ChatGPT and the college process

With the arrival of AI-enabled tools that can make pretty impressive college essay responses, the written portion of the college admissions process is ripe for dramatic change.  We wanted to predict a few outcomes from this groundbreaking tool.  

1) If essays are going to remain a feature of the application process, which is far from certain, they are going to have to become much more personalized.  Colleges are going to target their questions for such personal responses that only a student could write them.  (This is, of course, what students should already be doing - making sure that their responses are specific to their own experiences, and not generic or generalized).  In parallel, colleges are likely to start using software to detect AI-generated text.  We strongly advise students to not use ChatGPT even in the draft phase, as remnants of that generated text could run afoul of colleges’ regulations.  

2) Colleges may consider reinstating the requirement for the writing component of the SAT and ACT.  Timed writing exercises reveal only a limited amount about the applicant, but at least colleges can be (mostly) sure that the student wrote it themselves.  Additionally, colleges will be able to compare any writing composed with time and resource restrictions with the collection of personal essays that the student submits.  Any notable gulf in the fluidity of the language will raise a red flag.  Finally, colleges may institute their own timed writing prompts - with the same kind of virtual proctoring that current at-home exams use.  

3) Students will have to prove their unique attributes in other ways.  Colleges have already begun to offer students the opportunity to submit videos introducing themselves.  These can of course be prepped and practiced, but they give at least the suggestion of authenticity.    

4.) With many colleges and universities openly discussing a return to SAT/ACT requirements in order to gather more “objective” data from their applicants, this technological sea-change could advance the timing on this question.  While current 11th graders may not be impacted, 9th and 10th graders are likely to see widespread institutional changes. 

Clearly, advances in technology will cause dramatic differences in the process.  Let us know if we can help!