If you’re applying to Duke, it’s likely that you’ve invested many an hour in some combination of academics, athletics, extracurricular activities, employment, and community service. Thankfully, Duke won’t demand too many more of those hours, keeping its supplemental writing ask to a few shorter prompts. The challenge? Standing out in just 500 words. Let’s take a look at the prompts and check out some strong examples to help you make the most of Duke’s supplemental essay prompts.
But before you get too far—one more thing. (There’s always a catch, right?) You’ll want to take a quick peek at Duke’s Common Data Set. In it, you’ll find a treasure trove of information on the institution, ranging from enrollment and tuition statistics to student life and financial aid information. Next, read through Duke’s academic strategic plan to better understand its values, roadmap for the future, and the role “diverse and inclusive communities of excellence” play in its vision. Checking out both will help you better understand who Duke is looking for and how you’ll fit in on campus.
What are Duke's supplemental essay prompts?
Prompts #1:
What is your impression of Duke as a university and community, and why do you believe it is a good match for your goals, values, and interests? If there is something specific that attracts you to our academic offerings in Trinity College of Arts and Sciences or the Pratt School of Engineering, or to our co-curricular opportunities, feel free to include that too. (250 word limit)
Prompts #2:
We want to emphasize that the following questions are optional. We invite you to answer one of the four if you believe that doing so will add something meaningful that is not already addressed elsewhere in your application. (250 word limit)
- We believe a wide range of viewpoints and experiences is essential to maintaining Duke’s vibrant living and learning community. Please share anything in this context that might help us better understand you and your potential contributions to Duke.
- Meaningful dialogue often involves respectful disagreement. Provide an example of a difference of opinion you’ve had with someone you care about. What did you learn from it?
- What’s the last thing that you’ve been really excited about?
- Duke recently launched an initiative “to bring together Duke experts across all disciplines who are advancing AI research, addressing the most pressing ethical challenges posed by AI, and shaping the future of AI in the classroom.” Tell us about a situation when you would or would not choose to use AI (when possible and permitted). What shapes your thinking?
How to Write Each Supplemental Essay Prompt for Duke
How to Write the Duke Supplemental Essay #1 + Examples
What is your impression of Duke as a university and community, and why do you believe it is a good match for your goals, values, and interests? If there is something specific that attracts you to our academic offerings in Trinity College of Arts and Sciences or the Pratt School of Engineering, or to our co-curricular opportunities, feel free to include that too.
This prompt is your classic “Why us?” essay. We recommend checking out this complete guide on how to write the “Why us?” essay and paying close attention to the “Why Cornell” and “Why Penn” examples, which are our favorites.
Here’s the short version of how to write the “Why us?” essay:
Spend 1 hr+ researching 10+ reasons why [University] might be a great fit for you (ideally 3-5 of the reasons will be unique to [University] and connect back to you).
Make a copy of this chart to map out your college research.
Create an outline for your essays based on either Approach 1, 2 (recommended), or 3 in the full guide above.
Write a first draft!
As you write, try to avoid these common mistakes, especially #6:
Six Common Mistakes Students Make on “Why Us?” Essays
Mistake #1: Writing about the school's size, location, reputation, weather, or ranking
Mistake #2: Simply using emotional language to demonstrate fit
Mistake #3: Screwing up the mascot, stadium, team colors, or names of any important people or places on campus
Mistake #4: Parroting the brochures or website language
Mistake #5: Describing traditions the school is well-known for
Mistake #6: Thinking of this as only a "why them" essay
Example 1:
If I could pursue one goal for the rest of my life, it would be promoting gender equality. With a major in Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies and certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, I plan to focus on the intersection of social impact and business at Duke. Classes such as “Women at Work,” “Transnational Feminism,” and the annual Feminist Theory Workshop will help me understand how race and gender impact economic exchange and women’s mobilization.
I plan on rushing Scale and Coin to catapult my career in business and participating in the Design to Impact Incubator which encourages social innovation.
