Why You Shouldn’t Use ChatGPT to Write Your College Application Essays (And How to Use It the Right Way)

If you’re a high school student applying to college, chances are you’ve heard about using AI tools like ChatGPT to help with your college application essays. Maybe you’ve even tried typing in:

“Write me a Common App essay about overcoming failure.”

It seems like a quick shortcut, but when it comes to something as personal and high-stakes as your college application, letting ChatGPT write your essay isn’t advised.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss: the pitfalls of using ChatGPT to write your college essays, the tell-tale signs admissions officers notice, and smart ways to use ChatGPT as a tool, without letting it take over your story.

Why You Shouldn’t Have ChatGPT Write Your College App Essays

Reason #1: ChatGPT is generic and lacks your authentic voice.

Even when ChatGPT tries to sound personal, it often creates essays that are polished but hollow. They’re missing the small, quirky, human details that show who you truly are.

Plus, college admissions officers read thousands of essays.

They can instantly tell when something sounds overly formal, suspiciously balanced, or oddly vague. These are all hallmarks of AI writing.

Reason #2: It misses your genuine reflections.

The best college essays aren’t just well-structured stories. They show your inner thought process, including your uncertainties, emotions, realizations, and evolving perspective.

ChatGPT can’t feel what it was like for you to miss the final penalty kick, navigate your most difficult moment, or finally speak up in class. Only you can describe what that meant and how it changed you.

Reason #3: It could hurt your integrity (and your application).

Submitting an essay written by AI is a form of misrepresentation. Many colleges consider authenticity a core value, and submitting something you didn’t genuinely write can backfire.

More practically, some schools use plagiarism and AI-detection tools. While AI detection isn’t foolproof, a flagged essay could lead to extra scrutiny or even jeopardize your application.

How to Tell If Something Was Written by ChatGPT

Admissions readers (and even experienced counselors) can spot AI-generated essays quickly. Even I can! Here’s what often gives them away:

• Overly formal phrasing or balanced sentences: “Through this endeavor, I gleaned invaluable insights that catalyzed my personal growth.” (Instead of something more natural like, “That moment taught me more about myself than any classroom ever could.”)
• Generic themes without specific, vivid moments: AI essays often describe “learning resilience,” “overcoming obstacles,” or “pursuing passions” in broad terms, but skip personal details. Even if you prompt them to include details, they won’t naturally describe things like the muddy soccer field, the cracked phone screen, or your grandmother’s laughter.
• Emotionally flat reactions: AI is decent at stating what you learned, but bad at showing how you felt or the messy middle of growth.
• Overuse of em dashes and fancy punctuation: Sure, a well-placed em dash can be great — it can mimic natural pauses — but if your essay is littered with them, it often sounds artificially dramatic. Most high school writers don’t consistently use them this way (I used to write with em dashes all the time, and now I avoid them out of fear people will think I used ChatGPT to write for me!).
• Too many adjectives or ornate descriptions: ChatGPT loves stacking adjectives to sound “beautiful,” like: “The dazzling, unforgettable sunset painted the tranquil sky in resplendent hues.”
• Words or phrasing you wouldn’t use in conversation: If your friends wouldn’t recognize your voice in lines like, “This serendipitous endeavor illuminated profound facets of my nascent identity,” that’s a red flag.

How to Use ChatGPT the Best Way

ChatGPT can still be a fantastic tool, just not for actually writing your essay. Here are ways it can genuinely help:

• Brainstorm ideas: Prompt it something like, “Can you list questions to help me explore my background and identity for Prompt #1?” Doing so can kickstart your thinking.
• Organize or outline: Give it your scattered thoughts and ask it to help turn in your ideas into an outline. You still write the essay yourself, but the structure can help.
• Tighten grammar or catch awkward phrasing: If you’re editing a sentence and it sounds a bit iffy, input it into ChatGPT and ask something like, “Can you help me find grammar mistakes or suggest smoother transitions?” Just make sure you keep your voice intact.

Why You Shouldn’t Use ChatGPT to Write Your College Essays

Your college essay is often the only part of the application in your voice. It’s where admissions officers get to know your humor, vulnerability, passions, and how you see the world.

No AI, not even the best like ChatGPT, can capture that (That almost sounds like ChatGPT wrote that didn’t it!).

Use tools like ChatGPT to brainstorm or tidy up grammar, but let the heart, insight, and perspective be 100% yours. That’s how you’ll write a college essay that resonates, feels authentic, and helps you stand out.

Plus, integrity is pretty cool too.

PS – ChatGPT was used in the making of this blog post.