Everyone’s Talking About AI Essays — Here’s What Admissions Officers Actually Think
Let’s be honest:
AI tools like ChatGPT exploded into the college admissions world almost overnight.
Students are using them. Parents are curious. Teachers are worried. TikTok is… well, TikTok-ing about it nonstop.
But here’s the question that actually matters:
What do admissions officers really think about AI-written essays?
I talk to admissions reps at college fairs, information sessions, counselor roundtables, and closed-door webinars.
And the truth isn’t what TikTok is telling you.
It’s more nuanced, more human, and way more important.
Let’s break down what colleges actually care about — and how AI fits into all of it.
🧩 1. Admissions Officers Know When an Essay Sounds Like AI
AI writing has a “texture.”
It’s:
Smooth
Overly polished
Generic
Lacking lived experience
Filled with big statements, but no personal details
Think of it like a beautifully frosted cake…
with nothing inside.
Most admissions officers can spot AI writing within a few sentences because it feels the same across thousands of essays.
They’re not impressed by perfection.
They’re impressed by personality.
🎤 2. What Colleges Actually Want: Your Voice
When admissions officers read essays, they’re looking for:
Specific moments
Real emotions
Your sense of humor
Your personal challenges
Your growth
Your perspective
AI can’t replicate your childhood, your community, your quirks, or your values.
And those are the things that get students admitted.
One rep told me:
“We’re not admitting writing samples. We’re admitting people.”
That’s the whole game.
⚠️ 3. Using AI to Generate Your Essay Is Risky
While most colleges don’t (yet) have strict anti-AI detection rules, they DO have clear expectations about authenticity.
Here’s what’s risky:
Copying an AI-generated essay
Letting AI do all the storytelling
Submitting essays with no personal detail
Using AI phrases like “Through this experience, I grew as an individual”
These are red flags.
Admissions officers don’t reject you for using AI —
they reject the lack of YOU.
🔧 4. Using AI as a Tool (Not a Writer) Is Totally Normal
Here’s the part no one talks about:
Most admissions officers are okay with students using AI the right way.
The ethical uses they support include:
Brainstorming ideas
Organizing thoughts
Clarifying confusing sentences
Creating outline options
Generating practice prompts
Helping students get unstuck
AI is a tool.
Just like Google Docs suggestions.
Just like Grammarly.
Just like spell check.
But the concept, story, meaning, and voice MUST be your own.
🔍 5. “But colleges use AI. Why can’t students?”
Great question — admissions offices do use AI for:
Sorting application documents
Reading transcripts
Organizing essays
Matching student interests with programs
But they do NOT use AI to evaluate essays or make decisions.
Human readers always do that part.
Think of it like this:
AI can carry the papers in the room…
but humans make the call.
That’s why your human voice is the most important ingredient.
💬 6. AI Essays Fail Because They Lack Vulnerability
Admissions officers keep saying the same thing:
AI can’t be vulnerable.
AI can’t be introspective.
AI can’t be brave.
You can.
The essays that stand out say things like:
“I was terrified."
“I messed up.”
“I learned this the hard way.”
“I didn’t think I’d belong, but I tried anyway.”
“Here’s a moment that changed me.”
AI can mimic emotion,
but it cannot live it.
And that difference is massive in admissions.
📈 7. The Students Who Use AI Most Wisely Do This…
This is the winning formula:
☑️ Step 1: Brainstorm your stories yourself
Write messy thoughts. Bullet points. Memory fragments.
☑️ Step 2: Use AI to help you structure the essay
Ask for outline options. Ask for ways to strengthen transitions.
☑️ Step 3: Write the essay in your own voice
Speak it out loud while writing if you have to.
☑️ Step 4: Use AI lightly for clarity — never for content
Let it help you polish, not replace.
☑️ Step 5: Have a human editor check it
Teacher, counselor, or coach. Someone who can say,
“That sounds like YOU.”
This is how students get the best of both worlds:
tech + authenticity.
🧠 Final Thoughts from College Refocus
AI is powerful.
AI is helpful.
AI is everywhere.
But AI cannot make you stand out in college admissions.
A great essay is a window.
AI builds walls.
What admissions officers want is YOU —
your story, your heart, your curiosity, your resilience.
Use AI as a tool,
not a ghostwriter,
and your application will shine the way it’s supposed to.
🎯 Call to Action
Need help building an authentic, compelling essay that doesn’t sound like AI wrote it?
📅 Book a 1:1 Essay Strategy Session with College Refocus, and we’ll help your teen find their voice, tell their story, and stand out — the right way.