ChatGPT and Essay Coaching Differences
Here are eight ways that Essay Coaching differs from ChatGPT and other Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered programs. In AI, users enter prompts to receive text.
1 We teach techniques to smash writer’s block.
2 We teach a new concept—the role of a college application essay.
3 We help students find their best topic.
4 We help students pick compelling details in their own life story, revealing their strengths.
5 We teach students to edit their own work.
6 We help families reduce stress.
7 We help students feel good about what they wrote and how they did it.
8 We know when artificial intelligence can be most helpful — when proofreading the final draft.
1 We teach techniques to smash writer’s block.
We’ve all been in school, worried about whether our writing will produce an “A.” The result: anxiety, which leads to writer’s block. ChatGPT doesn’t help you find your own compelling content. Essay Coaching has developed unique teaching techniques to keep students writing about their thoughts and experiences.
2 We teach a new concept—the role of a college application essay.
ChatGPT can’t possibly understand how these 650 college essay words are like a handshake that communicates trust and appeal, connecting two people in separate locations.
3 We help students find their best topic.
It’s been said that ChatGPT essays “lack soul” and are “vague and flat.” We see you. We listen and ask questions. We learn about your influences and goals. We ask ourselves: What might work well for you? What hasn’t been done before?
Our suggestions for topics are based upon our experiences as journalists, parents, outside observers, award-winning creative writers, and coaches who have overseen the creation of thousands of unique, strong essays.
4 We help students pick compelling details in their own life story, revealing their strengths.
You might be hard-working, but a college admissions officer said that reading ”I’m hardworking” in a college essay had no appeal. Better to say, “I’m a bagger at Krogers 20 hours a week to save for college.” We help students tell an appealing, compelling true story about themselves in their own voice. Based upon the emotions we have as readers (no emotions in Artificial Intelligence!) and college essay writing experience (since 2005, much longer than AI) we give feedback and word choice recommendations. We’re enthusiastic and encouraging.
An AI computer program hasn’t felt the joys or challenges of living so can’t help students elicit the quantitative and juicy sensory details that breathe life into an essay and shape a strong story with lines like this. “I cast my line, hoping to trick a bass near the weed beds into charging at the 3.5” white minnow imitation.” One result of this process is we help students clearly see their strengths at this challenging and significant time.
Read Essay Coaching student and parent Google reviews.
5 We teach students to edit their own work.
We show students how and where to add to, shorten, or reorganize essays with games, tips, examples, and proven techniques. A student might edit five or more versions of an essay, as it walks from conception, to first draft, to a polished version a student proudly submits in their application.
6 We help families reduce stress.
Unlike ChatGPT, we understand that behind every student applicant are parents and other supportive adults taking them on college visits, and helping them to get organized. We see parents struggling to figure out how they’ll pay for tuition and trying to not get stressed out by the deadlines, the asks, the decisions. We’re real people you can lean on, here to help a student’s essays achieve a level of excellence, with minimum stress.
7 We help students feel good about what they wrote and how they did it.
ChatGPT essays can be detected. Do students really want to worry about the results of schools detecting computer writing in college applications and in college classes? Also, note the increasing inaccuracies found in ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence programs.
The persuasive and nonfiction writing skills we teach for writing a compelling, unique college application essay will be useful beyond high school for college papers, resumes, cover letters, and emails seeking independent study, mentors, internships, and jobs.
Achievement breeds confidence. With writing confidence, students will be taking on more challenges and achieving more in college and beyond.
8 We know when artificial intelligence can be most helpful–when proofreading the final draft.
Although we make the case here for humans helping humans, there are occasions when artificial intelligence can be useful for students. For the final essay version, we support using established artificial intelligence programs like spell-checkers or grammar checkers. Humans also can be excellent proofreaders of application essays, and have been recommended by colleges since 2007.
Need help writing your college application essay? Through Essay Coaching, you’ll work one-on-one with award-winning writers Debbie Merion and Sarah J. Robbins, who help students, authors and businesses tell their story in a compelling, meaningful way. Write Debbie or Sarah to learn more.
