Okay, seniors, confession time: I use Artificial Intelligence (AI). I resisted using it, but I’ve realized how much time it saves me on work and personal projects, like drafting emails or checking grammar.

With the rise of AI, you can also leverage it in your scholarship applications. As an EducationQuest Scholarships & Grants team member, I’ve noticed that scholarship reviewers can tell when applications rely solely on AI. I’m not here to discourage its use; I want to share how to use it effectively so your voice shines through in your applications.

AI Is a Tool, Not Your Work

Think of AI as a helpful tool rather than a replacement for your creativity. It is essential to use it as a starting point rather than the final product. AI can help you brainstorm topics, outline your thoughts, and even suggest ways to phrase your responses. However, the key is ensuring your authentic voice remains at the forefront. Use AI’s insights, but make sure your personality and unique perspective shine through in every piece you submit.

Personalized Essay Assistance

Writing scholarship essays can be challenging, but AI can help you brainstorm ideas and structure your thoughts. Use it to develop ideas on how to shape your answers and get help structuring them. You could also have AI help you create an outline to help keep your thoughts and the essay flow organized. This is a good way to help flush out what content you want to share while ensuring your essays are your voice.

Proofreading Like a Pro

Once your essay is drafted, it’s important to proofread it. AI tools can assist in checking your grammar, punctuation, and style. I use Grammarly whenever I need to read content. This is a nice tool to ensure you get your message across and sound suitable for review committees. It can also provide ideas on sentence structure and word choice.

Remember that you do not have to use everything the AI tools suggest. It may suggest options that don’t sound like you. You do not have to change your work if your wording is more your style.

Creating a Standout Resume

Some scholarships may require a resume as an application requirement. First, you can use the Activities Resume on the EducationQuest website to help you create a resume. Then, you can use AI tools to help format your resume. It can suggest what needs to be in bullet points, grammar check, and ensure the resume is your preferred style.

AI tools could also help you tailor your resume to your scholarship application. They may highlight certain points or words that stand out to reviewers. Just remember to keep your resume concise.

Mock Interviews Made Easy

If a scholarship requires an interview, AI can help you prepare by generating common scholarship interview questions for practice. Having these questions in advance can help you feel confident in an upcoming interview. These questions may also be essay questions, so use them to help shape an essay response.

Your Voice Matters

Remember how important it is to share your voice, even if you use AI in your applications. This is something the review committee wants. They want to know you. They want to hear your story. Yes, answer their questions, but your voice needs to be in the answers. I have listened to review committee members’ concerns over essay answers because they felt AI-generated. Being yourself in the application is the best thing you can do. It matters. Being authentic in your application could set you apart from the multiple AI-generated responses a review committee member may encounter.

By Alex Jurgens

Assisted by AI