8 AI Prompts to Improve Your College Essay

Using Generative AI for Essay Help, Not Essay Writing

Your college essay is an important storytelling tool and holds a high importance in the admissions process. While you can (and should) use technological support to improve your writing skills, you should not allow Chat GBT or any generative AI model to write your essay for you.

Using generative AI to write a college essay is not advisable for several reasons. First and foremost, college essays are meant to showcase the student’s unique voice, experiences, and insights. AI-generated content lacks the personal touch and authenticity that admissions officers look for to understand the applicant as an individual.

Moreover, relying on AI for such an important task can lead to ethical concerns, including plagiarism and dishonesty. College admissions committees value honesty and integrity, and using AI to generate content undermines these principles. Additionally, the process of writing an essay is an opportunity for personal growth and reflection, which is lost when outsourcing to AI.

Use AI to Brainstorm Ideas and Offer Editing Suggestions

Generative AI can be a powerful assistant when it comes to writing your essay. While you shouldn’t rely on the technology to write for you, it can certainly write with you.

Consider using Chat GBT to brainstorm topic ideas. Your prompt should direct the response, so try to be as specific as possible.

Prompt: “Can you help me brainstorm unique and personal topics for my college essay that showcase my strengths and experiences?”

Prompt: “I’m a student in STEM. Please help me brainstorm topic ideas for my college essay that can showcase my previous research skills.”

Once you finish your first draft, you may also use generative AI to offer editing suggestions.

Prompt: “Please read my paragraph below and offer editing suggestions to improve the writing.”

1. Creating an Outline

Before starting your college essay, you will want to develop a solid outline that will ultimately guide your writing. The purpose of the outline is to keep your story on track, and cover all the topics you want to include.

The outline should have a structure that includes an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

• Introduction (Beginning)
• Hook: A compelling opening sentence to grab the reader’s attention.
• Background: Brief context or background information related to your story.
• Thesis: A clear statement of the main point or theme of your essay.
• Body Paragraphs (Middle)
• Topic Sentence: A sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph.
• Supporting Details: Specific examples, anecdotes, and reflections that support the main idea.
• Transition: A sentence that smoothly connects to the next paragraph.
• 2-4 paragraphs in total
• Conclusion (End)
• Restate Thesis: Summarize the main point or theme of your essay.
• Reflection: Reflect on how the experience has shaped you.
• Forward-Looking Statement: Discuss how this experience will impact your future goals and aspirations.

If you want to have Chat GBT help you develop an outline, you might ask a prompt like this:

Prompt: “How can I create a strong outline for my college essay that ensures a clear and logical flow of ideas?”

Helpful Steps for Creating an Outline on Your Own

Step 1: Understand the Prompt
Make sure you understand what is being asked. Highlight keywords and note any specific requirements.

Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas
Think about your experiences, values, and goals. Identify a central theme or story that best represents you. Also, select the topic that allows you to showcase your strengths, personality, and growth.

Step 3: Create a Basic Structure
Develop your outline using the three structure parts above. Think of your outline like the skeleton of your essay: It holds up all the pieces of information together.

You can include bullet points under each section with the information you want to write in each. This will help you further organize your ideas in a concise story that flows consistently from point to point.

Now that you have the basic structure in place, you can begin filling out the essay with your story. Remember that while you can use generative AI to assist with essays, it cannot write the essay for you!

2. Crafting a Compelling Introduction

The introduction is the first paragraph of your essay. The purpose of the introduction is to set the tone of your essay and give hints as to what it’s about. The introduction should also draw the reader in and compel them to continue reading.

To ask generative AI to help you with your introduction, you may ask a prompt such as the one below:

Prompt: “What are some effective strategies for writing an engaging introduction for my college essay?”

AI can list out tips for you, but ultimately you will need to brainstorm your own ideas for what you wish to write about. College essays perform the best when they discuss a topic that is unique to you. Your college essay will help you stand out from other applicants and express your values and interests. These are all elements that AI cannot conceive.

