Can ChatGPT Help Me Get Into College?
Credit: d3sign / Moment / Getty Images- As colleges and universities grapple with how to embrace and include AI in teaching and learning, college applicants are considering how to leverage the tool in admissions.
- AI like ChatGPT can be useful to students in providing general admissions advice, researching school choices, and outlining essays.
- However, ChatGPT shouldn’t be used for writing entire essays or as a replacement for a guidance counselor.
Applying to college can be stressful and time-consuming. While some students can afford expensive, private admissions counselors, other students may look at the competitive application field and wish for a shortcut to get ahead.
More and more students are relying on artificial intelligence (AI) to give them a hand with homework, research queries, and test prep. And colleges and universities are leaning into AI capabilities, offering programs teaching the tool.
The Graduate Management Admission Council announced an AI platform to help business students find a program that fits them. Additionally, Apply Genius, an AI-powered college admissions consultant app, is available to students for a monthly fee.
But can undergraduate hopefuls leverage AI like ChatGPT to get them into college?
Some experts say ChatGPT can help college applicants who can’t afford pricey college admissions coaches. Additionally, there is a nationwide shortage of college counselors, with high ratios of students to counselors.
ChatGPT can be used as a tool to assist students in their application process. In early April, the CEO of OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, announced that ChatGPT would be free for college students in the U.S. and Canada through May.
How ChatGPT Can Help You With College Applications
ChatGPT can serve as a useful starting point in the college application process by helping research school choices, creating outlines for application essays, and offering general advice for application season.
Research Your School Choices
ChatGPT can help with researching or brainstorming about colleges and programs. It can help you understand majors and career paths.
You can use ChatGPT to help determine what major or program you might want to pursue based on what career you want.
You do this by asking ChatGPT what potential majors you should pursue in order to learn the skills needed for certain careers. You can also ask ChatGPT to analyze your skills and experiences and provide suggestions for what careers might interest you.
ChatGPT can help you determine what factors are important to you when it comes to choosing a college, such as school size, location, academic programs available, and estimated cost. It can also recommend college search websites.
Additionally, it can help you compare different colleges based on acceptance rates, graduation rates, and projected cost.
If the school you’re considering includes interviews as part of the application process, ask ChatGPT to play the role of an admissions officer interviewing an applicant. Then you can practice those questions and prepare your own answers.
Outline Your Application Essay
ChatGPT can be a useful tool for outlining essays and cover letters and making suggestions or edits to your written product.
You can ask ChatGPT to help you brainstorm ideas for your essay and for tips on how to structure your essay. ChatGPT can provide a general outline for your essay to serve as a starting point. The tool can tell you what a strong introduction and conclusion of a college essay should include.
ChatGPT may encourage you to incorporate your own unique perspectives and experiences and suggest where in the body of the essay you should do so.
Once you’ve written your essay or statement, copy and paste the text into ChatGPT and ask it to provide feedback and suggest edits. Then, you can review these suggestions and consider if they would make your essay stronger or more persuasive.
Provide General Advice for Application Season
ChatGPT can be a source of basic information and advice for college applications.
Ask ChatGPT for some basic advice for a student applying to college. It may give you some tips on researching colleges, preparing for tests, writing a compelling personal statement, and applying for financial aid.
You can also ask questions about the different components of the application process and what information a college application requires.
For example, ask ChatGPT how to prepare for applying to college. It might recommend that you study for the SAT or ACT, gather relevant documents, and begin to draft a personal statement.
Ways ChatGPT Can’t Help You as You Apply to College
ChatGPT cannot apply to college for you. Be cautious when it comes to using content ChatGPT writes. Avoid having ChatGPT write cover letters or application essays, as the tool simply does not write like a human.
Write Cover Letters or Essays
College admissions counselors are aware of how ChatGPT may be used during the admissions process and can usually detect AI-written essays. Admissions officers who recognize applications that heavily rely on AI may not take too kindly to this practice and be inclined to reject these applicants.
AI-written essays can sound generic and lack the specificity and clarity that admissions officers look for in an essay. College essays are meant to showcase you, your talents, and experiences. Asking AI to speak for you may not properly represent you and your accomplishments.
Fully Replace College Counseling
AI is not a valid replacement for guidance counselors.
Guidance counselors have more and better knowledge of the admissions process, and some have relationships with college and university admissions officers. Guidance counselors can also give students more personalized advice and support.
Consider reaching out to teachers, college counselors, librarians, and writing tutors for assistance in the application process.
You may also want to reach out to teachers and counselors for help with requesting letters of recommendation. If you have specific questions regarding applications to certain colleges, reach out directly to the admissions office at that school.
Regardless of how you use AI and ChatGPT in your college applications, you should always fact-check the information provided to ensure it is accurate.