With most seniors in the middle of submitting college essays, it’s come up that some seniors from around the nation are using

ChatGPT to write their essays for them. They tell it to write a college application essay in the voice of a high school senior about why they would love to attend this college, and ChatGPT would produce a generic essay with mellow vocabulary.

When I found out about this, I was appalled. Using ChatGPT to write college applications defeats the whole purpose of applying to a college. Colleges are looking for personal experiences in an application essay; they want this personal aspect of your writing that

ChatGPT won’t provide. It has no idea who you are. It could be argued that Chat GPT can help you sound more mature with its word choices. However, most people have found that Chat GPT has a tendency to repeat the same adjectives over and over again.

Not only will this cause your plan to backfire, but it also makes you write on a lower level. It can also jeopardize your chances of getting into that college you’re applying for.

The main takeaway is students should write their own essay and not rely on A.I. to help them. There are plenty of other resources students could use to help them, such as their parents, siblings, teachers and paid college coaches. There’s no need to become lazy in a decision that could impact four or more years of your life.