Some helpful tips when planning your introduction:

• Be Concise: Keep your introduction concise and focused. Aim to hook the reader within the first few sentences without going into excessive detail.
• Reflect Your Voice: Ensure your introduction reflects your unique voice and style of writing. It should set the tone for the rest of your essay.
• Connect to the Thesis: Your introduction should smoothly lead into your thesis statement or the main point of your essay, providing a clear roadmap for what follows.
• Revise and Polish: After writing your introduction, revise it multiple times to ensure clarity, coherence, and impact. Consider seeking feedback from others to refine it further.

3. Developing a Strong Thesis Statement

While not always necessary, some college essays include a thesis statement. A thesis statement is one clear sentence that defines the purpose of your piece. It usually appears in the first or second sentence of the introduction.

Generative AI can give you some tips on writing a thesis statement. Try the below prompt:

“How can I craft a concise and impactful thesis statement for my college essay?”

4. Showing, Not Telling

An important element in a successful college essay (as well as all writing in general) is to show rather than tell.

“Show, don’t tell” means to write out a scene in which action takes place, rather than walk through the steps of the scene. This allows the reader to use their own imagination and experience the action as if it was actually happening in the moment.

For reference, here’s an example of telling versus showing:

Telling: “I faced many challenges when I moved to a new country.”

Showing: “As I stepped off the plane, the unfamiliar sights and sounds of the bustling city surrounded me. Navigating through the crowded streets, I struggled to understand the rapid conversations in a language I barely knew. Each day after school, I spent hours with a dictionary and language apps, determined to bridge the gap between my past and this new world.”

As you can see, there are more details included in the second example, and more imagery that adds to the essay. Many students who move abroad can appreciate the challenges of learning a new language and culture. While the first example states the point, it doesn’t convey the experience and emotions of moving to a new country.

A useful prompt may be: “Can you provide examples of how to ‘show, not tell’ in my college essay to make my experiences more vivid and relatable?”

5. Highlighting Personal Growth

College essays don’t always need to be about your interests or skills. A successful essay may also discuss an opportunity you had for personal growth. Several of the seven different Common App essay prompts for 2024-2025 have to do with personal growth, but the most common is:

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? (Common Application, 2024-2025)

To help you brainstorm personal growth experiences, you could try one of the following prompts:

Prompt: (Type in an experience you had) “Please analyze the above statement and list the ways I could personally grow from this experience.”

Prompt: “How can I effectively highlight personal growth and learning experiences in my college essay?”

If you choose to write about this in your college essay, here are some tips for improving your story:

• Choose a meaningful experience: Select a moment or series of events that had a significant impact on your personal growth and learning. This could be an academic challenge, a personal struggle, a volunteer experience, or any other situation where you grew and learned something valuable.
• Be specific and detailed: Use specific examples and details to illustrate your experience. Describe the situation, your initial feelings or thoughts, the actions you took, and the outcomes. This will make your story more vivid and relatable.
• Reflect on the experience: Go beyond just describing what happened. Reflect on what you learned and how you changed as a result. Discuss the skills, values, or perspectives you gained and how they have influenced your life and future goals.
• Connect to your future: Explain how the experience has prepared you for college and your future aspirations. Admissions officers want to see how your past experiences have shaped you and how they will contribute to your success in college.
• Be honest and authentic:Authenticity is key. Write about experiences that genuinely impacted you, even if they are not grand or dramatic. Authenticity resonates more than trying to impress with exaggerated stories.

6. Using Storytelling Techniques

Writing doesn’t need to be formulaic in order for it to be engaging, but there are some techniques at your disposal that will bring out your creativity. If you love to read, then you may have already noticed storytelling techniques used by many of your favorite authors.

Included below are a few of the most common methods for storytelling, but you can also start with this generative AI prompt: “What storytelling techniques can I use to make my college essay more engaging and memorable?”

Start with a Hook: Begin your essay with an interesting or surprising statement, a vivid description, or a thought-provoking question. This can grab the reader’s attention from the very first sentence.

