How much use of AI is acceptable in college admissions? 4/7/25

College admissions is using AI. It was reported in the UNC newspaper this season that the school was using AI to evaluate essays before the applications went to the admissions department.  

Now it’s suspected that students are using AI to write their college essays. I don’t believe it’s a majority, but I do believe that some students are using it. I’m hopeful that they are using it to brainstorm or maybe help with grammatical errors, instead of this extreme option.

For sure, AI could be used to write an essay, and it can be prompted to modify it to better suit your purpose. And, you could write this essay from your own perspective to make it sound more like you. Is this ethical??

Or is it ethical to have AI review your essays to look for holes and provide suggestions as to voice, tone, or content?

I have to admit that I do just that for professional purposes. AI has taught me that I have a strong choice of words that may come across poorly. I’m trying my best to stop this, but AI tells me I still have room to grow. 

So does this make it ok for students to use? Or could parents run the AI to help the students by suggesting improvements instead of the students getting the information themselves? Is that morally sound?

As you can see, it’s a fine line. And it keeps moving forward with every step you take.

How much AI do you use professionally? Personally? And how much AI do you think is alright to use in college applications? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

(AI liked this blog, with no corrections. Yay me!)