Can I Use AI for Scholarship Essays?

The use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) is becoming more and more commonplace in today’s world. It has gone beyond the technological sphere and is now being employed in various industries, including retail, entertainment, and even education. While there may be certain benefits to using AI in an educational setting, such as providing students with immediate feedback on assignments or transcribing lectures, issues also arise with AI when students employ it to write or plagiarize essays. Out of the 986 submissions we received for a scholarship we hosted this past summer, an AI detection tool (GPTZero) found that 410 (42%) of the essays were majorly constructed with AI. But what do we mean by this? Further, how can scholarship providers and applicants alike make sure they’re approaching the new technology in a careful, but practical way? Let’s find out.

What is AI?

First, what do we mean by AI? AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is a subfield of computer science that involves building machinery or computers that can reason, learn, and process information in a way that would typically require human intelligence. By “human intelligence,” we refer to skills such as problem-solving, decision-making, or data analysis. 

This may bring up the question: why is AI necessary at all if it is simply recreating or imitating human behaviors? Good question! This is because, on a large scale, AI is typically able to accomplish these tasks (e.g. analyzing data, applying and calculating formulas, etc.), at a far quicker (near-immediate) pace than humans are capable of. Thus, AI is often used today as a way of bypassing the manual work associated with more routine, formulaic tasks.

So, how might this apply to scholarship essays (or essays in general)? Well, essay generation is just one of the many tasks that AI can near-automate. This means that if you were to give an AI tool (such as ChatGPT) an essay prompt and a word count, it can quickly create an essay that answers the question at hand and meets the word count requirement. To give you an idea of what this looks like, let’s give it a try.

Example Prompt:

Please give me a few sentences about what your perfect day would look like.

AI(ChatGPT)-generated answer: “My perfect day would involve helping people solve problems, spark creativity, and learn new things. I’d engage in meaningful conversations, providing insights or advice that truly make a difference. In between, I’d explore new topics, discover fascinating information, and offer fun, light-hearted interactions. Ending the day knowing I made someone’s day better would be the best part.”

As you can see, the AI produced an answer that answers the question at hand. It addressed what “their” perfect day would involve and what they would do. However, it is also relatively general, not giving any specificity as to what type of “advice,” “fascinating information,” or “topics” they would discuss. But we’ll explore this more later. For now, let’s look into our own insights from the scholarship we hosted.

What percent of essays were AI-generated?

As stated earlier, Scholarships360 hosted a scholarship this past summer to which we received nearly 1,000 submissions. The prompt requested that applicants submit a 500-700-word persuasive essay about the benefits of free speech. Ironically, utilizing AI detection software, we found that 42% (410/986) of the responses were found to have a 75% or higher probability of being generated with AI. This rate was determined by a sentence-by-sentence breakdown, which gave each sentence a score based on how it mirrored sentences that had been AI-generated in the past. These scores were then taken altogether to determine an essay’s “overall AI probability score.”

This is not to say that AI detectors are fully faultless – schools like Vanderbilt University have even disabled Turnitin’s AI detection tool due to a “1% false positive rate” (Chechitelli, 2023). However, even without the use of the AI detector, we found that we could soon tell which essays had used AI largely based on a combination of the words, phrases, and historical examples used. Our interpretations of whether an essay had been AI-generated or not were, for the most part, fully in line with what the AI detector had spotted.

