Will ChatGPT help or hinder your international university applications?

Throughout my life and experiences as a career counselor, if I was asked to identify a skill that is most integral to the application process as a whole, 'writing' would be my foremost. In addition to essays, that have by now become synonymous with the application process, colleges are constantly on the lookout for the voice of an original applicant and constantly derive new methods to assess the same.

An example of the same can be viewed in the UC application process, wherein applicants are asked to not only list their professional accomplishments, but also paraphrase their lived experiences. They are asked to elucidate upon their highs and lows, their ups and downs, their victories, and with equal emphasis, their failures.

Additionally, it can be observed that the nature of most short response essay questions is increasingly personal. They harbor an almost direct association with individual thought, association, and aspirations. Moreover, it must be observed how top schools lay a firm emphasis on diversity.

While constructing a prospective class, they look for students who are individual epitomes of diversity. They look for a class with heterogeneous experience and promise, as opposed to a homogeneous set up. To best determine this diversity, they infuse multiple writing/response aspects into the otherwise straightforward application process. This is a skill directly asked for by top schools that desire human involvement, and cannot be replaced under any cost.

Thus, the active involvement of human presence is undisputed in every regard. Conclusively, we must understand how certain experiences are truly irreplaceable as there is immense emotional quotient involved in the composition of the same, which cannot, under any cost, be replaced by technology.

Let us assume that there is a student who gained a multicultural experience, having spent half of his childhood in the USA and a portion of his teenage years in India. This scenario is increasingly personal and most appropriate for diversity construction. It also comes forth as the best possible essay topic for UCs and other top schools.

Even if we were to approach the topic of college essays strategically, it must be noted that colleges assign quantitative values to qualitative markers. A student who chooses to be vulnerable about their experiences—something that is only possible vis-à-vis true human experiences—has an obvious edge over others who seek to present a pseudo-perfect façade.

No matter how advanced society gets, it’s still built around the same fundamental value systems carved out by our ancestors. It’s been many years since the first Ivy League college garnered its nickname and yet, through its evolution and the evolution of education itself, we have sought to go back to first principles: honesty, vulnerability, humility, kindness, empathy.

Over the course of this essay, a student is expected to engage in the honest reconstruction of their experiences through emotions such as joy, confusion, and acceptance in the most transparent of manners. Moreover, since this essay involves 'experience', one would naturally anticipate the active involvement of all five senses.

In addition to writing about the emotional impact of this diverse back and forth, a student would be expected to encapsulate other aspects such as the multitude of scents and sights associated with festivals and other communal gatherings. There is a sense of honesty that this task calls for, which can never be replicated by technology.

It is also interesting to note how multiple organizations, selection-based institutions and even college publications are heralding a strong ban on ChatGPT. In fact, public schools in New York have quoted,“Due to concerns about negative impacts on student learning and concerns regarding the safety and accuracy of content, access to ChatGPT is restricted on New York City Public Schools’ networks and devices. While the tool may be able to provide quick and easy answers to questions, it does not build critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are essential for academic and lifelong success.”

Organizations worldwide are modifying their guidelines and putting forth a strong restriction on ChatGPT, with most sub-lines stating that if ChatGPT and other Artificial Intelligence mechanisms are used, those judging/making crucial decisions in the selection process will know. Thus, no matter how commonplace these guidelines may come forth as, they are indicative of the human ability to decipher the authentic, original human voice from within the artificial and plastic-sounding framework of technology.

Inevitably, those sitting across the table and assessing applications in top institutions are undisputed experts in their respective fields. It is important to come to terms with the fact that they will know too. There is a certain imperfection in the human narration that is not only distinguishable but also cherished and no amount of technological lathering, no matter how strong, can compensate for it.

It is important for students to receive education that makes them a quality human being. And that can never be achieved by cheating their way through life. They must maintain their originality, retain their vulnerability. Only then can they be hailed as students who are ready, open and most importantly, willing to learn and grow as upstanding citizens, and not a byproduct of technology and AI.

This article was originally published by The Economic Times on 6th February 2023.