Admissions counselor reveals the new rules of college entrance applications — and whether it’s safe to rely on AI

In the high-stakes world of college admissions, there’s one lesson every hopeful applicant should learn early: What you leave out of your personal essay may matter more than what you put in.

Many schools receive tens of thousands of applications each cycle, allowing the admissions officers only a few minutes to decide whether to consider the student or move on. That means every word of an application is crucial.

In a recent survey, 91% of students said they were stressed about academics and college — and with good reason. Acceptance rates at top schools have plummeted. Meanwhile, the expectations haven’t budged, especially for students whose parents attended elite universities.

Sophie Smith, co-founder and CEO of College Contact, has helped thousands of students get into their dream schools — and she’s seen just about every mistake in the book.

To help high school seniors avoid these common errors, Smith — whose company has an 86% success rate of getting students into their first choice school — shared some of her top tips.

Don’t rely on AI

A recent study by Cornell University compared 30,000 college application essays written by humans to those written by eight popular large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT.

Even when they included the applicant’s race, gender and geographic location in the prompt — details that may help distinguish voice from one essay to another — researchers found that AI writing was easily distinguished from real human work.

In her TikTok videos, Smith often cautions students against relying on AI tools to draft essays. While it might be tempting to use ChatGPT or another generator to “polish” your writing, Smith says admissions staff can usually tell when something feels off.

“Using AI to write your essay will ultimately ruin and diminish your hard work,” she said in a TikTok video. “Admissions officers read thousands of essays — they know when the voice doesn’t sound like a teenager.”

Find the balance and keep it PG

“If you wouldn’t feel comfortable saying it out loud to a trusted adult, reconsider [your essay topic],” she told The Post.

Smith says one of the most common missteps she sees in essays is taking vulnerability or sensationalism too far.

She emphasizes that good essays don’t need to shock or provoke. “Oversharing happens when an essay focuses more on shock value than reflection,” Smith said.

Instead, she encourages students to focus on stories that reveal curiosity, growth or character. That could mean a lesson learned while coaching a younger sibling, or a small but meaningful moment that shifted your perspective.

Today’s teens have grown up online, where posting about personal struggles feels normal in an era where “being authentic” often translates to oversharing.

Combine that with a national mental health crisis, and it’s easy to see why so many essays read more like diary entries than reflections. But Smith says the solution isn’t to discourage emotion; it’s to channel it.

“Our job isn’t to tell students to hold back,” she said. “It’s to help them shape those experiences into stories of reflection and growth. Vulnerability is powerful — but it needs to show maturity.”

For today’s teens — who grew up sharing their lives online — finding the right balance between openness and professionalism can feel tricky.

Smith’s ultimate message? Authenticity doesn’t mean baring your soul. It means showing judgment, maturity, and a clear sense of who you’re becoming.

The 5 Ws

One of Smith’s top tips for creating standout essays is deceptively simple — don’t forget the who, what, where, when and why.

“If I read your essay and think 300 other students could’ve written it, it’s not specific enough,” she said. “Details are what make an essay unforgettable. Tell me what sweatshirt you were wearing, what the room smelled like, what song was playing. Those small choices show me how you think and what matters to you.”

The goal isn’t to write an English paper — it’s to paint a picture of your personality. The most memorable essays, she adds, often reveal their true message in the final lines.

“The strongest essays don’t just tell what you learned,” she adds. “They show it through storytelling and tone. Transformation is what makes an essay resonate — not the hardship itself, but what came after.”

But again, be mindful of the details you share.

“Admissions officers are evaluating judgment as much as storytelling,” she said. “If your story centers on breaking the law, it’s probably not the right vehicle to show maturity.”

Piece it together like a puzzle

While the essay gets a lot of attention, Smith reminds students that it’s just one piece of the puzzle.

In today’s test-optional era, the college essay carries more weight than ever before. “Since many colleges no longer require SAT or ACT scores, the essay has become one of the clearest ways for applicants to stand out,” Smith told The Post.

While admissions officers are looking at the full picture of a student, including grades, extracurriculars and recommendations, which factors of an application get most heavily scrutinized by admissions counselors depends on the school, Smith explained. Some colleges. looking for high GPAs and course rigor, while others care more about personal insights.

“Your activities list shows what you’ve done — your essay shows who you are,” she says. “If your essay touches on a club or project, focus on what it taught you, not just what you did. Every section should reveal something new about your character or perspective. That’s how you help an admissions reader see the full you.”

That means using your extracurricular section to show what you’ve done, and your essay to show why it mattered.

“Colleges are looking for students who are going to be positive role models, doers, self-starters and change-makers on campus and as future alumni,” she said.