How Can ChatGPT Be Used By Students In 2024?

The man spent his entire life working at his desk, pouring over tedious paperwork and never taking a break. One day, as he sat at his desk as usual, he suddenly slumped over and passed away, still surrounded by the work he had devoted his life to. His colleagues found him the next morning, slumped over his desk, a stack of unfiled documents by his side.

Wow. What a story! And all we had to do was type in “write a 50 word story about a man who died at his desk.” Yes, that's right, everything you just read was written by every student’s new best friend and every writer’s worst nightmare - chatGPT - the latest player in the ever-expanding market of groundbreaking AI software. 

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is OpenAI’s latest addition, launched as a prototype in November 2022. ChatGPT is trained to interact with users conversationally. The program is designed to give users a dynamic response to queries and make it seem almost like they’re conversing with a friend. The program is also constantly learning and evolving, doing its best to incorporate user feedback to improve. 

ChatGPT for students

The best part of the software may just be how easy it is to use. Once you’re on the site, all you need to do is type in the command, and it gives you an output. The trick here is to be very specific with your request. The more information you feed in, the better your output will be. It’s not rocket science, and once you’ve used it a few times, you’ll figure out the best way to get what you want from it. 

Step 1: Open chatgpt and log in with your email id when prompted
Step 2: Write clear, detailed instructions on what you would like chatGPT to do for you
Step 3: The output will be generated in a matter of seconds
Step 4: Review the output and give additional instructions as and when needed

How have I used chatGPT?

As a writer, you may be under the impression that I despise chatGPT because it's essentially trying to do my job for me. However, on the contrary, I quite enjoy what the new software has to offer. 

Great for writer’s block: Editing someone else’s content is always easier than writing from scratch.  If you have a topic that’s got you vexed, all you need is a few lines from chatGPT to get you into the right flow.  

Butter up your boss with ChatGPT: If you want to show your appreciation but don’t know how, just ask chatgpt:
“write a short 6-line, ab, rhyming poem about why <manager name> is a great manager and friend”, and in return, it will give you something like this: 

<manager name> is a manager who's great,

A leader who never hesitates.

She helps her team to grow and learn,

And she's always there when they need a hand to turn.

Friendly and kind, a joy to work with,

<manager name> is the best, there's no doubt of it.

Just try not to get caught! 

Top 10 ways students can use ChatGPT

Sounds too good to be true? Buckle up because it's about to get even better. Like most AI, chatGPT has its foot in multiple doors with the ability to help out in a range of different fields. If you’re in awe of the program and don’t know where to start, let us show you exactly how students can use chatGPT to improve their lives. 

1. Create your cover letter

Don’t know why you’d be the best fit for your dream job? ChatGPT certainly does! If you add in your personal details and give it some insight into the company you are applying to and the role you’re applying for, ChatGPT can help you bag your dream job in half the time it would have taken you to write it yourself. This is one of the best ways students can use chatGPT. 

Prefer a human touch? 

Prompt: “Write a cover letter for me.” Add your exact details to make it even more descriptive, and you’ll get your answer! 

2. Find errors and debug code 

Being one of the best ways students can use chatGPT, students spend hours combing through your code and trying to find what’s broken; try running it through chatGPT. If you’ve missed a comma or forgotten to close a bracket, the AI can likely find your error for you. You can even use it to write small sections of your code from scratch, and you just need to give it clear instructions. 

Prompt: “Find errors and debug code (add your code here)”

3. Write in different languages

Delving into creative ways, students can use ChatGPT for learning, think Google Translate, but be less robotic. ChatGPT can translate your content into any language you want and will make it sound as conversational as possible. All you need to do is type in the except that you want to be translated, and it will give you back your writing in whatever language you want. 

Prompt: “Translate (add the text) in (language)”

4. Write down your essay

While we would definitely not recommend using the software to write out your entire essay for you, it can certainly be a good starting point.  This could be one of the best ways students can use ChatGPT for learning. If you’re having writer’s block and don’t know how to begin, you can ask chatGPT to write out a few words and edit them to add your own spin to it. 

Prompt: “Write an essay on (add the topic)”

5. Solve your math problems

Struggling with your homework? Here’s how you, as a student, can use ChatGPT’s got you covered! While it won’t be able to tackle complex physics equations, it does pretty well with basic math. The tricky part with asking it to solve math equations is knowing how much information to feed in. The more you add, the better, but if you add too much information, the program is overloaded with information and gives you no results.  

