AI May Be Scoring Your College Essay: Welcome to the New Era of Admissions


A stylized visual showing a college application essay page with glowing red marks and scores being assigned by a disembodied robotic hand emerging from a digital screen, symbolizing the automated and impersonal nature of AI-driven admissions scoring. Image (and typos) generated by Nano Banana.
The gatekeepers go digital: Welcome to the new era of college admissions, where artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to evaluate student essays, fundamentally changing the application process. Image (and typos) generated by Nano Banana.

Source

AP News

Summary

This article explores the expanding use of AI systems in U.S. university admissions processes. As applicant numbers rise and timelines tighten, institutions are increasingly turning to AI tools to assist in reviewing essays, evaluating transcripts and identifying key indicators of academic readiness. Supporters of AI-assisted admissions argue that the tools offer efficiency gains, help standardise evaluation criteria and reduce human workload. Critics raise concerns about fairness, particularly regarding students whose writing styles or backgrounds may not align with the patterns AI systems are trained to recognise. Additionally, the article notes a lack of transparency from some institutions about how heavily they rely on AI in decision-making, prompting public scrutiny and calls for clearer communication. The broader significance lies in AI’s movement beyond teaching and assessment into high-stakes decision processes that affect students’ educational and career trajectories. The piece concludes that institutions adopting AI must implement strong auditing mechanisms and maintain human oversight to ensure integrity and trust.

Key Points

  • AI now used in admissions decision-making.
  • Faster processing of applications.
  • Concerns about bias and fairness.
  • Public criticism where transparency lacking.
  • Indicates AI entering core institutional processes.

Keywords

URL

https://apnews.com/article/87802788683ca4831bf1390078147a6f

Summary generated by ChatGPT 5.1


Faculty innovate with, and avoid, AI in the classroom


A split image contrasting two distinct classroom approaches to AI. On the left, a bright, modern classroom shows faculty and students collaboratively engaging with holographic displays and laptops, demonstrating "Innovative Integration" and "Collaborative Research AI." On the right, a darker, traditional classroom features a blackboard with a large red 'X' over "AI" and "NO AI TOOLS" written below it, with faculty and students avoiding technology, symbolizing resistance to AI. Image (and typos) generated by Nano Banana.
The academic world is currently experiencing a bifurcated response to artificial intelligence: while some faculty are enthusiastically innovating with AI to transform learning, others are deliberately avoiding its integration, advocating for traditional methods. This image vividly illustrates these contrasting approaches within university classrooms, highlighting the ongoing debate and diverse strategies faculty are employing regarding AI. Image (and typos) generated by Nano Banana.

Source

Cornell Chronicle

Summary

Cornell faculty are experimenting with hybrid approaches to AI: some integrate generative AI into coursework, others push back by returning to in-person, pencil-and-paper assessments. In nutrition and disease classes, AI is used to simulate patient case studies, generating unpredictable errors that prompt students to think critically. In parallel, some professors now include short “job interview” chats or oral questions to verify understanding. A campus survey found 70% of students use GenAI weekly or more, but only 44% of faculty do. Cornell is responding via workshops, a GenAI education working group, and guidelines to preserve academic integrity while embracing AI’s pedagogical potentials.

Key Points

  • AI is used to generate case studies, simulate patients, debate AI arguments, and help faculty draft content.
  • Some faculty moved back to paper exams, in-class assessments, or short oral checks (“job interviews”) to guard learning.
  • A campus survey showed 70% of students use GenAI weekly, vs. 44% of faculty.
  • Cornell’s GenAI working group develops policies, workshops, and academic integrity guidelines around AI use.
  • The approach is not binary acceptance or rejection, but navigating where AI can support without eroding students’ reasoning and agency.

Keywords

URL

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2025/10/faculty-innovate-and-avoid-ai-classroom

Summary generated by ChatGPT 5


We are lecturers in Trinity College Dublin. We see it as our responsibility to resist AI


Five distinguished individuals, appearing as senior academics in traditional robes, stand solemnly behind a large wooden table in an ornate, historic library. In front of them, a glowing orange holographic screen displays 'AI' with complex data and schematics. The scene conveys a sense of responsibility and potential resistance to AI within a venerable academic institution. Generated by Nano Banana.
In the hallowed halls of institutions like Trinity College Dublin, some educators are taking a principled stand, viewing it as their inherent responsibility to critically engage with and even resist the pervasive integration of AI into academic life. This image reflects a serious, considered approach to safeguarding traditional educational values amidst technological change. Image generated by Nano Banana.

Source

The Irish Times

Summary

Lecturers at Trinity College Dublin argue that even if all technical and ethical issues around generative AI were resolved, the use of GenAI still undermines fundamental elements of university education: fostering authentic human thinking, cultivating critique, and resisting the commodification of learning. They emphasise that GenAI produces plausible but shallow output, contributes to environmental and ethical harms, and can flatten student voice. The authors believe universities should reject the narrative that GenAI’s integration is inevitable, and instead double down on preserving human-centered pedagogies, critical thinking, and academic values.

Key Points

  • GenAI produces plausible but often shallow/false output; lacks true understanding.
  • Ethical, environmental, and social harms are tied to GenAI use.
  • Even with perfect versions, GenAI undermines authentic student thinking and writing.
  • Narratives of inevitability are resisted: universities can choose otherwise.
  • Universities should reaffirm critical, human intellectual labour and values.

Keywords

URL

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025/09/04/opinion-we-are-lecturers-in-trinity-college-we-see-it-as-our-responsibility-to-resist-ai/

Summary generated by ChatGPT 5