By Scott, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor
Whether you’re using AI tools like Claude to help you write code, Gemini to help you research, or ChatGPT to help you outline a history paper or college essays, there’s no denying the ways in which these tools have become an everyday part of life. I even use AI to help me create a meal from leftover ingredients in my fridge. Pro tip: It tends to recommend a bit too much salt.
It’s important to be aware of how AI can benefit you, as well as its limitations and how it should not be used. For example, ChatGPT can be a great help if you’re starting research for your college list by suggesting schools based on the criteria you provide, but that’s really where its usefulness ends. It can’t provide nuance when it comes to things like campus culture, environment, and other considerations that help you narrow your list.
Using AI: The Dos
Overall, the best way to think of the AI tool you’re using is as an assistant in a process that you’re directing. Here are some great ways to make AI work for you.
Do Use AI to Help You Stay Organized
AI is a great tool to help you stay organized, like helping you with due dates for standardized test registration or college application deadlines. However, always double check to ensure that you are indeed getting the correct dates!
College prep tasks add to your already busy school schedule of studying and exams and essays. So, your AI assistant can help you plan for your increased workload, prioritize tasks, and even add reminders to your calendar.
Do Take Advantage of AI Test Prep Resources
As part of your planning, you’ll need to prepare for standardized tests like the ACT or SAT. AI can help you create a customized study plan, generate practice questions, summarize complex information, and help manage your study time. Check out AI-powered platforms like LearnQ.ai, R.test, and Acely, among many others.
Do Check Your Writing with AI
The essay writing needs to come from you so that it sounds human and personal, but you can use AI to check for grammar and clarity. However, this is by no means a perfect solution — you’ll still need to go back through your assignments to ensure AI hasn’t made mistakes or lost your unique way of expressing yourself. In addition to using AI to help you polish your essay, I recommend having it reviewed by someone before you submit it.
Do Use AI for Preliminary College Exploration
This is a great example of AI as a consolidator of information, which is essentially what large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are. With the right prompts about what you’re looking for, an AI tool can help you build a list of schools to research. AI can give you some objective information like tuition cost, location, or student body size — all important factors in choosing a school. But the real college research is on you once you have your starter list. You’ll want to visit the college websites and social media accounts to get a sense of whether the school is ultimately a potential fit for you.
Using AI: The Don’ts
If used correctly, AI is a useful tool. But it’s crucial that you bear in mind the limitations of AI and how not to use it.
Don’t Let AI Do All the Work
AI is a great consolidator of information, but it’s not always the best differentiator of what’s true — and it certainly can’t tell you what’s true for you. So, you don’t want to use AI to do all the work. It can assist you in your work, but you’re ultimately the one in the driver’s seat.
Don’t Use AI to Cheat
It should go without saying, cheating is unethical. Copying answers or essays directly from AI is cheating and can get you into a lot of trouble. Teachers and admissions officers often use AI detection tools and are increasingly on the lookout for students who use AI to do the work for them. Even if AI detection tools are not used, admissions officers and teachers can often spot AI-generated essays.
Don’t Trust Everything AI Says
It’s well-documented that AI platforms can hallucinate and state things as fact that just aren’t true. Because of this, you’ll need to verify what AI tells you as you go along. So, while AI can speed up certain processes for you, you’ll need to put some effort into fact checking — especially when we’re talking about facts for an essay that your teacher is likely to know, or ANY information you’re presenting.
Don’t Share Personal Information Carelessly
Always read privacy policies before you share any information about yourself. Again, these LLMs are consolidators of information, and personal details can end up becoming public. Just think of it this way: If it’s information you don’t want the public to know about, do not input it into the AI platform.
Don’t Skip Talking to Real People
AI is no substitute for humans. It doesn’t understand your desire for community on a college campus or your career goals. It can’t pick up on the feelings a novel evokes for you as you write a book report. So, while it can help you with an initial list or an outline for an essay, you still need the human touch to help you refine your work, such as a teacher or a counselor. Ultimately, people who know you well will be your best advisors and mentors.
Remember, You Control the Process
AI can be a powerful tool to help you, but — to extend the metaphor a bit — a car can only take you where you’re driving it. So, you need to stay in control of the process. AI is just a support on your journey, not the ultimate shortcut.
Need additional support on your journey? When it comes to the college admissions process, IvyWise is a great resource to help you find your best-fit colleges as we discuss with you the experience you want to have. Our counselors have extensive admissions committee experience, which they use to guide you through the complexities of the overall process and writing essays that bring your voice to life for admissions officers. Contact us today to learn more.
