AI detectors - warning

[Anonymous]

Our advisor said some universities are moving to blue books for essays in the next 1-3 years. Applicants will have to show all essay work from start to finish in a blue book and submit it upon request along with signed honor code at the end of the final draft essay saying the work is 100% their own. Advisor said chances are it won’t be requested but my kid is still freaking out over it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our advisor said some universities are moving to blue books for essays in the next 1-3 years. Applicants will have to show all essay work from start to finish in a blue book and submit it upon request along with signed honor code at the end of the final draft essay saying the work is 100% their own. Advisor said chances are it won’t be requested but my kid is still freaking out over it.

I don't love this, but it's better than the current way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our advisor said some universities are moving to blue books for essays in the next 1-3 years. Applicants will have to show all essay work from start to finish in a blue book and submit it upon request along with signed honor code at the end of the final draft essay saying the work is 100% their own. Advisor said chances are it won’t be requested but my kid is still freaking out over it.

If your kid isn’t cheating, why are they freaking out about this? Sure, it sounds like a pain, but freaking out seems excessive.

[Anonymous]

I hate AI but every kid I know has a paid essay coach. A lot of kids can’t afford that kind of assistance. If they use AI is that worse? I don’t know…the entire essay thing is kind of a mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate AI but every kid I know has a paid essay coach. A lot of kids can’t afford that kind of assistance. If they use AI is that worse? I don’t know…the entire essay thing is kind of a mess.

Right? I agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate AI but every kid I know has a paid essay coach. A lot of kids can’t afford that kind of assistance. If they use AI is that worse? I don’t know…the entire essay thing is kind of a mess.

Right? I agree.

This. And the coach is probably using some AI too. Let's be real. Most people are using AI in some form- whether it's to brainstorm ideas, come up with a first draft, improve on a human written draft, or everything from A-Z.

[Anonymous]

“My kid used Claude (paid) to cut 42 words from the common app essay. Also used Grammarly to correct grammar”

What an embarrassing confession. Your kid is stupid and lazy. You failed as a parent.

[Anonymous]

The way they use it it universities is a mess. Turnitin is already banned in some. One of my kids had a professor who didn't understand how it worked and was questioning students who got 25% match which is nothing. It creates an atmosphere of suspicion and stress and hurts the professor student relationship.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The way they use it it universities is a mess. Turnitin is already banned in some. One of my kids had a professor who didn't understand how it worked and was questioning students who got 25% match which is nothing. It creates an atmosphere of suspicion and stress and hurts the professor student relationship.

I can see this. One of my kid’s work was questioned by a professor and when he sent my kid the Turnitin results and asked for an explanation, my kid saw it was “flagged” for every citation. Professor didn’t even look himself to see WHY it was flagged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t understand why any kid needs to use AI at all to write this essay. Not Grammarly, not Claude, not anything. Just write the essay and ask another human to proofread or give feedback.

Because kids are applying to 15 schools, which means they have 30+ essays to write. This is on top of doing day to day school work for 6 APs (need to get an A — no A-), leadership in a club, volunteer work outside of school, varsity sport, etc. These kids are overwhelmed.

[Anonymous]

1. The essays are a complete waste of time, energy and brain power on everyone’s part- kids, parents, essay editors, AOs.

2. AOs can’t even read all the essays- some get skipped, skimmed or read by AI instead.

3. Who knows who’s writing them anymore?

4. All people need to write and communicate effectively… but NOT in the way these essays are written. In science/health, the best writing is succinct, uses simple words, and clearly states the points (tell, don’t show!)
Only future novelists need to excel at hooks, creative writing, metaphor writing, show not tell. Writing this way in science would not get a published paper. And would not enable patients to understand what you’re saying. Could you imagine your doctor giving your diagnosis in a “show don’t tell way with a creative hook”??? You’d fire that doctor!

5. If they must have an essay, one common app essay is enough.

6. But better to scrap the essay altogether bc it’s completely useless.

7. 4 yrs of hard work should count way more than an AI/editor/parent-written/edited essay

8. Maybe just give more space in the EC list and kids can bullet point lessons they learned

9. Instead of writing 30 essays, these young, able, bright kids could be doing something useful for the world or for their own health - like sleeping, exerting, volunteering, socializing, working, studying, anything besides wasting it in these useless essays.

10. Rant done

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t understand why any kid needs to use AI at all to write this essay. Not Grammarly, not Claude, not anything. Just write the essay and ask another human to proofread or give feedback.

Because kids are applying to 15 schools, which means they have 30+ essays to write. This is on top of doing day to day school work for 6 APs (need to get an A — no A-), leadership in a club, volunteer work outside of school, varsity sport, etc. These kids are overwhelmed.

Or, you could just let them be the kid they’re physically and logistically able to be without relying on AI to do their thinking for them. If they’re cutting corners on writing essays, I can only assume they’re cutting corners on some of the other stuff, too. Not so much overwhelmed, as “overwhelmed.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. The essays are a complete waste of time, energy and brain power on everyone’s part- kids, parents, essay editors, AOs.

2. AOs can’t even read all the essays- some get skipped, skimmed or read by AI instead.

3. Who knows who’s writing them anymore?

4. All people need to write and communicate effectively… but NOT in the way these essays are written. In science/health, the best writing is succinct, uses simple words, and clearly states the points (tell, don’t show!)
Only future novelists need to excel at hooks, creative writing, metaphor writing, show not tell. Writing this way in science would not get a published paper. And would not enable patients to understand what you’re saying. Could you imagine your doctor giving your diagnosis in a “show don’t tell way with a creative hook”??? You’d fire that doctor!

5. If they must have an essay, one common app essay is enough.

6. But better to scrap the essay altogether bc it’s completely useless.

7. 4 yrs of hard work should count way more than an AI/editor/parent-written/edited essay

8. Maybe just give more space in the EC list and kids can bullet point lessons they learned

9. Instead of writing 30 essays, these young, able, bright kids could be doing something useful for the world or for their own health - like sleeping, exerting, volunteering, socializing, working, studying, anything besides wasting it in these useless essays.

10. Rant done

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate AI but every kid I know has a paid essay coach. A lot of kids can’t afford that kind of assistance. If they use AI is that worse? I don’t know…the entire essay thing is kind of a mess.

Out here in the real world of regular public school seniors, I don’t know anyone who has a paid essay coach. So assuming your world is of kids aiming for tippy top schools, this is even more pathetic. They should be fully capable of writing an essay unassisted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t understand why any kid needs to use AI at all to write this essay. Not Grammarly, not Claude, not anything. Just write the essay and ask another human to proofread or give feedback.

Because kids are applying to 15 schools, which means they have 30+ essays to write. This is on top of doing day to day school work for 6 APs (need to get an A — no A-), leadership in a club, volunteer work outside of school, varsity sport, etc. These kids are overwhelmed.

Or, you could just let them be the kid they’re physically and logistically able to be without relying on AI to do their thinking for them. If they’re cutting corners on writing essays, I can only assume they’re cutting corners on some of the other stuff, too. Not so much overwhelmed, as “overwhelmed.”

The problem I have with it is that schools create a system that begs to be gamed. Example:

The Why Us essay- kids in “the know” are told to dig into the school’s website/online info to post things very specific about the school. Such a farce bc that is NOT why the kid wants the school. That is simply giving the school what they want in the answer but it is absolutely not genuine.