Admissions Strategy

ChatGPT: What It Is, How It Could Change College Admissions, and How to Talk to Your Kids About It

By College Solutions Team / January 24, 2023
Technology and AI concept visualization

★ Quick Take / Executive Summary

ChatGPT is a powerful AI language model that presents both learning opportunities and academic integrity risks for students. Using ChatGPT to write college essays is considered cheating and can result in application disqualification, making it critical for parents to discuss responsible AI use with their children.

Everywhere on the internet, people are talking about ChatGPT. We’re starting to get a lot of questions about it: what it is, how students are using it, how it might change the college admissions process, and how parents should be talking to their kids about it.

It’s hard to think of a technological innovation since the Internet or the iPhone that has as much power to change the world as ChatGPT. But with that potential for change comes very real risks and consequences. To demonstrate its power, everything that follows below was created entirely using ChatGPT, with no edits.

What is ChatGPT, Anyway?

ChatGPT is a large language model developed by OpenAI. It is trained on a vast amount of text data and can generate human-like text based on the input it receives. This makes it a useful tool for a variety of applications, such as language translation, text summarization, and even creative writing.

One area where ChatGPT has the potential to be used is in the field of education. As more children grow up with access to technology, it is becoming increasingly common for them to use language models like ChatGPT for their homework and other school projects.

While this can be a great way for children to learn and improve their language skills, parents need to be aware of the potential risks and limitations of using such tools in an academic setting.

What Are the Risks and Why is Everyone So Worried?

One potential risk is that children may rely too heavily on ChatGPT and become less proficient in writing and thinking critically. They may also become accustomed to the instant gratification that comes with using AI and may have difficulty with tasks that require more time and effort.

Another concern is that children may be using ChatGPT to cheat on their assignments. In college admissions, ChatGPT could be used to write essays, personal statements, and even letters of recommendation, potentially creating an uneven playing field where applicants who use AI have an unfair advantage over those who do not.

It is important to note that using ChatGPT for college admissions would be considered cheating. Upon submission of an application, applicants agree that what they are submitting is an accurate representation of their own academic work. Misrepresenting this can result in disqualification from the application process.

How Are Schools Evolving to Respond to ChatGPT?

High schools and colleges are responding to the use of ChatGPT in different ways. Some teachers are incorporating language models into their curriculum to teach students about the technology and its potential uses, utilizing it as a writing aid or grammar tool.

As language models advance, detection technology is also evolving. Plagiarism detection software now uses machine learning to identify AI-generated patterns, and natural language processing techniques look for signs like unnatural flow or repetitive phrasing. While not foolproof, it is becoming increasingly difficult to use AI to cheat successfully.

Final Thoughts

ChatGPT is a powerful language model that can be used for a variety of applications, including education and college admissions. However, parents must be aware of the potential risks and limitations.

As the technology continues to advance, it will be important to monitor how it is used and ensure that students engage with it in a responsible and ethical manner.

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