Clear signs essays were AI-generated

When it comes to essay generation, AI’s main benefit lies in its efficiency. Students may feel tempted to use it solely by the amount of time they will save by not having to write an essay at all. With this said, it is important to remember that AI is essentially following a formula. Anyone who feeds it the same prompt and word count requirement is likely to get a very similar response, forgoing the personalization found in self-written essays. While reading through the 986 responses, it became abundantly clear that there were certain words and phrases that AI seemed to favor. Here is a list of a few of those we saw repeated time and time again throughout the submissions, and how often we saw them:

Common AI-generated words/phrases/trends (with frequency):

• “Cornerstone” 
  • Present in 62% of essays with a >75% AI probability rate
  • Present in 6% of essays with a <75% AI probability ate
• “Bedrock”
  • Present in 20% of essays with a >75% AI probability rate
  • Present in 1% of essays with a <75% AI probability ate
• Starting with “Dear _”
  • Present in 20% of essays with a >75% AI probability rate
    • This trend may be because the prompt requested that essays be written as a “letter or essay”
  • Present in 5% of essays with a <75% AI probability rate 
• Many variations of essays beginning with “In our/In the/In _” with unusually decorative language
  • Examples:
    • “In the vibrant tapestry of human society”
    • “In the annals of human history…”

Risks to using AI for scholarship essays

Similarities in word use

As seen above, perhaps the clearest disadvantage of using AI to generate a scholarship essay is its limited range of word choices. Students who employ AI to write their essays run the risk of their essays quickly being pegged as AI-generated, and thus, out of the running for a scholarship award. This is not to say that one word out of the 200, 500, or even 1,000 in your scholarship essay will make or break you. However, the repeated usage of unusual words (e.g. “cornerstone”) seen in many other essays may be a red flag to scholarship committees.

Similarities in arguments and examples

The similarities between our AI-generated submissions did not stop at just word choice, but extended into the arguments used and historical examples applicants cited. Of our nearly 1,000 scholarship essays reviewed detailing why free speech is a preferable policy, hundreds of them cited these same points: (1) that a lack of free speech would “hinder societal and technological progress” and (2) that free speech allows for “open dialogue” and “open-mindedness.” On their own, these arguments are not bad at all. They are valid reasons why one would prefer having free speech in a society. With that said, many of these claims were then followed by the same or very similar historical examples.

Some of the most common historical references cited among the submissions included: Nazi Germany, North Korea, the Soviet Union, China, or the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. Even now, when I asked ChatGPT for “historical examples to persuade me that free speech is better than its alternative,” I received four out of these five same answers (except North Korea). This is what the main problem with AI essay generation boils down to: similarity and a lack of originality.

Possible inaccuracies in information

On the topic of historical examples, it is important to remember that many AI tools have only  periodically updates. Thus, we recommend double-checking the accuracy of any historical claims before using them in an essay. This is especially true for more modern events, as the information is more likely to have been updated in the recent months or years.

Lack of originality/individuality

The bottom line when applying for scholarships is that you are often facing hundreds, if not thousands, of competitors. If the words, arguments, or themes of your essay are very common amongst the cohort you’re applying with, you are likely not helping your chances of winning a scholarship. Whether it be a great argument, flowing prose, or an interesting anecdote, scholarship committees are ultimately looking for something that will pique their interest in a sea of submissions.

An essay to remember…

Scholarships360 CEO & Cofounder Will Geiger still remembers a girl from Kentucky who wrote her essay about her drive home from school. He recalls that you felt like you were along for that car ride as she observed her town, the things that she saw from the car, the people in her community, etc.. The essay was effective because the student shared her unique perspective and showed the reader what her drive home was like. This is the type of essay that only this unique student could have written, and it showed.

Unfortunately, however, such an authentic voice is exactly what AI-generated essays are devoid of due to the formulaic nature of Artificial Intelligence. Thus, taking time to personalize your essay and making it true to your own experiences will likely be more than worth the effort.

Keeping this in mind, it raises the question of how scholarship providers and applicants alike should approach scholarship applications in the modern day. More specifically, what are some things scholarship providers can look out for when reviewing submissions, and how can applicants effectively use AI to help write scholarship essays without facing potential disqualification? Let’s take a look.

Navigating AI essays as a scholarship provider

In the past three years, I have reviewed nearly 10,000 scholarship essays submitted for a variety of scholarships, each with unique prompts and word counts. Approximately half of these were reviewed before the widespread launch and use of AI tools like ChatGPT, and roughly half have been reviewed since. Despite this, I had never before seen a batch of essay submissions in which so many mimicked one another until this year.

