On using ChatGPT

LLM tools like GPT, Claude, Gemini and others are advancing really fast these days.

This change might be a good reason for some applicants to freely use them. But there is a huge problem about using tools like GPT.

ChatGPT is a next-word guesser. That's it.

If we take the abbreviation "LLM" and spread it out, it becomes "Large Language Model."

It is not a large thinking model. It is a language model. And good writing is not about taking the words and putting them together just like a parrot (it doesn't reflect any intellect). It is about thinking. So, the word LLM is the most obvious proof that tools like GPT can never help you with your essays (yet).

It doesn't think about your question. It just looks at what you wrote. And asks: "What word should come next so I don't look stupid?"

Then it picks that word. Then another word. Then another.

It keeps going until it thinks the answer is done.

No deep thinking, no understanding.

For intellectual institutions like Harvard, this is not just another shortcut students use to enhance their admission chances, but a flagrant offense to the very essence of their values: authentic thinking, original ideas, and intellectual purpose.

And that's why you should avoid using ChatGPT for your essays.

But surely there are many better ways of improving your admission chances...