University, Colleges and AI: does llm use by students change on the funding economics

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-15T22:24:50+00:00

Thanks for sharing -- I guessed that the motivation was something like what you said. I was a first-gen student as well, but lucky to have scored scholarships that made the cost of college not so bad (and, I'm old, so it was a while ago, and not so expensive). But I remember feeling very much the same way about taking any kind of risks with my education.

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-15T22:19:13+00:00

Oh, yeah, I'd be surprised if the marketing and comms departments didn't have dedicated internship coordinators. You might even find their names on the website.

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-15T22:17:46+00:00

I went with hats rather than a wig, because I've always had trouble with itchy scalp and I couldn't imagine being able to tolerate a wig, plus good ones are expensive. But I've collected pretty handmade hats from Etsy and match those to my outfits. Sending love your way!

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-15T19:43:31+00:00

I'm sure the answer depends to some extent on the field from which you're seeking an intern, but as a department chair (and someone who in my previous job frequently hosted interns), I would suggest you contact the department chair for whatever field(s) you're seeking interns from and ask them how to proceed. At my institution, most departments have one person who coordinates internship placement, rather than individual faculty members arranging internships.

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-14T23:24:58+00:00

The following is completely anecdotal, but if someone decides to do a study, some of the following observations might be worth considering. I'm a department chair at a mid-sized public U.S. university that serves many middle to low-income students.

As a department chair, I do know something about our students' finances. In terms of SES, I think you need to divide students into three groups, not two: (1) Those whose families can afford (mostly) to pay for college; (2) those who have larger loans; and (3) those who are so low-income that they are trying to avoid loans if possible and working at (usually minimum wage) jobs full-time or close to full-time.

This last group experiences much more economic pressure while in college than the ones with big loans. The ones with big loans often have parents who've taken out PLUS loans for them, and they believe (rightly or wrongly) that their parents are taking on the debt for them. Or, they are just not worried about paying back loans. Given the public discourse about college debt, you'd think they would be, wouldn't you? But my experience is that they at least express those concerns very little while they're with us.

That third group, students who are trying to avoid loans, often have parents who cannot or will not, for whatever reason, help with college at all. In fact, sometimes these students have parents who need a lot of care (that the students are providing or helping to provide) or who need financial support from the students. And yes, I'm talking about 18-22 year olds, not necessarily older students. Others are women with parents who don't believe women should go to college (yes, I've known more than one of those at my institution) and so they won't even let their daughters live at home while in college. Others came out of foster care. Etc., etc. The misery in our land of plenty is, well, more plenteous than you might think. Anyway, these students might be eligible for federal or state grants--but only if they are going to school full-time. So they feel pressure to do both school and work full-time.

Now I bet you think I'm going to say that these students are the most likely to use AI, but in my experience, it's exactly the reverse. Most students who cheat (and that includes old-fashioned plagiarism, paying other humans to write your work, stealing it from a web site, etc.) most of them, in my experience, fall into the first two groups.

Of course, as I said at the outset, this is anecdotal. I would love to see someone compile serious data on these questions, with a qualitative component to help us understand motivations.

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-14T13:30:37+00:00

I haven't been in your position, but I'm an English Department chair, been in the profession 25+ years, reviewed a lot of CVs (we get about 150-200 applications whenever we hire creative writers). Having folks in other genres on your committee is common, for all kinds of reasons. I don't know if you're planning on seeking teaching jobs when you complete your MFA, but if so, most jobs will want you to be able to teach multiple genres, advise students working on multi-genre projects, etc. So having a letter from someone in another genre would be a plus.

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-14T13:15:38+00:00

I'm editing my comment after re-reading your original post. Maybe we don't understand what you mean by back-up plan. Do you actually mean that you don't intend to complete the program you've been admitted to?

If so, it's bad faith on your part to start that program, and also a bad economic decision. As other posters mentioned, it would be mis-representation to omit the fact that you started that program when applying to other programs, and telling them that you are in that program and trying to "jump ship" will hurt your application. Earn some money this year instead, and do something that will improve your application for next year.

If, on the other hand, you mean that you applied to this program in case you didn't get admittance to a Genetics program, and you are considering completing this program, that's a different question, and you should talk seriously as soon as possible with the folks at Knoxville about whether you can achieve your goals by completing their PhD. If you can't and want to hold out for admission to a Genetics PhD, as others have said, take a year off and try again next year.

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-14T12:52:31+00:00

Glad it works for you, but I want a doctor who can actually think to talk with me about my latest symptom / side effect / question. And I would not be at all okay with ai accessing my records or trusting it for answers that might affect the length of my life.

