AI in Admissions: A Guide for Applicants
Photo by Nahrizul Kadri at Unsplash
Many admissions offices have welcomed artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool to increase efficiency, productivity, and objectivity. But just because colleges use AI doesn’t mean that you should! In this post, we offer a glimpse into the use of AI within admissions offices and some best practices if you are evaluating whether and how to integrate it into your own application process.
How admissions offices are using AI: Generally, colleges use artificial intelligence to standardize application materials, generate data, evaluate authenticity, and provide a first read. More specifically, they use AI in application review to:
Assess a student’s writing style and grammar
Gauge whether a student used AI to generate their written materials
Score applicants’ academic rigor
Review transcripts and normalize GPAs across different high schools
Summarize key takeaways in teacher and counselor recommendations
Review the authenticity and quality of research supplements and graded writing samples
Identify high-priority applicants
Identify any red flags
Beyond application review, they also use AI to:
Forecast yield, financial aid budgets, and class balance
Assess an applicant’s likelihood to matriculate
Communicate with applicants (answering questions via chatbots and providing application status updates)
Improve efficiency in processing applications and accompanying materials like test scores and transcripts
How you can safely and ethically incorporate AI as a tool:
While applicants should be cautious, there are some acceptable uses of AI on the applicant side, including:
College Research: You can use AI to search for majors, classes, professors, programs, and other opportunities that align with your interests and goals. However, use your findings as a jumping off point, being sure to click through links to ensure accuracy and appropriateness.
Essay Review: As long as you input all of your own ideas, you can use AI to help you organize your thoughts or develop an outline for an essay. But again, use the results as a starting point, and revise accordingly to make sure that the essay is written in your voice, and that its structure reflects your intended theme and takeaway. You can similarly ask AI to give you feedback on your essay as you would a human reader but avoid adopting their suggested edits verbatim.
Preliminary Data Collection: You can use AI to search for admissions requirements, deadlines, admissions rates, etc. But note the common theme: it is your responsibility to verify everything you find!
Importantly, don’t use AI to write your essays. Not only is this risky, but they will be formulaic and boring. And don’t take the information you find via AI as definitive. Mentioning the wrong major, class, professor, or program in your essay is a major red flag.
Remember: you do not need to use AI, and, in fact, avoiding AI altogether is certainly the most cautious approach. But, if you are going to integrate it into your application process, do so prudently, ethically, and with a reliance on your own voice and best judgment.
