Earlier this year, ChatGPT became one of the internet’s fastest-growing platforms. If you’re not familiar with ChatGPT essays or the ChatGPT essay writer, this article is here to help.

As AI technology advances, the benefits of AI chatbot technology for businesses are being weighed against concerns about misinformation, bias, and security/privacy issues.

Some institutions are starting to teach courses related to ChatGPT, but there’s a big worry about academic dishonesty. Some students are using the platform to create essays for their classes, and others are even using it for college applications.

Our Essay Embassy experts believe that ChatGPT and other AI tools can’t replace genuine, personalized, and human-written college essays. In this article, we’ll discuss how ChatGPT fits into the college admissions process, with insights from former admissions officers. We’ll also address concerns about the ChatGPT essay writer and ChatGPT compositions, so you can use AI technologies responsibly.

ChatGPT and College Admissions

How does ChatGPT impact the college admissions process? Can ChatGPT write essays?

Later on, we’ll take a look at examples from a ChatGPT essay writer who got feedback from former admissions officers. These examples will include AI-generated extra essays from Harvard, Yale, and the University of Chicago. Finally, we’ll talk about how schools check for ChatGPT college essays and how to use it safely. We’ll also discuss where to find helpful resources for writing additional essays on your own.

Before we get started, it’s important to understand that Essay Embassy doesn’t support using a ChatGPT essay writer or any other artificial intelligence to create your college essays. Besides concerns about academic honesty, being genuine is key in crafting effective essays. After all, colleges want to admit people, not robots.

That being said, let’s answer the question: Can ChatGPT create essays?

Can ChatGPT write essays?

Yes, ChatGPT and other AI systems can create essays in response to prompts. However, the quality and impact of an AI-generated essay are up for debate. ChatGPT has limitations in what it can generate compared to a person.

When using an AI chatbot for essays, concerns may include:

• Honesty
• Accuracy
• Style
• Authenticity

While this isn’t a complete list of constraints, these characteristics definitely play a crucial role in distinguishing ChatGPT articles. Later on, we’ll see how these constraints show up in actual ChatGPT college essays.

Honesty

Keep in mind, using content from ChatGPT as your own isn’t okay, especially in academic situations where it could be seen as plagiarism. Even though ChatGPT creates original content, it might not always be unique or different from other responses to similar prompts.

Accuracy

Please be aware that ChatGPT isn’t meant for fact-checking. This means the information it provides might have mistakes. Also, ChatGPT can sometimes create content that doesn’t make sense or have a clear point. So, even if some details seem correct, the overall essay might not be coherent or logical.

Style

ChatGPT understands grammar and sentence structure well. However, it may use terms incorrectly and write in a tone that doesn’t feel as genuine or clear as a human’s. Its sentences are often too general or repeated, leading to writing that lacks real passion and purpose.

Authenticity

Basically, your college essays should mirror your life, ideals, and experiences. ChatGPT can’t copy that. By the time you’ve given ChatGPT enough precise data, stories, traits, or interests to use in an essay, you’ll likely have plenty of ideas for your own! And you’ll probably do a better job connecting them than ChatGPT ever could.

So, Can ChatGPT Write Essays? Sure. But there are limits to how good and deep ChatGPT essays can be. To understand these limits better, let’s talk about Chatbot technology and how it’s used to make ChatGPT essays.

What is Chatbot technology?

How does ChatGPT manage to write essays based solely on a prompt? Well, let’s explore the inner workings of this technology. Essentially, ChatGPT is an AI system that has been extensively trained to understand and produce responses based on provided data. The acronym GPT stands for:

• Generative
• Pre-trained
• Transformers

Generative AI refers to artificial intelligence capable of analyzing input and creating new, original output based on its training. Pre-trained means that the AI has undergone training using a predetermined model. In simple terms, the AI is given a set of data from which it learns parameters for future tasks.

The training process involves two main methods: supervised and unsupervised. Supervised training entails direct matching, teaching the AI to associate specific inputs with corresponding outputs. Unsupervised training, on the other hand, relies on pattern recognition, teaching the AI to identify underlying patterns and structures.