To give back in Durham, I hope to empower women of color at surrounding schools by leading social entrepreneurship workshops. I will also work with TEDxDuke to incorporate female speakers from underrepresented industries. I believe that Duke’s interdisciplinary approach will help me become a strong businesswoman and champion of equality.
— — —
Tips + Analysis
Ground your “Why us? in a specific purpose or objective. This student names her long-term goal—“promoting gender equality”—and then names the specific programs she’d pursue to prepare her for that goal. Remember, this doesn’t lock you into a single course of study once you get there, but it can demonstrate that you’ll arrive on campus focused and motivated. Not sure what your big picture goal is? Try asking yourself: What impact do I hope to have on the world?
Name campus resources. This piece is brimming with specific Duke resources: Women at Work, the Feminist Theory Workshop, Scale and Coin, and TEDxDuke. Use your internet research superpowers to find the most specific resources possible. For example, instead of writing about a “Business Leaders Speaker Series,” name actual speakers who have been a part of the event in the past.
Diversify your resources. Not only does this student name specific resources, but she also names various types of resources, including classes, workshops, student societies, and clubs. She also includes an activity she wants to create and lead: social entrepreneurship workshops. Review your Duke research and make sure you’ve found diverse resources, not just classes.
Identify what you’ll walk away with. This student doesn’t just name resources; she cites the specific skills, understandings, and outcomes she’ll gain. Whether it’s understanding “how race and gender impact economic exchange and women’s mobilization” through her engagement with the Feminist Theory Workshop or “giving back to Durham” through “leading social entrepreneurship workshops,” we know this student isn’t just copying and pasting the stuff she Googled—she’s identifying resources that will both help her grow and help her impact her communities. You can set yourself apart as well by doing the same.
Example 2:
I’ve always been amazed by the beauty of nature and I want to dedicate my efforts to preserving the planet. By combining a major in Mechanical Engineering and an Energy & the Environment Certificate at Duke, I intend to apply robotic technology to solve global environmental challenges.
Courses like Energy Engineering and the Environment and Power Generation will teach me about renewable energy conversion devices to serve today’s energy-hungry society. Unique interdisciplinary robotics courses like Control of Dynamic Systems would give me the skills to design robots capable of promoting forest regrowth without human intervention.
I’ll grab FLUNCH with Dr. Justin Ridge and discuss his research on using remote-sensing drones to evaluate coastal habitats. During the summer, I hope to volunteer with Duke Engineers for International Development, where I could use my skills as an engineer and to help solve pressing environmental issues in developing countries.
— — —
Tips + Analysis:
This piece showcases the same elements of a strong answer as the previous example, but with a focus on engineering and sustainability.
But notice that it’s doing the same things, just in different ways, with different details.
Ground your “Why us?” in a specific purpose or objective. Just like in the first example, this student names her long-term goal—“applying robotic technology to solve global environmental challenges”—and names the specific program she would pursue to prepare her for that goal (a mechanical engineering major and environment certificate). Again, this doesn’t lock you into a single course of study once you get there, but it can demonstrate that you'll arrive on campus focused and motivated.
Name campus resources. This piece shares lots of Duke resources as well, including classes like Energy Engineering and the Environment, Power Generation, and Control of Dynamic Systems, academic resources like FLUNCH, and volunteer opportunities like Duke Engineers for International Development. Use your internet research superpowers to find the most specific resources possible. For example, instead of writing about a professor you want to work with, name her current research project and how it overlaps with some of your interests.
Diversify your resources. This student’s specific resources are focused on academic resources geared toward solving environmental problems. But she still manages to include classes, an extracurricular academic opportunity, and a volunteer opportunity. Review your Duke research and make sure you’ve found diverse resources, not just classes.
Identifying what you’ll walk away with. This student also goes beyond just naming resources. She too cites the specific skills, understandings, and outcomes she’ll gain. In this case, she backs up every resource she names with what she’ll gain, using transitions like “will teach me about…” or “will give me….”
