Is Generative AI Disrupting Admissions?

It's 2040, Tino Elgner , at that time the Head of Recruitment & Enrollment at a European university, looks back at 2023 when Generative AI became mainstream. With one of his big smiles, he remembered:

We were literally scared!

"We could not distinguish which essays were written by humans or by AI. At the same time, we didn't have any rules and guidelines that would allow us to even reject a prospective student if s/he would have used ChatGPT."

To make it more complicated, candidates use ChatGPT in very different ways as you can see from a recent survey from eduALTO :

The majority would use it either in full like Eduardo or just as an inspiration. Only 22% look to the other side when it comes to using generative AI.

Wait! Only 22% would reject it?

It looks like... Not totally coincidentally, Tino received many emails from software providers that claimed to be able to detect AI-generated content. Faculty was pushing to use this type of software as well as they faced the same issues for work projects during the programs.

So, Tino decided to go with one solution. It was a tedious month to get it implemented across the institution but it was up and running. In parallel, they got approved by the Board of Directors new guidelines on how to handle AI-generated content.

Done! Settled!

However, at the moment the dust settled and Tino's team and faculty felt empowered by the new tool to avoid any type of AI influence, OpenAI launched a new version. Also, 谷歌 was ready to fully launch #bard.

And while Tino had his first beer outside in the Biergarten sometime in April 2023, his eyes sprang suddenly wide open!

What happened?

It's a catch-up game. It's Technology vs Technology. Nobody will ever win this game... At the moment a solution provider figures out the next iteration, a new generative AI version will be ready. With more data, more sources, and more experience, the AI model become so substantial that even technology couldn't distinguish human writing from AI writing anymore.

There have been rumors that Common App delayed the announcement of it's essay prompts for 2023-24 because of ChatGPT.

Boom!

Like Tino in his Biergarten realization, there will be other universities that decide to rethink the essay element or even the entire admissions process.

The Holy Grail of Admissions is getting disrupted!

... and almost an entire Essay Writing industry will be challenged as well.

Will it impact Admissions Decisions?

Most likely not! Almost all Admissions Teams take more than the essay into account, so it's one out of many elements considered for the decision-making. Nonetheless, essays were the element for which candidates spend the most time and money on.

What are the alternatives?

In another recent survey, eduALTO revealed that communication skills are gaining importance. With AI taking over our writing, we still have the superiority in communicating with others:

Video Essays

With communication skills becoming more critical, video essays could be an alternative. Some universities like IE Business School experimented for some years with ad-hoc video essays in which candidates were given 30-60 seconds to respond to a question. Besides the content, facial expression and communication skills were evaluated. It would require a professional actor to get a ChatGPT script and present it naturally in front of the running camera within the given time frame.

Sing your Essay

Well, this is different! Think about it: Essays can be written but also expressed in so many other ways: presentations, videos, songs. Yes, the lyrics might be written by an AI but still, it needs to be converted into a song. This requires non-AI skills that can be evaluated.

Similarly, video or presentation content might be inspired by Generative AI, but it takes a second step to create the final product.

Group Discussions

Invite your candidates to live Group Discussions. It generates peer pressure and allows for evaluating how prospective students might behave during group work. Logistically, it might be more time-consuming to set them up, but there are no long essay-reading exercises that potentially could delay the admissions process.

Gamification

Design gamified elements in the admissions process that provide you with the skill insights you need to take a decision for Admission. It makes the candidate's journey more enjoyable but challenging at the same time.

Look back in time

LinkedIn is a great place to voice professional opinions. Those could be highlighted by the candidate when submitting the application. Even further goes the idea of the Linkedin Application which converts the Linkedin Profile into the core of the application: Endorsements, Skills Tests, and Recommendations are great ways of validation for an Admissions Committee.

Embrace AI

No doubt Generative AI generated shockwaves in the higher education industry. There are still countries, universities, and faculties that prohibit the use of related applications.

It's like the mobile phones 2 decades ago. Precious were those Nokia's with a 2inch black and white screen. The adoption was slow but today, it's hard to see somebody without a phone.

Generative AI is the technology with the fastest adoption rate. It is here to stay. Hence, higher education needs to embrace this technology and find new ways of application that enhance the learning experience.

It should foster critical thinking, and develop contrasting opinions to evolve until the next technological leap.

If you need support in future-proving the admissions process or help to change the mindset of your team, reach out to eduALTO for a first consultation.