Prompt: “Solve (add your math problem)”

6. Breakdown difficult topics

If you slept through your 8:00 a.m. classes and just need a quick refresher on strong theory, nihilism or Plato’s cave, here’s how you can as a student use chatGPT, and it’ll catch you up to speed. You can literally even just type, “Explain capitalism as if I’m a 5-year-old”, and without wasting a second, it will happily reply with something like

“Sure! Capitalism is a way that some countries organize their economy. In a capitalist system, people can own businesses and sell things to make money. The prices of things are usually based on supply and demand, which means that if lots of people want to buy something and there isn't much of it, the price will be higher. On the other hand, if there is a lot of something and not many people want to buy it, the price will be lower. In a capitalist system, people can also own things like houses and cars. They can choose what to buy and sell, and they can try to make as much money as they can. Does that make sense?”

7. Give you some company 

For all you introverts out there who need someone to talk to, but another human is just too much effort, chatGPT is your new best friend. Going through a breakup and need to get over your ex? Here’s what chatGPT has to say:

Breaking up can be tough, but taking care of yourself and giving yourself time to heal is important. Lean on your support system, practice self-care, stay busy, and seek professional help if needed. Remember that it takes time to get over a breakup, and feeling a range of emotions is okay.

8. Summarise your content 

If you’re one of those people who just can’t seem to end a sentence or are constantly going over the assigned word limit for your essays, try using chatGPT to pick up key points from your work and give you a summary of all your content. The best way to do this is to input the section of content you want to reduce and instruct the software to give you an output within your desired word count.  

Prompt: “Summarise this: (insert the text here)”

9. Help with complex tasks

Are there some things you’ve always wanted to know but are too afraid to ask because you’re scared you’ll look stupid? Fear not, because chatGPT is judgment-free.

Prompt:  If you need help with something basic like “How do I do my taxes?” here’s how it’ll try to help:

“To file your taxes, you will need to gather all necessary documents, such as your W-2 form, 1099 forms, and receipts for any deductible expenses. Then, choose a filing method (online, with software, or with a professional), determine your filing status (single, married, etc.), calculate your taxable income (total income minus deductions and credits), choose the correct tax forms, file on time (usually April 15th in the US), and pay any taxes owed. If you have questions or need assistance, you can seek help from a tax professional or refer to resources such as the IRS website.”

How reliable is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT primarily pulls its sources straight from Google, so ideally, you should be able to trust chatGPT as much as you trust Google. However, we have encountered instances where the software has exercised its creative freedom and fabricated stories out of thin air. This primarily happens if you give the software an open-ended topic to write on with little to no guidance. 

Is ChatGPT plagiarism-proof?

The question on everyone’s mind - will I get caught? While we definitely do not recommend using chatGPT to complete any assignment you get from start to finish, the answer is no; you likely will not get caught using chatGPT to complete your assignments. We’ve run chatGPT through plagiarism checkers, and they can be 100% plagiarism proof and can even make it past software like Turnitin and Duplichecker. However, it is still best to go through your content yourself first and change words here and there to give it a human touch. 

What are the limitations of ChatGPT?

Now, before you get too excited and try to use chatGPT to do all your work for you, here are a few things you should know before you start using it:

1. Not always accurate: While chatGPT is factually accurate around 80% of the time, there are instances where we’ve seen it provide us with incorrect or outdated information. 

2. Easily overwhelmed: The software does great with short, precise instructions, but the heavier the input, the easier it is for the software to malfunction. 

3. Can be repetitive: When asked to write information from scratch, sometimes only a limited number of outputs are provided. You can choose to keep rephrasing, but the outputs aren’t all that varied. 

4. Sounds unnatural: The fact of the matter is that the software is still in its initial stages and has not perfected itself. Large snippets of text still sound rather informal and don’t flow as naturally as they would if written by a human. 

Do’s and Don’ts of ChatGPT

As ChatGPT is an AI model, the information provided by it might not always be accurate. However, this does not mean it won’t inspire you. A few do’s and don’ts of ChatGPT are: 

Do’s of ChatGPT

1. Use chatgpt for your studies
2. Add the right prompt to get the desired answers
3. Always cross-check the answers you get; remember, it’s here to give you an idea. 
4. Use follow-up questions to refine your answers. 

Dont’s of ChatGPT

1. Don’t copy the responses as a whole, as it is not plagiarism proof; get inspiration from it and write on your own. 
2. ChatGPT is outdated, and it may not give you accurate, live-time answers
3. Chatgpt has its limitations; don’t be completely dependent on it. 

That was all you needed to know about chatGPT! So what are you waiting for? Hop online and start experimenting with chatgpt. The software will no doubt keep improving day by day, and in a few months, there may even be a new successor just waiting to take its place. If you are planning to use chatgpt tools make sure you checkout our blog on chatgpt limitations that you need to know so that you are we aware of the disadvantages. You can also read our blog on the best chrome extensions for ChatGPT and the best AI tools for students.