The combination of supervised and unsupervised pre-training is achieved through transformer architecture. Transformers have the ability to understand words in context, recognizing their relationships and significance. Essentially, the ChatGPT essay writer becomes proficient in English syntax by undergoing extensive training on a large dataset, generating predictions, and refining them accordingly.

AI and College Admissions

The recent rise in AI development has sparked significant debates within educational institutions. Michigan Law School, for example, has banned the use of an AI chatbot for essay writing, while Arizona State University Law School has embraced its use, especially for crafting personal statements like the Common App essay.

These different approaches by colleges show how they’re responding to AI’s role in the college admissions process. However, many colleges don’t have clear guidelines on using ChatGPT essay writers. If a school you’re applying to doesn’t have a policy on ChatGPT essays, it’s up to you to decide whether and how to use them. Just keep in mind that AI is often part of the anti-plagiarism tools used in college applications.

Understanding how ChatGPT writes essays is essential to understanding the final product. So, how does the ChatGPT essay writer actually write essays?

How to write essays with ChatGPT

To begin with your ChatGPT essay writer, you just need to provide a question, specify the word count, and share some initial thoughts for the essay’s content. If you haven’t used ChatGPT for essay writing before, you might be pleasantly surprised by how quickly it can create a comprehensive draft.

A ChatGPT essay writer isn’t just capable of crafting a draft within seconds based on a brief outline; it also strives to incorporate specific input accurately. This means that the ChatGPT essay writer can refine texts based on your precise feedback. Thanks to its responsiveness, the ChatGPT essay writer can make adjustments according to the comments you provide.

In this regard, using ChatGPT for essay writing might seem like a straightforward way to save time. However, it’s essential to note that relying solely on ChatGPT for college essays may not always be the most prudent choice.

ChatGPT College Essays

Can ChatGPT write an essay? Yes. But can ChatGPT write essays that would impress admissions officers? Probably not.

Though you can input prompts into ChatGPT and get a response, there’s a good chance it won’t be suitable for a college essay.

It’s important to remember that Essay Embassy does not support or encourage using ChatGPT to write college essays. While essays generated by ChatGPT may seem well-crafted (and are free of spelling and grammar errors), they also tend to be generic. This isn’t particularly surprising given how ChatGPT generates essays.

How does ChatGPT write essays?

ChatGPT works by understanding and replicating how people use language. Unlike traditional AI systems, which focus on processing data, ChatGPT is designed to generate sentences that sound natural, like how humans talk.

Using a technique called natural language processing (NLP), ChatGPT can understand and respond to text input in a conversational way. It analyzes incoming information in real-time and adjusts its responses based on the ongoing conversation.

When it comes to writing essays, ChatGPT can generate text on various topics, but it’s important to recognize its limitations. While it can put words together in a coherent way, it may lack the depth and complexity needed for sophisticated essays. This underscores the value of human creativity and critical thinking in crafting truly compelling content.

An admissions officer reviews ChatGPT essays

Now let’s test the skills of ChatGPT essay writers. Below are examples of essays generated by Chatbots for Harvard, Yale, and the University of Chicago, evaluated by former admissions examiners. For each example, we’ll provide the essay, prompts, and feedback from readers. Notice how similar the criticisms are across all three samples, regardless of the essay prompt or length.

We asked former admissions officials to assess these essays as if they were submitted by a student. Following each essay, you’ll find our team’s responses.

Please note that the prompts are limited to those provided by each university. They do not specify the prompt given to the ChatGPT essay writer to create each of the essays listed below.

Harvard supplemental essays from ChatGPT

At first, we provided our ChatGPT essay writer with a prompt from Harvard.

Harvard Supplemental Essay Prompt

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (150 words)

ChatGPT Harvard Supplemental Essay Response

Being the founder and president of my high school’s very first Robotics Club, I got to see how compassion and learning from different fields can make a big impact. I didn’t start the club just because I liked robots; I wanted to create a place where we valued new ideas and working together, where my friends could see how different subjects like science, math, and tech all come together in a practical way. Every time we met, it was a mix of ideas. We worked together on writing code, designing, building, and testing our robots, and everyone’s contribution was really important for coming up with creative solutions. Doing these hands-on activities helped me get better at solving problems and understand how the stuff we learned in class could be used in real life. The Robotics Club taught me more than just how to build robots. It taught me about leadership, teamwork, and how to keep going even when things get tough. This experience made me even more passionate about leading and sharing my love for technology with others, and I can’t wait to bring that same excitement and creativity to Harvard.

