Do Colleges Check for AI in Application Essays?

College essays give applicants a chance to showcase who they are beyond just grades and test scores. Due to the popularity of AI writing tools, most students use AI tools like ChatGPT for editing—or even generating entire essays.

This raises an important question: Do colleges check for ai in application essays? If so, what methods do they use? Are they relying only on AI checkers or using human expertise too?

Read on to this post to find all the answers!

The Role of AI in College Application Essays

The rise of artificial writing assistants has transformed the essay-writing process. These tools help organize ideas, improve grammar, and suggest creative prompts. But, they can also undermine the authenticity of the student’s work.

Many students are tempted by the convenience and efficiency that AI offers. These new tools not only help overcome writer’s block but also promise near-perfect grammar and readability.

Yet, the core of a college application essay lies in its genuineness—something AI-generated text struggles to replicate.

Colleges Employing AI Detectors and AI Checkers

Some institutions now use specialized software to detect AI-generated content in application essays. These are called AI detectors and they analyze text for artificial patterns.

These tools assess linguistic patterns, word frequency, and sentence structure to determine if an essay was written by a person or an AI.

How Do AI Detectors Work?

AI detectors use machine learning models trained on vast datasets of human and AI text. These tools look for indicators of artificial writing, such as:

• Overly polished, robotic language–lacking a personal touch.

• Repetitive phrases or unusual word choices.

• A tone that doesn’t match the applicant’s recommendation letters or extracurricular profile.

By analyzing these patterns, an AI checker can generate a likelihood score indicating potential AI content. While AI checkers aren’t perfect and can produce false positives, institutions still rely on these tools.

Advantages and Limitations of AI Detection Tools

AI detectors offer several advantages:

• Fair Evaluation: These advanced tools ensure applicants are evaluated based on their actual abilities.

• Promoting Authenticity: The use of AI detection tools in checking college essays encourages students to showcase their true experiences. These qualities make each applicant stand out, helping them navigate the competition.

• Facilitating Human Judgment: AI checkers serve as an initial screening tool to flag AI-written academic essays. This helps determine whether an application requires further human review.

Despite their advantages, AI detection tools have limitations, including:

• False Positives: Despite being trained on vast datasets, AI checkers are not always accurate. They sometimes misidentify original work as AI-generated.

• Rapid Evolution: Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly, requiring detection software to continually update to remain effective. This ongoing adaptation can be challenging. If the software fails to keep up, it may wrongly flag genuine essays as AI-generated.

To address these limitations, many institutions using AI detectors also rely on plagiarism checkers. When combined, these tools create a thorough screening process that upholds academic standards.

Does Human Expertise Matter in Detecting AI in Essays?

Human expertise is crucial in detecting AI-generated content in essays. While plagiarism checkers and AI tools can flag artificial content, they are not always fully accurate. To ensure a credible admission process, many institutions use human reviewers to evaluate the originality of application essays.

Human judgment is unmatched in understanding context, tone, and creativity. Experienced reviewers can spot subtle cues. These include a student’s unique writing style or personal voice—things AI tools might misinterpret.

Role of Human Touch in Academic Essays

Admissions committees consist of professionals who have reviewed thousands of essays over the years. With their extensive experience, they can detect whether an essay truly reflects the student’s individual style.

Key indicators they often look for include:

• Emotional Impact: Authentic academic essays, written by students themselves, feel personal because they include deep thoughts. AI-generated text often lacks these qualities.

• Inconsistent Style: When a student submits an academic essay, it usually comes with other documents. These include recommendation letters, transcripts, and personal statements. A sudden shift in writing style between these materials and the essay can indicate AI-generated content.

• Personal Details: A human-written application essay includes specific details about the student’s experiences and goals. In contrast, AI-generated essays often use generic language and lack the depth of personal storytelling. This makes it even easier for admissions officers to recognize inauthentic content.

• Repetitive Patterns: AI algorithms are often fed with large datasets, leading to repetitive phrasings. Essays that lack variation or feel overly redundant may indicate AI involvement.

Ethical Considerations and Best Practices for Students

The rise of AI in college essay writing raises ethical concerns. Students must use AI to refine their work but ensure it does not replace their individuality.

To maintain authenticity, they should follow these practices:

Use AI as a Support Tool, Not a Substitute

• Brainstorming and Idea Generation: AI can be an excellent source for generating ideas or overcoming writer’s block while writing. Students can use AI to refine their work, but it shouldn’t replace their unique perspective.

• Enhancing Clarity and Authenticity: Once a student finalizes their academic essay, they can use AI tools to correct grammar and spelling mistakes. They can also check for plagiarism or verify originality using credible AI detection tools.

• Getting Suggestions for Personalization: Finally, students can also use AI tools to get suggestions for personalizing their academic essays. These tools help writers incorporate personal experiences into an engaging narrative. However, to ensure the content doesn't sound robotic they can re-evaluate their essays using AI detector tools.

Understand the Risks

• Assess Credibility of Information: Relying on AI to craft essays from scratch can lead to incorrect information. Students shouldn’t rely entirely on AI for writing. If AI is used, important details must be carefully checked to ensure accuracy.

• Academic Integrity: To protect academic integrity, many institutions strictly prohibit the use of AI for essay writing. Educational institutions value learning and personal growth. If students do not develop their ideas and express them in a unique way, it goes against the purpose of education.

Future AI Trends That Could Facilitate College Essays

AI writing tools like ChatGPT are evolving rapidly, with an expected growth rate of 17% to 21% by the end of 2025. As AI technology continues to evolve, its role in the college admissions process is likely to become even more complex.

Future AI models may generate even more realistic, personalized essays. Some may use adaptive learning to study an applicant’s past writing and match their style.

At the same time, AI detection tools will also improve. Colleges may use better AI or plagiarism checkers to analyze writing patterns and compare essays with previous work.

So, the importance of writing original and personalized admission essays remains intact.

Final Words

A college application essay is as crucial as academic achievements in the admission process. It allows students to showcase their personalities, experiences, and aspirations in their own words. To stand out to admission officers, you should write authentically instead of depending on AI.

Colleges are increasingly aware of AI-written essays. Many institutions use AI detection tools, plagiarism checkers, and human evaluation to verify authenticity. Submitting an AI-written essay can lead to rejection. While AI can assist with editing, the essay itself should be original.

For students concerned about AI showing up in their work, Isgen’s AI detector can help detect AI-generated content. It offers valuable guidance for refining essays while preserving their true essence.