The college essay is an opportunity for applicants to show a more human dimension beyond coursework, resumés, and exam results. In other words, it serves as a candidate’s space to unravel their real voice. Yet the personal statement has a long and turbulent history in the admissions process.
The requirement began in the early 1900s as universities aimed to get a broader, more intrusive picture of their applicants to assess their fit. Sadly, that “fit” was based on identity markers including religion, ethnicity, race, gender, or socioeconomic status, but eventually, by the 1960s and ‘70s, the academic landscape changed. Schools began to utilize the essay as a comprehensive look into the applicant’s inner world rather than a means to discriminate against minorities. The status of the college essay shifted again during the COVID-19 pandemic, when entrance exams became optional and admissions officers relied more heavily on the candidate’s written story to build their incoming class.
Back in 2021, we had the opportunity to interview admissions experts on what makes a standout college essay. However, we recognize that, in the age of AI, the art of writing a perfect personal statement is indisputably impacted. So here we are, in our dynamic world, returning once more to the ever-present question: How do you write a standout college essay? As AI continues to emerge in our creative spaces, we sought to understand the art of writing an unforgettable statement in an exclusive interview with Clark University’s Vice President of University of Enrollment, Lukman Arsalan.
Overall, AI is an evolving tool that can’t be ignored at Clark University. The Clark AI Innovation Fund was established with a $50,000 gift from the Yee Family to support creative artificial intelligence projects and offer grants to eight out of 59 applicants. The Clark Experience was also redesigned this past year for the first time in 14 years to spell out pieces connected to AI as faculty considers the reality of professional opportunities for their student body. In the classroom, professors differ in their policies and approach to AI, with some promoting its use, others allowing the tool as a restricted albeit helpful resource, and others still rejecting it entirely.
In the admissions zone, Arsalan and his team view AI as an instrument of efficiency. “Clark is really fortunate to get around 11,000 applications for an entering class of about 570. And so, you know, you're reviewing a lot of applications. When we look at the high school transcript, we're looking at all four years. So if you think about it, you're looking at all four years for 11,000 students, and then you're also looking at specific subjects, testing, and stuff that would qualify…” he explained. “And so this was an amazing use for us, because it really freed up a lot of time for the staff and for foreign offices that may have staff members who have dyslexia or have difficulty working with numbers. This is a really awesome tool to support those offices.”
Furthermore, Clark University turns to AI to support newly admitted students. Their mascot, a cougar named Jonas, has a phone number associated with it that students can contact and speak with in eight different languages. Jonas can answer some basic, introductory questions about next steps after they are first admitted, while also removing the anxieties of a phone call: “If you really think about it, nobody loves phone calls. I can't imagine anybody talks about that,” Arsalan said. “And so we wanted a way that people can interact without feeling the anxiety around talking to a human.”
When it comes to the use of AI in the actual writing of the college essay, Arsalan’s experience meeting with hundreds of high school guidance counselors unveiled an unexpected threat: Yes, a student’s true voice may be getting lost in their essay draft, but it’s not merely due to AI like you would think. The truth is that even beyond these generative tools, applicants are running their essay through moms, dads, uncles, sisters, teachers, friends, counselors, and others who, while intending to help, can wind up compromising the author’s authentic voice. That external voice becomes evident to admissions officers when candidates use words that are too complex for a teenager. Similarly, the use of the em dash is a telltale sign that ChatGPT was heavily involved in the essay writing.
“I know that students will be using AI to start their essays,” Arsalan said. “And I'm not gonna fight that.” Instead, he recommends that students think first, find the story they want to tell, and then use AI as a structural piece. To him, the easy part about an essay is the opportunity to tell something personal about you, that is your own story. “Nobody can tell you how your story should be, because you're in charge of that story,” he added. “When we're looking at these experiences, students go through this amazing explosion that created a new normal for them. And that's what we're looking for at the end of the day.”
Arsalan believes that the invention of AI cannot be ignored, but it also isn’t intended to replace the work. The tool should be effectively integrated into our human efforts in order to enhance the work. In drafting an essay, chatbots can be used to point towards new ways of talking about yourself and considering new dimensions for your own personal story; we are the brainpower behind the tool, not the other way around. So, while Clark University wields AI as an instrument to enrich their work, authenticity is key.
So, what kinds of stories are admissions officers looking for in an essay?
One insight that Arsalan pointed out was that your essay does not have to be about a traumatic event. “People oftentimes think that they have to have some trauma. But that's not what we're looking for. What we're looking for is: how can you write?” he shared. “And what is something about you that we haven't really seen in recommendation letters or an activity that you're doing?” Admissions officers are looking for the bone of the story, and how an event, any event, made you grow.
Arsalan also highlights the importance of the supplemental essay. While optional, he highly recommends that students use the extra space to reveal another dimension about themselves. He explained: “Oftentimes, they tend to be shorter in nature, specific, and it's also a way for us to see your own voice because those tend to be harder to use AI for.”
As the college essay continues to be a pivotal point in the application process, Arsalan’s insights may serve as guidance towards considering how to work with the motion of technology and not against it. “It's interesting how much the world evolves, even in our lifetime, and how much we really need to stay up with it,” he concluded. “When technology comes into our world, our immediate reaction tends to be: what is this? And we embrace it, at the end of the day. It becomes ubiquitous.”
Colleges are increasingly using AI beyond essay writing, including in admissions processes and student support. To learn more about how colleges are approaching AI, read AI in College Admissions and the Classroom: Where Colleges Stand for even more perspectives on how colleges are navigating AI in admissions and education.
As AI continues to become part of the college experience, the goal is not to avoid the technology altogether, but to use it thoughtfully while keeping students’ ideas, experiences, and voices at the center.
About the Author
Tula Jiménez Singer is the Marketing and Administrative Coordinator at Write the World. She graduated from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Science in Linguistics in 2025, where she focused on Cuban Spanish discourse and dialectology. Before Write the World, she worked in marketing and journalism at various organizations, including The Boston Globe and The Climate Justice and Sustainability Hub. She also served as President of Artistry Magazine, a university publication exploring global arts and culture. Writing is her greatest passion: she joined Write the World as a young writer in 2019 while living in Havana, Cuba, and continues to write stories about magical realism, Cubanism, culture, and identity.