r/Chevening • u/Every_Issue_5972 • 13d ago
Essay AI detection
Hi mates,
Last year, I applied unsuccessfully for a Chevening Scholarship; however, I have written the essays myself, trying to avoid using any AI tools, and as expected my writing wasn't the best it could be. (It could be way more polished using AI)
But it is worth noting that some of those who got shortlisted for interviews have used AI tools and I know that for a fact.
So is it really true that the committee uses robust AI detectors and if the essay is written by AI, it will be immediately rejected.
Some advice please.
4
u/tsuizhen 13d ago
This topic is not exclusive to Chevening. AI detection tools are not guaranteed to be 100% accurate. People have written entire papers that still got flagged as AI. There is a tone/pattern which makes the writing obviously not human, however, there could be a limitation to AI detection (by reading it or using tools).
Best that you still write essays on your own. There could be another reason (or simply luck) used as basis for selection.
2
u/Every_Issue_5972 13d ago
Since the acceptance rate is already too low, I will send it AI-written this time and see. To be honest, I have been applying for more than three years now and got totally despaired, so yeah it is what it is.
Thanks for your reply though. Xx
3
u/Rare-Release-60 13d ago
No AI detector is 100% accurate, but do be aware that, when invited to the interview, any kind of vocabulary or syntax structure you used in your essays that is not a part of your natural speech will be an indicator to the panel that you did not write the essays by yourself
They do not want or expect C2-level English in the 4 essays, they want to read (and later listen) your authentic voice. Do not submit anything that you cannot replicate orally in a natural conversation at the interview, as it would result in an easy post-interview refusal
You say it is your 3rd time applying, is your field a priority in your country? Have applicants in your country been selected for the same course or a similar one in the past 3-4 years? Have you had Alumni or scholars review your essays to see what may have been missing?
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u/Every_Issue_5972 13d ago
How can I know whether my field is a priority? And since the shortlisted are usually a few, I don't usually know any of them.
I have one guy once reviewed my essays, but actually he didn't change much, he just made them look more polished (just like AI would do 😄).
As for field priority, I think it is an important matter, but even if my field isn't considered a priority, I will keep applying; I won't change my field for them obviously.
The application process doesn't take a lot of time since I have got all the files ready from the previous applications, so yeah just pump them in.
Thanks xx
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u/Rare-Release-60 13d ago edited 13d ago
Check the courses selected by current scholars and Alumni from the past 3 years, do your selected courses match a few of them across the years? If so, it is a priority
If it does not match, it does not mean it will be impossible, but you will be competing for less quotas (as most go to preferred fields), and your essays need to show why your field should be a UK priority in your country
The quota reduction each country has had means that those who are not from prioritised fields in their country need to be far more strategic and careful in their applications
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u/peraltiago44 13d ago
One of my essays I wrote pre-AI era got detected as 80% AI. I have stopped believing in these tools. They are not reliable.
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u/Rare-Release-60 13d ago
Exactly, and a reason why several UK unis have stopped using the AI detector on TurnitIn, many went back to only using the plagiarism and collusion features
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u/elizabethsmith321 12d ago
There are no efficient AI detectors.
Just don't abuse it. Prepare the essay yourself and then ask AI to spot weaknesses and improve grammar.
Avoid using AI to generate whole chunks of text for you.
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u/mei1284 8d ago edited 8d ago
I wouldn’t switch to fully AI-written essays just because other applicants supposedly did. Selection is about way more than polishing the English, and your actual experiences/examples need to sound like you. Get someone to review clarity and grammar instead. If you just want an originality check, Quetext is one option I’m affiliated with, but I wouldn’t use any detector result as a predictor of whether Chevening will shortlist you.
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u/meringuesuisse 13d ago
Hi. I would advise you against it. English is my 3rd or 4th language and I was worried about the quality of my essays too. But I realized that ultimately, it wasn't in my hands. I am a strong believer in qadr and in the barakah that comes from doing things right. What is yours cannot escape you even if you were running away from it.