• Example: “The moment I stepped onto the dilapidated stage, my hands trembling with anticipation, I realized this would be the turning point of my high school journey.”

Create a Strong Narrative Arc: Structure your essay with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Build tension or conflict and then resolve it, showing your personal growth.

• Example: Begin with a challenging situation, describe the actions you took to overcome it, and conclude with the lessons you learned.

Reflect on Your Experiences: Go beyond recounting events by including introspective reflections. Discuss your thoughts, feelings, and realizations to give depth to your narrative.

• Example: “As I reflected on that day, I realized that failure was not a setback but a stepping stone toward personal growth.”

Build Emotional Connection: Share your vulnerabilities and emotions. This helps create a bond with the reader and makes your story more relatable.

• Example: “Tears welled up in my eyes as I read the rejection letter, but a spark of determination ignited within me.”

Stay Authentic: Your unique voice and personality should shine through in your writing. Authenticity resonates more than trying to impress with grandiose language or exaggerated stories.

• Example: “Growing up in a small town, I often felt invisible. But it was in those quiet moments that I discovered my true strength and the power of my voice.”

7. Editing for Clarity and Conciseness

Every writer needs to spend time editing their work. Once you’re finished with the first draft, it’s important to take a break to clear your thoughts and then jump into the editing process. While generative AI is a great tool for brainstorming ideas, it cannot replace the value of self-editing or editing by a mentor.

First, read your essay aloud. Hearing how it sounds can help you identify awkward phrases, run-on sentences, and areas where your voice may not come through clearly.

After that, you can use AI in your editing process with the prompt: “What are some tips for editing my college essay to ensure clarity and conciseness without losing my voice?”

The generative AI platform can help you come up with some creative ways to edit or a checklist for your editing process. After you follow those steps, make sure to have someone else take a look at your essay.

People who can offer great tips on a college essay include:

• Writing tutor
• College counselor
• English teacher
• Writing teacher

8. Avoiding Common Mistakes

It’s perfectly normal to make a few mistakes in your college essay. In fact, many famous authors admit that they discovered grammatical errors, plot holes, and action points that don’t make sense in their writing. That’s why it’s critical to carefully proofread and edit your essay before submitting it.

Ask Chat GBT to help you avoid mistakes by asking this prompt: “What are some common mistakes to avoid in college essays, and how can I ensure my essay stands out for the right reasons?”

Typically, the most common mistakes when writing a college essay have to do with following specific directions of the prompt. Consider the Common App essay prompts. Each one asks you to answer a specific question, so you must make sure to stay on topic and answer the prompt accordingly. For example, if you’re writing an essay about starting a non-profit organization in high school, you shouldn’t add information about your love for knitting and soccer, unless those have to do with the organization.

Generally, the most common mistakes made by students in the college essay include:

• Lack of Focus: Writing about too many topics or failing to have a clear theme.
• Clichés and Overused Topics: Writing about clichéd topics such as a generic volunteer experience without a unique perspective.
• Generic Language: Using vague, common language that doesn’t convey your unique voice or personality.
• Negative Tone or Excuse-Making: Focusing too much on negative experiences without showing growth or resilience.
• Grammar and Spelling Errors: Submitting an essay with typos, grammatical mistakes, or awkward phrasing.
• Inauthentic Voice: Writing what you think admissions officers want to hear rather than being true to yourself.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

Similar to avoiding common mistakes on the college essay, there are some common mistakes when it comes to using generative AI. The most important is that AI cannot think or write for you. The college essay is an opportunity to talk about yourself and your experiences. These are incredibly personal and cannot be generated by a machine.

A part of the reason generative AI is discouraged is because so many people end up using the technology to produce their entire work. Instead, think of generative AI as a single object in a full toolbox of equipment. You can’t build a house with just a hammer; you need many different tools to get the job done. The college essay is the same. Don’t forget about the numerous other resources and tools at your disposal, like college counselors, professors, mentors, and guidance counselors.