Similar to other successful Harvard supplemental essays, this draft appropriately addresses the given prompt and maintains grammatical accuracy. However, it could be enhanced with more specific details and personal connection.

What did our former admissions officer think of ChatGPT’s essay? Here are some thoughts on the essay’s need for more specific details:

EssayEmbassy Admissions Officer Feedback

Text from Essay:

“interdisciplinary learning“

Former Admissions Officer Comment:

“This requires clarification; what exactly do you intend by this?”

Text from Essay:

“it was a desire to foster an environment where innovation and collaboration were paramount“

Former Admissions Officer Comment:

“You need to include clear examples of what you achieved and the results of your efforts.”

Text from Essay:

“convergence of theoretical science, math, and tangible technology“

Former Admissions Officer Comment:

“These are big concepts that need clearer explanation and practical examples.”

Overall, the reader liked the main idea and thought the writing was good. However, the essay didn’t do enough to show what the student did in the organization and what they learned from it. Because of this, the writing felt too general, and the reader ended up with more questions than answers.

In their final feedback to the student, the reader pointed out that ChatGPT essays lack specific details:

“At the moment, the content has big ideas and fancy words, but it’s missing specific details and personal touches…The essay needs a clear main point and better organization, and it should explain the ideas more. Most importantly, it should show who you are and why you started this club.”

Let’s take another look at how using ChatGPT for essays might not give you the results you want.

Yale supplemental essays from ChatGPT

Next, our ChatGPT essay writer worked on one of the additional essays for Yale.

Yale Supplemental Essay Prompt

What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

ChatGPT Yale Supplemental Essay Response

Yale’s dedication to offering a wide-ranging and interdisciplinary education, conducting innovative research, and fostering a lively residential college environment resonates deeply with my academic aspirations. I am particularly captivated by Yale’s Directed Studies program, which provides a unique mix of academic rigor and flexibility. This distinctive approach, I believe, will allow me to explore a wide range of Western thought within a stimulating academic setting. Moreover, Yale’s rich cultural environment, spirit of innovation, and unwavering commitment to intellectual inquiry intrigue me greatly. The university’s focus on undergraduate research is particularly appealing, offering me the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge exploration within the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning through the esteemed Computer Science department. Additionally, the prospect of becoming part of Yale’s vibrant residential college system is enticing. This close-knit community promises not only to enhance my personal growth but also to enrich my academic journey through meaningful interactions and shared experiences.

This essay included great specifics about Yale’s offerings, including:

• Artificial intelligence and machine learning research at Yale’s CS department
• Yale’s residential college system
• Yale’s Directed Studies program

EssayEmbassy Admissions Officer Feedback

While these points are important to mention in a ‘why Yale’ essay, ChatGPT didn’t create a personal connection with them. Our previous admissions officer provided the following feedback:

“You’ve pointed out three different aspects…without any explanation or understanding of why they are important to you.”

The essay also has some contradictions in terms of focus. Our former admissions officer called out these competing statements:

“It seems unclear how your interest in studying AI and CS connects with your previous exploration of Western thought’s depth and breadth. This mismatch might suggest uncertainty about your academic path. It would be helpful to either link these interests clearly or remove the mention of Western thought altogether, focusing instead on your main academic interests.”

In shorter pieces, there isn’t space for big statements or unrelated thoughts. Every idea, detail, and sentence is crucial and should stand on its own.

When using ChatGPT for essays, you’ll find consistent feedback. Now, let’s explore another example of an essay generated by ChatGPT.

UChicago essays from ChatGPT

The last of our chatbot college essays is a UChicago essay.

UChicago Supplemental Essay Prompt

How does the University of Chicago, in its current form, fulfill your requirements for a tailored education, a supportive community, and prospects for the future? Please articulate your own aspirations and illustrate how they align with the offerings at UChicago. (300 words or fewer)

ChatGPT UChicago Supplemental Essay Response

The University of Chicago has always been a symbol of intellectual vitality and critical thinking for me. Its motto, “Let knowledge grow from more to more; and thus enrich human existence,” perfectly reflects my own approach to learning.