How to Write the Duke Supplemental Essay #2 + Examples
We want to emphasize that the following questions are optional. We invite you to answer one of the four if you believe that doing so will add something meaningful that is not already addressed elsewhere in your application. (250 word limit)
Option 1
We believe a wide range of viewpoints and experiences is essential to maintaining Duke’s vibrant living and learning community. Please share anything in this context that might help us better understand you and your potential contributions to Duke.
Choosing a Topic
If you read this prompt and think, “Oh, I can totally write about _____________!” jump right down to “Example # 1: Top-of-mind Identity.”
If nothing immediately comes to mind (as a straight, white cis male, I get that), don’t despair! The prompt invites you to talk about a “community you belong to,” which leaves the door open for you to write about almost anything. Two general approaches that might work:
Go broad, with an identity that lets you highlight a few different activities/experiences.
Brainstorm some shared values you have with your family (“I come from a community/family of _____________.”)
Consider if any of these shared values have connections to activities you do.
For example:
Creators → Film makers club, stage crew, knitting
Storytellers → Theater, young historians, Sunday school teacher
Educators → Tutoring, student council, babysitting
Skeptics → Debate team, student representative in local government
Optimists → Environmental club, neuroscience research
2. Go super specific and make it a more focused community/extracurricular essay.
Make a list of clubs or activities you’re involved in that have a sense of purpose. Spoiler alert: Almost any club or activity can fit this description.
Identify one or two that have a strong sense of community (Stereotypically: theater kids. But we’ve also heard of close-knit Science Olympiad teams, political clubs, etc.)
Some examples (but again, almost any can work):
Progressive Students Council
Wikipedia editors
Community Beautification Club
Model UN
Still struggling to come up with different communities you’re a part of? Check out this longer post on How to Write the Community Essay.
Example Essay 1: Top-of-Mind Identity
I look around my room, dimly lit by an orange light. On my desk, a framed picture of an Asian family beaming their smiles, buried among US history textbooks and The Great Gatsby. A Korean ballad streams from two tiny computer speakers. Pamphlets of American colleges scattered on the floor. A cold December wind wafts a strange infusion of ramen and leftover pizza. On the wall in the far back, a Korean flag hangs beside a Led Zeppelin poster.
Do I consider myself Korean or American?
A few years back, I would have replied: “Neither.” The frustrating moments of miscommunication, the stifling homesickness, and the impossible dilemma of deciding between the Korean or American table in the dining hall, all fueled my identity crisis.
Standing in the “Foreign Passports” section at JFK, I have always felt out of place. Sure, I held a Korean passport in my hands, and I loved kimchi and Yuna Kim and knew the Korean Anthem by heart. But I also loved macaroni and cheese and LeBron. Deep inside, I feared I'd be labeled by my airport customs category: a foreigner everywhere.
This ambiguity, however, has granted me the opportunity to absorb the best of both worlds. Look at my dorm room. This mélange of cultures in my East-meets-West room embodies the diversity that characterizes my international student life.
I’ve learned to accept my “ambiguity” as “diversity,” as a third-culture student embracing both identities.
Do I consider myself Korean or American?
Now, I can proudly answer: “Both.”
— — —
Tips + Analysis
Share your identity by setting the scenes with rich details. The prompt says it all—Duke wants to know “the real person” applying to Duke. An engaging description will help set the scene for your lived experience of your identity. It also helps preempt any possible stereotypes that might unconsciously exist in a reader’s mind. Instead of opening her piece with “I am Korean-American,” this student brings us right into her room and shows us what her Korean and American identities look—and even smell—like.
Share challenges you’ve faced due to your identity. Duke wants to hear about a variety of ways your identity affects your experience (and what you will in turn bring to Duke). Sharing challenges (for this student: a lack of belonging) will help your reader empathize with you and can set you up to share some learning or growth that’s been an outcome of living with this identity. If you haven’t experienced challenges, no worries! You can use your 250 words to:
Share the positive ways you experience your identity. What have the benefits of holding this identity been? Are there values you’ve learned from others with the same identity? Are there unique experiences your identity has opened up? Are there lessons you’ve learned through any adversity related to your identity?