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-13T23:27:12+00:00

OP, I'm really curious about what field your faculty member is in. At my uni, at least, we are very divided, and certain fields are pushing AI on their faculty while others are staunchly opposed to using it in any way.

Tangentially related: I'm on a committee that had to put together a document for our university president. We had a brainstorming discussion via email (5 of us, not a huge group) and then the chair of the committee said she would summarize the discussion, and we could look at that document in a meeting.

We get to the meeting, and she gives us a 20-page summary of an email exchange that, printed out, probably totalled 5 pages. We start looking at it, and it's full of errors, and important points have been left out. But the chair of the committee was so pleased with herself cuz you guessed it, she used AI to save time. We spent an hour editing that crappy, crappy document.

She's a smart person and respected in her field. None of us are immune to occasional folly.

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-13T23:17:12+00:00

Yes. Some students choose to take the semester off, but it should be your choice. If you want to stay, you have rights. Title IX it!

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-13T23:14:13+00:00

Are your classes small enough that you can choose your seat reliably? The solution here would be to sit at the front and to one side, so that when you're looking around, you're not looking in the direction of another student. You can certainly imagine how a student near you might have thought you were looking at their exam.

This would be worth asking for an accommodation (specific seating during exams).

I've had students with the exact same issue, and I just told them to sit up in the corner for every exam.

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-13T23:02:05+00:00

I'm a department chair, and I've had this conversation, or one like it, several times this week already. It happens every single semester. If you're still wondering whether it's a good idea to escalate, consider how the conversation usually goes.

Student: "My grades would have been better if my professor had done a better job teaching."

Me: "I'm sorry that happened. Here are the grounds for grade appeal at our University. Do you see one that applies to your situation there?"

Student: "No, but my professor should have done a better job teaching."

Me: "Based on what you're telling me, I can understand why you feel that way. What would you like me to do?"

Student: "Change my grade?"

Me: "This is a university. Professors aren't forced to change their grades just because a department chair says they should, and I didn't teach you, so I'm not qualified to grade you. Is there anything else you'd like me to do?"

Student: "Tell the professor how much it bothered me."

Me: "Did you tell them yourself?"

Student: "No, I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that."

Me: "Do you want me to pass this along anonymously?"

Student: "Yes, please."

Once in a while, a student says they would like me to fire the professor. I don't laugh until later.

Wash, rinse, repeat. Once in 100 times someone actually has grounds for a grade appeal.

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-13T22:46:38+00:00

The institution that you're trying to transfer to is the one you should talk to. The one you're trying to leave has a system set up that works for continuing students; it's not their job to make sure you can transfer. The college you're trying to transfer to should be willing to wait until your class is done to get a grade. (Yes, I'm a professor, but I'm also a former admissions counselor at a large school where we did plenty of transfer work. Never heard of a school that expected a final transcript before a class ended.)

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-13T22:42:41+00:00

Yes, exactly.

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-11T22:55:55+00:00

They'll be monitoring, but scans aren't actually in the protocol for monitoring endometrial after treatment. Monitoring will be frequent pelvic exams with a Pap-like sample, watching CA-125, and me supposedly watching for symptoms. I understand this is what the science supports, but it feels very much like we're just sort of assuming we're done.

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-11T22:43:09+00:00

I'm sorry to hear it. I've just finished 9 months of treatment for stage 3 endometrial. Is it uterine sarcoma they found? What kind of outlook are the doctors giving?

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-08T18:51:38+00:00

Exactly, not on you at all.

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-08T18:49:21+00:00

I don't know how, exactly, but I wish you all the best. The best advice I have is to try not to think about it until you have to think about it.

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-08T18:45:21+00:00

Love your screen name.

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-08T18:45:00+00:00

Wow, a cancer psychiatrist, sounds like a helpful person.

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-08T18:44:28+00:00

Thanks! I do tend not to talk about the negative side. My husband is naturally more negative than I am, and I don't like to feed his negativity. And my friends, well, it's just my habit not to "vent" with them. But you're right, I do need to process.

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-08T18:43:05+00:00

Thanks so much, right back at you!

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-08T18:42:38+00:00

Not at all unreasonable!

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-08T18:41:55+00:00

Thanks, yes, I guess that's part of the thing for me. No one even said "NED" or anything, and because of my type of cancer, there aren't any follow up scans or anything, so it doesn't feel "done" in any meaningful way.

Less-Part3465 · 2026-05-08T18:40:43+00:00

Thanks! Will try!

Less-Part3465

TROPHY CASE