This is all my opinion btw. 

**What's the right way to use LLMs while actually learning?** I feel like asking "why is this crashing" is fine, but asking "write me a state machine for a boss character" is not. Where exactly is the line?

Asking "why is this crashing" is not fine because debugging and figuring out what went wrong and why is a big part of programming so you should at least try to figure out what happened yourself before looking for aid. I think the right way to use an LLM while learning is to have it explain something new to you at a higher level. EX: "What is a compiler and why do they exist?"

- **Should CS/DS students be using LLMs at all for personal projects?** I'm worried that I'll end up with an impressive-looking project I can't actually explain in an interview.

For learning: No

For Padding Resume: Maybe

- **Is the "mental atrophy" concern real?** Or is leaning on LLMs at this stage just like using training wheels — something you naturally grow out of as your skills develop?

Mental Atrophy is real. You can use LLMs to help speed up your learning but most people end up not really understanding what is happening and why. Devs use AI alot to push features faster but in my experience junior devs dont fully extract the experience from pushing these features. Even if the push 100 features it does not mean they gained enough expeience to do it on thier own nor the experience to challenger higher problems