This student gets to experience “the best of both worlds” because of her mixed identity. She even explicitly renames her challenge (ambiguity) as a strength (diversity), demonstrating a strengths-based mindset.
Bonus Points: How might you engage with this identity at Duke? There’s a chance for a mini “Why us?” with this prompt. Research a club, class, space, or speaker that will help you further engage with this identity at Duke. Can’t find one? Write about wanting to create that space, class, or club.
Example 2: No Top-of-Mind Identity
I belong to a community of storytellers. Throughout my childhood, my mother and I spent countless hours immersed in the magical land of bedtime stories. We took daring adventures and explored far away lands. Imagination ran wild, characters came to life, and I became acquainted with heroes and lessons that continue to inspire me today. It was a ritual that I will never forget.
In school I met many other storytellers—teachers, coaches, and fellow students whose stories taught me valuable lessons and enabled me to share stories of my own. My stories took shape through my involvement with theatre. I have learned that telling stories can be just as powerful as hearing them.
When I tell a story, I can shape the world I live in and share my deepest emotions with the audience. This is exactly why I love theatre so much. The audience can relate to the story in many of the same powerful ways that I do.
I love to perform with my theatre class to entertain and educate young audiences throughout my community. To tell our stories, we travel to elementary and middle schools performing plays that help educate younger students of the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and bullying. As storytellers, we aim to touch lives and better the world around us through our stories.
— — —
Tips + Analysis:
Name the community you belong to and how/why you got involved. If you’re writing about a shared family value, describe how that value has shown up for the generations that came before you. Don’t spend too many words on this—Duke wants to hear mostly about you!—but spending a few early words detailing where you inherited a value or identity from will help the reader “understand and appreciate the real people applying to Duke.”
This student names the community (storytellers) and how he became a part of it (bedtime stories). If you’re writing about a club or group you’re a part of, share a descriptive anecdote that captures the kind of work you do with that group, and follow it up by naming the group and its purpose: “As a member of (insert group), I belong to a community of people who (insert amazing activities and values).”
From there, you can write a straightforward extracurricular essay! Our full guide for that kind of essay can be found here.The best extracurricular essays are grounded in values, but that will be doubly important for this prompt to make sure your writing stays on-prompt (i.e., addressing identity and community).
Bonus Points: How might you engage with this identity at Duke? This approach also gives you a chance for a mini “Why us?” essay. Research a club, class, space, or speaker that will help you continue your work at Duke. Can’t find one? Write about wanting to create that space, class, or club.
Option #2
Meaningful dialogue often involves respectful disagreement. Provide an example of a difference of opinion you’ve had with someone you care about. What did you learn from it?
Part—and really, a big part—of the college experience is being exposed to new people, perspectives, and ’periences (and, perhaps, playing with creative alliteration). This prompt is the perfect springboard for showing your natural curiosity and interest in engaging in lively, productive discussions. Your answer will be a multifaceted one: Whose perspective (or whose approach to taking a stance on an issue) do you respect or admire (and why), what subject are you passionate about (one way or another), and how have you changed because of what you’ve learned from (or discussed with) others?
Here’s an essay written for Princeton that does an excellent job of addressing a similar prompt (and illustrates nicely the idea of a super essay.)
Option #2 Example Essay:
I probably argue with my grandfather more than I do with most other people combined. It’s not because we’re at odds. We just have different perspectives, influenced by our experiences—his as a life-long resident of India, mine as a first-generation American.
One pretty common argument we have is over Eastern vs. Western medicine. My solution to a headache, for example, is to take Advil. His is to rub Tiger Balm on his forehead and coconut oil on the soles of his feet. I try to convince him of the benefits of taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, describing how it can reduce inflammation by blocking the production of certain chemicals. He tries to convince me that the balm creates a cooling effect, distracting the brain from pain and relaxing the muscles. Rather than becoming sore at or resentful of each other, we’ve grown closer through these debates, and I’ve learned how to disagree without letting the situation get acrimonious.
