As a recently returning student fleeing an industry currently in flames due to AI-induced, executive psychosis, I’m glad that most of my professors are adapting to AI well. There is still coursework that is written at home, but it either requires multiple stages of revisions and feedback or an edit history. Most work is done in class now.

I’m slowly being driven insane by other students who have completely lost the ability to learn independently, or were never taught. A particular course I’m in (medical field) has a LOT of information covered in a very short amount of time, and requires a much deeper understanding than simple memorization of vocab words. You need to actually understand complex biological mechanisms and be able to figure out what went wrong or could go wrong based on a limited picture. These students have an LLM write their notes for them, make their flashcards or study materials, and then wonder why they don’t know the material! It’s so insulting to me that they credit my performance in the class to natural intelligence or great memory, when I’m actually dumb as a brick, but put tons of effort every day into studying. I know the material because I actually study, instead of having a bot study for me.

If you’re a new or returning student in the age of LLMs, write your own study materials. Force yourself to build those recall pathways. When you write or answer a flashcard, write/say it without looking at your notes, to the best of your ability to remember, even if that isn’t very good, before checking and revising. By repeatedly forcing your brain to remember and understand, you actually build the pathways you need. AI summaries and cramming info into your head doesn’t build those pathways, and you’ll retain the information far worse.