The ‘write’ way to use AI in college essays

Writing a college admissions essay is a little bit like going through a job interview.

The prompts sound roughly like this: Tell us about a situation or task you encountered, what you did and what the results were. Situation or task (ST), action (A), result (R). Do a good job, and you’re a STAR!

This kind of formulaic writing is perfect for artificial intelligence (AI), and when a student is writing a series of three to five admissions essays and revising them multiple times, you can see why they’re tempted to use AI. In a recent survey, about 20% of college applicants said they used AI to produce their essays.

AI is useful in the college admissions process. It can, for example, help students and their families sift through the thousands of college options and identify the best-fit schools. There are AI tools that match students to scholarship opportunities among the thousands out there.

Yes, AI is good at many things, but one thing it’s not good at is authenticity. The reason a college asks students to write essays in the first place is that they want to hear the student’s voice, understand their experience and see how their mind works — all in an effort to decide whether that student is a good fit for their institution. Grades and test scores tell, but stories “sell.”

Admissions officers have tools at their disposal to uncover AI-generated content. So if your student is considering using AI to write their essays for them, let them know it’s not a good idea.

When the Common App released its 2025-26 essay prompts earlier this year, they did indeed sound like job interview questions. The Common App is used by 1,000 colleges nationwide, either exclusively or alongside a proprietary application, so these prompts are important. And it may be difficult for students to come up with responses that put their best foot forward. In previous years, a family may have hired an essay coach or even an essay writer to help their student respond.

AI can play that role, but it’s important to use it intelligently and ethically. While admissions officers may be able to identify whether AI wrote a student response, they’re less able to see whether the student used AI to generate ideas or polish a killer essay.

Here are a few tips:

Start early. The Common App published its 2025-26 essay prompts, which remained the same from 2024-25, in February. Colleges that use the Common App may not use all of the prompts, but they will likely select from them. By establishing an account on the Common App, a student can stay up to date and have the opportunity to start thinking about their responses over the summer, before their senior year begins.

Look for supplemental essay prompts and short answers. About two-thirds of Common App colleges have supplemental applications, and these may have additional essay prompts and short answers. Once the student has narrowed down their choices, it’s a good idea to explore what kinds of additional writing may be required.

Do your own thinking. There’s a fundamental “why” colleges require essays: They want you to think on your own. They want to know if this student is being authentic, or will they be admitting someone they don’t even know.

Use AI to assist, not generate. Artificial intelligence is just Google on steroids. AI may help you through writer’s block or spark ideas. Use a variety of platforms, and write as much of your own story as you can so that you maintain your own voice. Use AI to review your final essay before submission.

Make a video “essay.” More colleges are trying to get around the AI problem by offering applicants the chance to submit a brief video introduction. A lot of these are optional right now, but if you have the chance, it’s a good way to demonstrate your authenticity.

Don’t stress. Essays count for perhaps 25% of an admissions decision, give or take. Admissions officers generally take a holistic approach, looking at the whole student, not just test scores, grades or essays.

One problem is that colleges are not clear about their AI policies. They know it’s not going away, and, indeed, admissions offices are increasingly using AI to sort through applications. Efforts to ban it outright have largely failed, so they’re trying to find a reasonable middle ground.

In general, though, if AI is used to brainstorm, research and polish, that’s really no different from doing internet research and having mom read the essay over before submitting it.

• Brian Safdari, who founded College Planning Experts in 2004, is a Certified College Planning Specialist. Call (818) 201-4847 or visit collegeplanningexperts.com.