Through these interactions, I’ve learned that a discussion shouldn’t be confrontational. The purpose isn’t to win, but to share my knowledge with the other party and learn from them as well. So rather than saying, “Rubbing balm on your forehead is stupid; you should just take Advil,” I say, “While rubbing balm on your forehead seems to work, I’ve noticed that taking an Advil has a stronger and more immediate effect.” Respecting the opposing party makes them more willing to hear you out.
I’ve also learned there’s a fine line between logic and emotion. I try not to take personally the things my grandfather says in an argument. Just because he doesn’t think taking Advil is the better solution doesn’t mean he thinks I’m stupid. If I take it that way, we begin to move away from what the argument really was about—the facts.
I’ll continue to apply these learnings in discussions and debates I have with others, realizing that having a “successful argument” isn’t about winning. It’s about sharing my opinion and learning from theirs, expanding our perspectives without alienating each other.
— — —
Tips + Analysis
The conversation topic can be anything. You might assume that for your essay to be attention-grabbing, you need to pick a “hot topic” like a recent SCOTUS decision or climate change. And those topics are fine, if they’re really reflective of who you are. Instead, consider challenging yourself to go more obscure. Less cliché. More you. Smaller discussions can be just as lively … just as relevant … and just as revealing. Who didn’t spend time debating whether the Vans tennis shoes were gray/teal or white/pink? Or whether brussel sprouts are great or gross. (Spoiler: The shoes are actually “mahogany rose” and “true white.” The jury is still out on the sprouts.) This student does a great job at finding a unique cultural difference—Tiger Balm vs. Advil—and showing how he’s used that as a springboard to finesse his art of debate and understanding.
But it’s important to show growth or a new understanding. In the tennis shoes debate, perhaps what was most interesting to you was the realization that people truly saw one set of colors vs. another. And they weren’t necessarily wrong: Our brains perceive colors in different ways. So perhaps this argument revealed to you that issues really aren’t black and white (or gray/teal) but that there’s sometimes a spectrum of “right answers” stemming from our backgrounds or even our physiology (e.g., taste buds, eyesight)—and that’s changed the way you’ve approached other, more impactful arguments. The student above uses the last lines in his second and third paragraphs—and the entire closing—to show how his perspective has shifted—all because of headaches.
Be willing to be wrong. We can learn as much from our failures as we do from our successes. In fact, sometimes, it says more about us when we’re willing to be vulnerable enough to admit we’re wrong—or, at least, not entirely right. This student echoes that point, acknowledging it “isn’t about winning.” Instead, having viewpoints that are different from those he respects and admires helped him learn about balancing logic and emotion as well as practice the art of listening.
And here’s another example:
In my freshman year common room, girls snatched dumplings from others’ hands because they had “eaten enough.” Giggles followed in reaction, but fidgeting hands exposed the opposite sentiment.
Weeks passed like this. I wanted to respond to these convoluted cries for help, but I couldn’t fathom losing my first friends at a new school. An hour before our semi-formal dance, I heard a faint echo of the phrase, “I heard she told Isa to throw up.” In that moment, I realized my desire to help had to overpower my fear of disapproval.
After creating and distributing infographics about body positivity and healthy eating, I organized a conversation with my dormmates. It was initially uncomfortable, but I realized that shared vulnerability and transparency were necessary to change this toxic dynamic. I started by sharing the impact of a family member who struggled with an eating disorder. Once everyone was given the space to open up, we built greater trust that helped people express their insecurities and concerns. The hall’s climate and health transformed.
By creating space for open dialogue, I was able to spark a greater degree of growth within myself and my peers than I ever expected. The difficulty of this experience also illuminated an integral facet of my identity. Whether changing my hall environment, mentoring my “Little Brother” Callen, or proctoring 20 freshmen girls, being an advocate for people and issues I care about allows me to facilitate the difficult, but crucial, conversations that foster safe and accepting communities.
— — —
Option 3
What’s the last thing that you’ve been really excited about?
