In the age of ChatGPT and generative AI, do admissions essays even matter anymore?
The answer is both yes and no.
Certainly, admissions committees are far less likely to use essays to screen for writing ability than in years past. The fact that an essay is grammatically, syntactically, and structurally competent is no longer evidence that the applicant actually knows how to write. Of course, a poorly written essay will still be a ding on the applicant.
However, though essays longer evidence writing ability, they still can and do communicate am applicant’s interest, character, and vision. The best essays I have reviewed do more than just sound professional; they offer a window into who the applicant is and what kind of lawyer they will become.
I remember several impressive essays from applicants in developing economies. They didn’t just speak in generalities; they discussed how a lack of advanced legal institutions prevented businesses from accessing capital, limiting economic and social growth. They detailed their hope to use their educations and the professional opportunities those educations will afford to help build the securities regulations and stock exchanges that would grow the economy and improve peoples’ lives in their home countries.
Other excellent essays reveal an applicant’s moral compass. I recall one LL.M. applicant who, as a junior associate, objected to her firm taking a position she viewed as unethical and legally dubious. Though her firm’s partners overrode her concerns, her willingness to speak up spoke volumes about her integrity. (Note: Particularly for J.D. applicants, these reflections on character and personality don’t be in the context of law or legal-related work; they just need to be authentic.)
Can’t someone just ask AI to generate such a story? Sure. That’s called lying, which has always been possible and has always been wrong. It’s one thing to use AI to refine an essay based on an otherwise a real and honest story. It is another to use AI to fabricate things that never happened. As with all tools, AI is amoral; the responsibility for integrity lies with the tool’s user. AI can make up a story for you, but it can’t make it true.
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