UChicago’s dedication to exploring different academic areas aligns well with my educational philosophy. I am attracted to the opportunity to study a wide range of subjects. Particularly, the Core Curriculum’s focus on broad intellectual exposure excites me, as it will allow me to explore beyond astrophysics into fields like philosophy, sociology, and literature. This matches my goal of gaining a comprehensive education that expands my knowledge.

I am eager to immerse myself in UChicago’s lively intellectual environment. The tradition of lively debate and intellectual rigor among both students and faculty has always interested me. Whether it’s attending engaging events hosted by the Ryerson Astronomical Society or participating in thoughtful discussions within the House system, I look forward to exchanging ideas with fellow students who share my enthusiasm for learning.

Looking ahead, UChicago’s emphasis on research is particularly appealing. As someone interested in astrophysics, the opportunity to work with respected faculty and access top-notch facilities like the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics is exciting. It offers a chance to contribute to significant research and prepare for future pursuits in the field.

Overall, UChicago, with its outstanding academic environment, diverse student community, and commitment to research, provides an ideal setting for me to expand my intellectual horizons, connect with peers, and pave the way for a bright future.

EssayEmbassy Admissions Officer Feedback

The main problem pointed out in this feedback is the lack of personalization. Our previous admissions officer advised:

“Give specific details about the experiences you’re aiming for.” “Make sure to actively participate in the programs you’ve mentioned.”

For example, it was suggested that the writer should include specific examples of the student’s research achievements and relate them to ongoing research projects at UChicago.

At one point, the feedback mentioned that the essay doesn’t fully capture what UChicago’s Core Curriculum is about.

“Although the idea of broad intellectual exposure might sound unclear, the core curriculum actually focuses on developing specific skills like critical thinking and problem-solving.”

Additionally, the reader shared a link to UChicago’s academic page explaining their curriculum, encouraging the student to take another look at it. This highlights the importance of doing thorough research on each school’s website instead of solely relying on ChatGPT for information.

Furthermore, suggestions were made regarding the choice of words and organization to improve overall clarity and flow. If ChatGPT is used for essays with longer word counts, similar issues with structure might come up.

Have you noticed these chatbot examples? Can you tell if they were created by AI? Maybe you’re wondering if admissions officers can tell if students used an AI chatbot for their essays. Let’s now explore some important aspects of ChatGPT essays.

How to tell if an essay was written by a Chatbot

ChatGPT and other AI algorithms analyze language patterns to predict what a speaker will say next. They follow grammar and syntax rules, ensuring writing without errors. However, being correct doesn’t always mean sounding natural.

In general, ChatGPT essays can be somewhat impersonal. They lack the human touch needed for a successful college essay.

Additionally, there are various AI checking tools available, and some organizations use them to detect AI usage. Despite their flaws, these technologies are quite effective at identifying AI-generated writing.

Will colleges know if you use ChatGPT to write your essays?

As AI technology advances, so does its ability to detect AI-generated content. It’s crucial to remember that admissions officers can likely identify if ChatGPT was used to create your college essays.

Even without specialized equipment, ChatGPT-generated essays have certain advantages. The combination of straightforward language and error-free writing in ChatGPT essays might lead admissions officers to suspect that students used an AI chatbot for their essays.

In general, college admissions officers are tech-savvy and are vigilant for AI-generated essays, especially if the institution prohibits the use of ChatGPT-generated essays. Admissions staff will be particularly watchful for any signs of potential misconduct.

In the future, AI-powered verification technologies could be integrated into the application process to detect AI-generated content, similar to how Turnitin detects plagiarism in academic writing.

After learning more about ChatGPT, you might wonder if it can help you craft essays for college admissions. However, it’s important to recognize that relying solely on AI chatbots to create the personalized essays needed to make a strong impression in college admissions is unlikely to be effective.

How can I use ChatGPT to help write my essays?

Instead of viewing this platform simply as a ChatGPT essay writer, consider it a ChatGPT collaborator. While it might be tempting to use an AI chatbot for essays, our examples show that ChatGPT college essays lack the depth and complexity needed for a strong application essay.

