In this age of AI, colleagues and I discuss what it truly means to be a human creator. Whether artist or professor, novelist or teacher, or all of the above, wise people I know are ruminating on this topic. When it comes to the college essay, I teach students takeaway skills … [Read more...] about Create, Verify, Edit: 3 College Essay Skills I Teach
Essay Coaching
Is It Plagiarism to Use ChatGPT for my College Essay?
This post will be updated as K-12 schools and universities adjust. (August 2023) A few schools, like Georgia Tech, are waving a greenish flag of AI support for an essay. I love how this blog breaks it down: fantastic advice and guidelines. The question I would ask anyone … [Read more...] about Is It Plagiarism to Use ChatGPT for my College Essay?
Me and the Machine: How Will We Make This Work?
Creativity is sacred, and it is not sacred. What we make matters enormously, and it doesn't matter at all. We toil alone, and we are accompanied by spirits. We are terrified, and we are brave. - Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic Liz Gilbert set me straight this morning. I … [Read more...] about Me and the Machine: How Will We Make This Work?
What ChatGPT means for us non-machines
I'm writing this for all the exhausted educators out there who needed ChatGPT's release like they need a burst pipe or an icy road. I write this for teachers wondering whether essay prompts they've worked hard to design--are designing right now on their holiday break--have a … [Read more...] about What ChatGPT means for us non-machines
Follow Your Heart in the College Essay
If ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard... - Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz The college essay has more in common with The Wizard of Oz than the traditional academic essay. That's because a great personal statement is … [Read more...] about Follow Your Heart in the College Essay
What Dads Can Teach Us About the College Essay
This is my wonderful dad, Steve Fairchild. He is 81. He is energy, curiosity, and exploration incarnate. So he loves the full-coverage Australian walking hat my sister got him for Father's Day. It's a key accessory for his daily strides around the neighborhood. My dad … [Read more...] about What Dads Can Teach Us About the College Essay