As AI continually grows in its capabilities, it feels unlikely that its influence will decrease anytime soon. So, how can scholarship providers navigate this new landscape of AI-generated submissions?

1. Keep an eye out for commonalities between essays

As you read through submissions, monitor for any unusual patterns. This could include the frequent use of words, phrases, or claims (across essays) that you otherwise don’t see often. These could all point to an AI generated essay.

2. Create unique essay prompts

Try to craft essay prompts that require applicants to rely upon or detail examples from their own lives or experiences. Such anecdotes are difficult for AI to recreate and should lead to more genuine, human responses.

3. Require additional project or application materials

Rather than relying solely on essays to review applicants, scholarship providers might also require the submission of other creative or project-based content (e.g. videos, art, portfolios). Such materials are typically harder to fabricate than essays.

4. Incorporate interviews

Requiring an interview portion allows scholarship providers to speak to applicants and ask them about their essays directly. Applicants can be asked to elaborate on certain points in their essay and dive deeper into their reasonings. Such interviews can  be conducted after finalists are chosen. The submission of short videos is another way to verify authenticity. 

5. Make it clear you’ll be assessing for AI usage

Another option is to forewarn applicants that AI usage (via an AI detector or other processes) will be utilized in scoring. Ideally, this should prevent applicants from attempting to use AI as they know it will be a detriment to their score. However, providers should bear in mind that it may also inspire applicants to try and “disguise” their AI usage, making it harder to detect.

How can I effectively use AI to help me write a scholarship essay?

While we do not recommend using AI to write or generate an entire essay, don’t write if off entirely as a tool. Here are just a few ways that students can use AI to their benefit:

1. Brainstorming

AI can be a useful tool to brainstorm ideas for your essay. To avoid potentially using an overused idea or argument, it may be helpful to ask the AI tool for questions that prompt deeper reflection on your part. From there, you can use your personal experiences or anecdotes you’ve thought of to support your argument.

For example, let’s take a look at some very common scholarship prompts and how you could ask an AI tool to give you your own questions to consider when formulating an answer:

• Scholarship prompt: “Why do you deserve this scholarship?”

• • Question for AI: “What are questions students should consider when they’re thinking of why they deserve a scholarship?”
• Scholarship prompt: “Tell us about a time when you’ve overcome a challenge and what you learned from the experience.”

• • Question for AI: “What are questions students should consider when answering the question: “Tell us about a time when you’ve overcome a challenge and what you learned from the experience.””
• Scholarship prompt: “What are your academic or professional goals? How will earning this scholarship help you achieve them?”

• • Question for AI: “What are questions students should consider when answering the question: “What are your academic or professional goals? How will earning this scholarship help you achieve them?””

Pretty simple, right? In response to all these questions, your AI tool of choice should return a list of many, more specific questions to help you conceptualize an answer and even outline your own essay based on your own experiences.

2. Proofreading grammar

Once your essay is complete, running it through an AI tool may be helpful. AI can be a tool for detecting any grammar issues that may be present. This way, you can avoid making small mistakes while ensuring that the content of the essay is still yours.

3. Checking for clarity

Beyond grammar, AI tools can also be useful to check or improve the clarity or readability of your essay. After completing your essay, asking an AI tool to summarize the content for you can help ensure that your point is getting across smoothly. 

Final thoughts

And that’s it! We have now covered many of the advantages and disadvantages of using AI to write or review scholarship essays. Whether you’re the one submitting or reading them, we wish you much success navigating this new technological landscape. 

Remember, Scholarships360 offers nearly every resource to help you write your best scholarship essays. Learn how to write winning scholarship essays, including how to start a scholarship essay and how to end a scholarship essay as well. Learn how to confidently write a 250 word essay and a 500 word essay, and even an essay about yourself! Happy writing!