After looking at the ChatGPT essays our ChatGPT essay writer produced, you should understand why they wouldn’t help you excel in the application process. Also, many universities will quickly dismiss essays created with ChatGPT and similar tools.

We also recommend against using ChatGPT to write your essays, even if you plan to edit them later. While it might seem like a faster option than writing your own college essays, you might end up spending more time editing the work of a ChatGPT essay writer. Making someone else’s words sound like your own isn’t as easy as it sounds.

However, there are other ways to use technologies like ChatGPT for essays that don’t require the ChatGPT essay writer to do all the work.

Research

Utilizing tools like ChatGPT can significantly speed up your research process. If you’re writing a “why school” essay, using ChatGPT can help you learn more about a specific program. Let’s say you’re aiming to attend medical school in the future. In that case, you can ask ChatGPT for information about a school’s pre-med program.

When asked about UChicago’s pre-med curriculum, ChatGPT mentioned various majors, clinical experience, MCAT preparation, and pre-medical societies. To find out more about their pre-medical societies, you can ask ChatGPT. In response, ChatGPT mentioned Health Leads UChicago, the Women in Science Committee, and the Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students. This can be a good way to learn about programs you’re not familiar with. However, in your essays, you should explain how the program directly relates to your goals.

While ChatGPT can help you quickly learn about programs at different schools, it’s important to double-check the information. When providing the above details about UChicago, our ChatGPT essay writer included this note:

“Please note that the availability and names of these organizations may have changed since then [September 2021], so I recommend checking the university’s official website or contacting the Office of Career Advancement for the most up-to-date information.”

Even the ChatGPT essay writer acknowledges that you should verify the information provided by AI.

Interview Preparation

Using an AI chatbot to write essays has its drawbacks, as we’ve discussed before. Feedback on our ChatGPT essays shows that, while they’re good with language, they can lack depth.

Instead of relying on a ChatGPT essay writer, consider using ChatGPT for interview practice. ChatGPT has a wealth of knowledge that can provide you with sample interview questions for practicing in real time.

Application Review

Instead of using ChatGPT to compose essays, consider exploring other options like AdmitYogi. AdmitYogi is a leading platform that provides users with examples of successful applications to different schools and programs. This resource can inspire you as you create your own applications.

Helpful College Essay Resources from EssayEmbassy

If you’ve decided that using an AI chatbot to write essays isn’t the right fit for you, where can you go for help with writing college essays? At EssayEmbassy, we provide plenty of free resources to help you in feeling confident about writing your college essays on your own.

Essay Specific Guides

While some prompts share similarities, each presents its unique set of questions, context, and word count that necessitates your attention. Approach each prompt as an opportunity to express yourself authentically. This approach enables you to craft a more personalized and refined piece of writing compared to the essays generated by ChatGPT.

EssayEmbassy offers tools for both Common App and Coalition essays. Additionally, we provide the latest 2023-24 supplemental essay guidelines for prestigious institutions nationwide, including Columbia, USC, UMich, and UChicago, complete with comparable samples. You’ll also find essay examples categorized broadly, covering topics like Ivy League Universities or “Why this college” prompts.

Essay Workshops

Webinars enable you to promptly receive assistance from our team of writing professionals. These counselors have extensive experience evaluating college applications, giving them a deep understanding of what makes a compelling college application essay. They also offer unique perspectives that are not readily available elsewhere.

General Writing Resources

Having trouble finding resources tailored specifically for your school? No worries! We’ve got the writing advice you need for all your college application essays. Discover common college essay topics and effective approaches for handling them. In “How to Write Better Essays,” we’ll explore how to navigate the Common App versus supplementary essays and ensure each essay stands out—something even a ChatGPT essay writer can’t promise!

Final Thoughts

Can ChatGPT help with writing essays? While ChatGPT can assist students with drafting college essays, it does have its limitations. Using ChatGPT for essay writing often results in content lacking sincerity, precision, style, and genuineness.

With the possibility of certain colleges incorporating AI recognition technologies into their admissions procedures, it’s advisable to create your own essays. Doing so not only ensures authenticity but also enhances your application’s overall quality and appeal.