The worst criticism I’ve ever obtained from an editor is “it feels like ChatGPT wrote this.” However as quickly as Melissa informed me that I believed: she’s proper. Sadly, she stated this concerning the submit I wrote about my son stepping into Duke. So I’m making an attempt once more as a result of I must inform you that he was homeschooled since first grade, and he had a traumatic mind harm in highschool, and I’m fully thrilled for him that he acquired into his first-choice faculty.

And I additionally must inform you yet one more factor. It is a message for everybody who informed me I ought to have simply despatched him to high school as an alternative of spending manner an excessive amount of cash on tutors: fuck off. He acquired a full scholarship. It’s true that I spent an enormous quantities of cash on homeschooling, however Duke’s tuition is $250K.

Again to my rejected submit about Duke. I used to be planning to take 500 victory laps which is how lengthy it could take to inform you how nice I’m whereas pretending to make all of it about my child and never about me. However I can’t try this as a result of what I discovered from listening to I wrote one thing like ChatGPT is that the extra normal an individual’s writing is, the extra seemingly AI might have written it.

If we write very particular, based mostly on our personal expertise — with an individual, thought or course of, for instance — then AI can’t know sufficient about it to write down about it.

Within the olden days — the 2000s — I accepted visitor posts on my weblog. I used to inform those who for me to submit it they wanted to have these three issues:

1. A recent opinion that I can’t discover on-line

2. A private angle that reveals me why they’re writing concerning the subject

3. A takeaway for the reader to make their life higher.

Solely about 5% of people that inquired about visitor posts might really meet my necessities for visitor posts. Frankly, I can’t actually meet the necessities both: Melissa throws out most of what I write as a result of it’s lacking a type of three issues.

However typically I sneak. I inform myself I’m so humorous/sensible/insightful that I don’t want all three objects. These submit by no means do properly. We intuitively know to avoid stuff that feels like AI — the truth is my weblog is proof that we have now intuitively recognized this even earlier than there was AI. As a result of earlier than there was AI there was nonetheless actually shitty writing.

Again when my son first began homeschooling I learn that Stanford accepts 5% of candidates however 27% of homeschoolers. It makes complete sense. You’ll be able to’t stand out by doing what faculty tells you to do.  You’ll be able to solely present you’re one of many children who’s good at college. High faculties search for children who’re outstanding, however most individuals are scared to be outstanding (and that feels like, How will you educate math? and How will he socialize? and Training that a lot isn’t good for a child his age!)

Moreover, faculty purposes give faculty counselors outsized energy over which college students of their faculty get accepted the place. However with a homeschooled child, the dad or mum is the college counselor. This fully undermines the impression of college counselor on the applying so the coed can shine on their very own — no mediator.

You’ll by no means learn that on ChatGPT. As a result of it’s educated to not say something controversial.

Somebody beneficial to my son that he follow writing papers over the summer time as a result of Duke will probably be much more troublesome than homeschooling.

My son stated, “I don’t must follow. I’ll do the triple AI strategy: ask ChatGPT write the paper, inform ChatGPT to rewrite the paper to not sound like ChatGPT, after which use ChatGPT to examine the grammar.”

I’m so excited to observe my son on this subsequent section of his life.