This article is featured in the 2025 Homecoming Special Issue.
We all know how stressful the college admissions process is for young people. Hopeful high-school seniors are told that every essay, interview and interaction must be perfect. Every decision matters when you are competing with students from across the globe for a spot at your dream college. But what if you weren’t really competing with other human applicants?
Artificial intelligence has infiltrated various industries, from finance to healthcare, and it is now reshaping college admissions. Things that once required human thought — generating essay topics, polishing grammar and research — can now be done in seconds with AI chatbots like ChatGPT.
As a member of the Class of 2028, the rise of ChatGPT defined my admissions process less than more recent applicants. I remember when ChatGPT just began to gain traction and many — students and adults alike — were wary about its impacts on educational development and reliability. Regardless of the caution surrounding AI, I still had friends who relied on it without a second thought. However, its lack of accuracy or consistency diminished its power.
Azra Ozen ’28 said that she didn’t find ChatGPT to be as big of an issue during the 2024 admissions cycle.
“When I was applying, ChatGPT was not a big thing. People were just starting to use it, and it was not that good,” she said. “When you would ask it something it would just produce errors and make stuff up.”
Ozen acknowledged, however, that ChatGPT has evolved into a much more complex and advanced tool than it was two years ago. It is more difficult than ever to distinguish between human and machine-generated writing.
“The level it is at right now is scary. It can write amazing essays and there’s tools to humanize [the writing],” she said. “I think it has changed how [college] admissions works and the act of writing in general.”
Ultimately, AI raises just as many questions as it answers. For example, how can an essay maintain individuality if everyone has access to AI when writing? Are students who use AI at an unfair advantage? How can students stand out to potential colleges in a sea of polished, machine-accurate writing without using AI themselves?
The problem of individuality is particularly relevant in college admissions essays. Oswaldo Garcia ’29 said that he believes students who use AI for admissions essays aren’t advantaged because the writing produced by AI is just like any “stereotypical run of the mill essay.”
“I have looked back at my [admissions] essays, and I feel like I find myself, my voice and how I write,” he said. “Admissions looks for your voice and who you are as a person … so I personally don’t feel like I’m at a disadvantage because AI tends to be very neutral and lifeless.”
Interestingly, Dartmouth admissions doesn’t have a clear policy surrounding the usage of AI in college admissions applications. The only policy regarding AI the college has publicized is a set of “Guidelines on using Generative Artificial Intelligence for coursework,” which can be found in the “Policy Portal.” Members of Dartmouth’s admissions office declined to comment further on AI in the admissions process.
Regardless of your stance on the usage of AI, it is undeniable that it improves efficiency and accessibility. However, its place in the world of college admissions is still undefined and heavily contested.
The general ambiguity surrounding the impacts of AI on admissions create confusion for many students. Humans know what AI is capable of. However, with no clear guidelines, applicants will have to make their own judgments on whether to use AI on their college applications this fall.
