me about GPA, SAT, ... here is all the other things I've worked that doesn't fit anywhere else. or I have a disease that's why I got Cs on my PE class.

Before ChatGPT the essay warped into something written by an MFA in Creative Writing - now after ChatGPT all essays will look like it's written by the same MFA.

[Anonymous]

I agree, or someone else could have written it. There's no way to know, and it's also so subjective. What resonates with one admissions officer might not with another.

[Anonymous]

They need to ask for handwritten essays with all revisions. Only the final draft gets typed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's always been the case that rich kids could buy "editors" to write their essays. It would be entertaining to have kids submit essays as part of a standardized testing...I predict that admissions would change quite a bit if admissions officers could see how kids actually write without "support."

Agree. We are long past the time the essays were remotely appropriate to be considered for admissions. The short-lived timed writing section of the SAT is a much fairer way to judge writing ability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure many of you use ChatGPT or the like in your daily lives and see its power to write just about anything.

Is it time for schools to 100% kill all essays? Honestly, what's the point?

Using ChatGPT well is also a skill. A skill that is going to be more important in the future.

HS and college students are already using it extensively. It is very helpful in reducing the amount of time required, eliminates the need to hire college counselors to review essays dramatically reducing costs and reduces stress.

You start with what is output and then personalize it extensively, which takes about 5% of the total effort compared to writing it from scratch. It has been a lifesaver in the last cycle for applying and getting into T20.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's always been the case that rich kids could buy "editors" to write their essays. It would be entertaining to have kids submit essays as part of a standardized testing...I predict that admissions would change quite a bit if admissions officers could see how kids actually write without "support."

This would be very illuminating!

That said, I approve of the essays. My kids are "normal." B+/A-, nice, involved kids with decent test scores. For them, the essay is just one more piece that fits together and paints them as solid students who will be good additions to a college community. They write, I proofread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure many of you use ChatGPT or the like in your daily lives and see its power to write just about anything.

Is it time for schools to 100% kill all essays? Honestly, what's the point?

I can smell gpt essays a mile away. Heck, I can smell gpt posts on DCUM a mile away.
College essays need to be authentic. There is nothing authentic in the gpt essays.

[Anonymous]

I've never used it, and my kids' didn't use it for their essays either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's always been the case that rich kids could buy "editors" to write their essays. It would be entertaining to have kids submit essays as part of a standardized testing...I predict that admissions would change quite a bit if admissions officers could see how kids actually write without "support."

Our VERY expensive college counselors edited DC's essays to the point that it completely removed her voice and almost seemed flat. This was 3 years ago. Although I didn't realize it at the time, looking back, I'm sure they used an LLM.

[Anonymous]

You could say the same thing for grades since many were earned using Chat GPT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you don't recognize AI slop, you probably think you're getting great stuff out of chaptgpt. With the amount of reading AOs do, I think they can tell.

Low paid AOs are much less intelligent than most students applying to selective schools and much much less intelligent than AI.