You’ve got a few ways you can approach this prompt.
One that can potentially allow you to double with other schools is to approach it as an “intellectual/curiosity” prompt, like Stanford’s prompt 6.
To head in that direction:
Get really specific with what the idea is. (In our experience, a very particular idea tends to work better than an experience.)
If possible, clarify what the idea is in the first 50 words (some students wait too long to clarify and the essay feels vague as a result, as we’re not sure what to focus on).
Consider using this as an opportunity for sharing some side of yourself you haven’t already shared elsewhere.
Connect the idea, if you can, back to you. Many students keep the essay focused outwardly (on ideas) and as a result the essay feels abstract and swimmy. (Yes, that’s a technical term.)
If you need some inspiration, check out this Excel document with almost every single TEDTalk ever given.
Here’s a nice example essay for this prompt (written for Stanford):
Option #3 Example Essay:
What’s more probable: dying from a shark attack, or dying from falling airplane parts? Surprisingly, the answer is falling airplane parts. But why does our intuition point us towards shark attacks?
The answer lies in the availability heuristic, or the WYSIATI (“what you see is all there is”) rule, which describes how our minds evaluate decisions based on how easily we can think of examples to support both sides. From Jaws to YouTube surfer videos, we have all likely heard of a horrific shark attack, and by WYSIATI, the ease with which we conjure up that memory leads us to assign greater probability.
Learning about WYSIATI evolved the way I communicate my ideas. When I first started debate, I over-focused on comparing statistics at the expense of clearly communicating larger arguments. WYSIATI taught me that a more effective approach involves weaving in memorable images like that of a horrific shark attack.
This past summer, when debating whether labeling environmental activists as “eco-terrorists” is justified, my opponents cited dozens of crimes associated with activists from 1995-2002. With my knowledge of WYSIATI, I looked past the numbers and searched for more memorable, image-based examples and discovered that most of the so-called terrorist acts were actually “pie-ings”: environmental groups throwing pies to protest. So, instead of responding with only numbers, I declared that “the only thing that could make pie-ings terrorist acts is if the activists didn’t know how to make a good key lime pie!”
Much clearer. And perhaps, a little bit funnier.
Nice, right?
Additional example from Markus, written for Stanford, who is very excited at the idea of his essays being shared publicly:
During the first lockdown, I learnt the mathematical foundations of AI, inspired by how my middle-school friend created new Shakespearean plays via AI. My nagging curiosity propelled me to finish Professor Andrew Ng’s 5-month Stanford course in 3 weeks. As AI buzzwords—gradient descent, hyperparameter optimisation—became familiar, I became gripped by the realisation that AI was trial-and-error at hyper-speed: making AI take tests, backtracking to identify mistakes, and repeating a billion times.
Having grasped core concepts, I craved to see AI helping in real life. I asked the Stanford SKY professor I was already working with for econometrics projects using AI, and he appointed me as the lead intern of a breakthrough project to shorten IQ and EQ tests for babies without compromising test accuracy. Quicker tests are more humane and increase sample sizes threefold, making its statistical research more trustable—while costing less. I witnessed how AI could reform and accelerate the standards of social science research—marrying big data with socially-conscious academic research. I knew Big Tech’s flashy AI might fill fifty football stadiums of server space, but what for? Serving better ads for “boba tea”? Rural children just above the poverty line certainly aren’t in their profit-driven purview, but at SKY, while working with postdocs, I learnt to close this gap. This winter, I plan to keep harnessing AI to understand—through analysing thousand-hour audio—how parents’ verbal cues shape infant character development. I’ll keep myself starstruck with Stanford’s CS+Social Good community, as we explore how AI can impact the bottom line.
– – –
Tips & Analysis:
Make sure you’re actually excited about the idea or experience you’re writing about. Essay readers read thousands of applications, so they’ve very good at recognizing when a student is writing about something they think will sound impressive, as opposed to something they’re genuinely excited and curious about. This writer’s excitement about the possibilities of AI jumps right off the page, and you want your response to do the same. Don’t worry about what readers think will look good; instead, use this space to geek out about the thing that lights you up and energizes you. If you are authentic and genuine, it will shine through!
Don’t just list your accomplishments. It would be very easy to use this prompt as a place to rattle off your academic achievements, but there are other places on the application reserved for just that purpose. Instead, explain why this idea or experience excites you and what you still hope to learn about it. This student has obviously learned a lot about AI, but the cool thing about this response is that he doesn’t just stop there. He also tells us how he hopes to move forward and continue to explore and discover. His response shows readers that he is still curious, and that’s what colleges are looking for in prospective students (not someone who thinks they’ve already learned it all)!
_ _ _
Option #4
Duke recently launched an initiative “to bring together Duke experts across all disciplines who are advancing AI research, addressing the most pressing ethical challenges posed by AI, and shaping the future of AI in the classroom.” Tell us about a situation when you would or would not choose to use AI (when possible and permitted). What shapes your thinking?
Because this is a new prompt this year, we don’t have an example essay to show you, but here’s some guidance on how you can potentially approach this, based on our guides “Navigating College Applications with AI: What Colleges Say + CEG's Advice to Students and Counselors” and “CEG’s Thoughts on AI and College Application Essays. (If you want to dive into great detail, check those links out.)
There are two core elements to directly address here:
A situation when you would or would not choose to use AI (when possible and permitted)
What shapes your thinking?
You can head in either direction for the first—there are instances where AI use can potentially help support the creative process, for example, and there are instances where AI use probably kills creativity and critical thought.
But the real question you want to be answering throughout your response is why?
Why would you choose to use it, or not?
What deeper whys underlie your choice?
What are the complex factors to consider?
What are some tricky, perhaps unanswerable questions you’re navigating in this space?
You don’t need to write about AI use in college apps (and there are likely better and stronger options), but the guidance below from Caltech (from the first guide above; bolding is theirs) can be a useful jumping off point in thinking about when you may or may not want to use AI, and the complex ethics involved (and a warning that each school’s take on AI use will be slightly, if not widely, different, so don’t take what Caltech says here to be representative for all colleges):
Your essays are where we hear your voice. Relying on AI, specifically large language models such as ChatGPT or Bard, to craft your essay will dilute your unique expression and perspective. While we know AI tools have become readily accessible over recent months, overuse of AI will diminish your individual, bold, creative identity as a prospective Techer.
What are some examples of unethical uses of AI for Caltech admissions essays?
Copying and pasting directly from an AI generator
Relying on AI generated content to outline or draft an essay
Replacing your unique voice and tone with AI generated content
Translating an essay written in another language
What are some examples of ethical uses of AI for Caltech admissions essays?
Using AI tools, like Grammarly or Microsoft Editor, to review grammar and spelling of your completed essays
Generating questions or exercises to help kick start the brainstorming process
Using AI to research the college application process
If you are still wondering whether your use of AI in crafting your application is ethical, ask yourself whether it would be ethical to have a trusted adult perform the same task you are asking of ChatGPT. Would a teacher be able to review your essay for grammatical and spelling errors? Of course! Would that same teacher write a draft of an essay for you to tweak and then submit? Definitely not.
Above all else, remember to be authentic to yourself when writing your essays. Our Caltech supplemental questions are designed to spark your curiosity, to make you think deeply about whether you see yourself as a Teacher, and to jumpstart your creativity – don't let a reliance on AI tools take that opportunity from you!
_ _ _
Tom Campbell (he/him) is an eternally extra Gemini who has spent the past seven years helping students and families navigate the college admissions process—one alliterative/assonant aphorism at a time. Prior to joining College Essay Guy, he worked as a college counselor at Lakeside School and an admissions officer at Pomona College and College of the Holy Cross (his alma mater). He stans em dashes and semicolons, Kacey Musgraves (all eras, not just star crossed and Golden Hour), superior breakfast burritos, and complaining about space tourism.
Top Values: Authenticity | Fun | Vulnerability
