College Writing

“What? He has cancer?” It was a muggy day in April of 2025. I had just woken up at my friend’s house after we stayed the night when I received a devastating phone call from my mom. She had called me to tell me that my grandfather had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. My grandfather had gone to the hospital the week prior because he was having really bad stomach pains and he wasn’t eating much. The doctors had found a tumor on his pancreas but due to the spot it was in it was very unlikely to be pancreatic cancer. So when I got that phone called it really made my heart drop to my stomach. I was shocked, I told my mom to tell me she was joking, “What? He has cancer? I thought the doctors said it was unlikely to be cancer.” I told her I was on my way home. I said goodbye to my friends and left his house and got inside my car. I drove home with no music and just cried the whole drive home. I had never had anyone die in my family so close to me, all I could think is if he’s going to be the first. My grandfather has been my best friend my whole life. I used to live with my grandfather. He took me to elementary school every single day and made me breakfast every morning. He was always a hard worker and he was the person I looked up to the most my whole life. He would always slip me money when my mom wasn’t looking and always had my back when my parents were mad at me. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing him. Not this soon

About 2 weeks later I went to my grandfather’s house to visit him after his first round of chemo. I walked in the house and he was sitting on the couch laying his legs on a small table. The first thing I noticed was how much weight he had lost. He was so thin. The color of his skin was fading. He looked so tired and uncomfortable. I couldn’t even get close to him because the risk of him getting infections were high. But still being my same old grandfather he gave me 20 dollars as soon as I got to the house. I could see his spirit was still there.  The thing that broke me the most though was when he was telling me that if cancer takes his life he is ready and we shouldn’t be sad and to keep living our lives and chase our dreams. My grandmother came into the living room and handed my grandfather a bowl with a little bit of rice in it. He struggled to swallow his food and barely could finish the small amount of rice my grandmother had given him. I had to go to work so I told him I loved him and blew him a kiss. After I left his house I made the decision that I was going to visit him at least 2 times a week because I didn’t know how much time he had left so I wanted to spend time with him before he passed.

Thankfully today my grandfather is still alive and doing better although he still has cancer. My grandfather’s diagnosis made me realize how something like cancer can really affect people’s lives. It doesn’t matter how healthy you are, there is always a chance that you will have cancer. Especially if it runs in your family. Thankfully doctors and medicine are here to help treat us and help us live a longer healthy life. There is still constant research for the cure for cancer. I hope that one day in the near future researchers will be able to find a safe way to cure cancer. It’s just so crazy that someone close to you getting cancer can really affect you as well. It can come at any time, and you never know when their time will be up. It’s something you can’t really understand until you experience it for yourself. I never really understood how cancer really affected families until it happened to me. Cancer is something I would never wish on my worst enemy or their family. I still visit my grandfather often as I still don’t know how much time he has left. Stay close to your loved ones and don’t take time for granted because you never know when someone in your family is going to get a life changing diagnosis.

I chose to write about health/medicine. I wanted to write about this because I have had many personal experiences with health problem. It is something that I am very passionate to write about. I’ve always been interested in health and medicine even though I have never thought of working in that field. It makes me interested to see how far medical care has come and how there is new research done every day to help cure people of their illnesses that are setting them back. Coming from a family with a lot of health issues I love to see that doctors and scientists are working there hardest to keep people around the world healthy.

Throughout my whole life I have never been too much of a writer. I never like the idea of having to read something and then write about it, or have to do research to write an essay. The only type of writing I have ever enjoyed was personal narratives. I like the idea that I can just write about stuff from the top of my head. When I write personal essays they aren’t usually about a good part in my life. It’s usually about a time in my life when I was struggling. I use it as a way to cope with the problems that I have because it almost feels like I’m talking to someone about it when I’m writing the essay which brings me a feeling of comfort. I usually struggle with essays when there is background research to be done because I usually get stumped on what to write about. If I’m writing about personal experiences I could type for hours on end. However I would like to get better at writing other types of essays as well. I’ve never really hated writing, I’ve just never been the best at it. I personally just try to write to the best of my ability and any mistakes I make I’ll use them to learn to write better.

I really like how you described everything in detail. Using your own personal experience’s to be able to help others. If you can I think you should go into more detail about your personal story with your abuela. This is only a rough draft so it’s perfectly normal to not have much. You brought your point up very easily and the story is very easy to understand. That sentences you have at the very end is also a very good closing sentence for your essay. Overall, you have a very good draft so far with a good choice of grammar, you have specific details explained well, and you have a really good story in general.

Are you serious? She has cancer? It was a cloudy day in May of 2024 when I received what was possibly some of the most shocking news I’ve received in my life. My mom had called me to let me know that my aunt had been diagnosed with breast cancer. A question immediately rushed to my mind. Is she ok? How bad is it? How did she get cancer? My aunt is one of the healthiest and most hard working people I’ve ever known, she is a second mother to me. As soon as I hung up that phone I couldn’t contain my emotions. I started to cry and I was overall really terrified of this whole situation. I tried to go to school the next day but got dismissed before lunch. I was still so broken and anxious about my aunt. My grades in school tanked and I ended up falling behind. Luckily we had found out that my aunt was most likely going to survive and she would just have to go through chemotherapy. After countless months of me and my mom taking care of my aunt and staying by her side and praying for her to recover, my aunt was confirmed cancer free on February 3rd, 2025. I felt so much relief in the moment as my aunt rang that bell on the hospital wall. It was finally all over, nothing else to worry about. For now.

It was March 23rd of 2025. I had just woken up at my friends, me and my friends had slept over there because yesterday was my 18th birthday. I was talking to my friends as I was about to leave when I got a call from my mom. She had told me that my grandfather had gotten his tests back and it turns out he had pancreatic cancer. He had been having trouble eating recently and was losing weight. He went to the doctor to get checked out and they found a tumor on his pancreas. Doctors said it most likely wasn’t cancer but to be safe they tested it for cancer. So when my mom told me he had cancer I was shocked. It was the fact that my aunt had just gotten cancer that just confused me. Why was this happening all of a sudden? I’ve never been the type of person to get emotional in front of people so I just told my mom that I will be home in a few minutes and then I hung up the phone, said bye to all of my friends and I went to my car and started driving home. On the drive home I started to cry. I knew my grandfather was getting old and I knew how bad pancreatic cancer is. I knew that his chances of surviving were going to be low. I got home and my mom and I went to my grandparents house to visit my grandfather. He promised us that he would be ok. I still visit him at least a few times a week after his diagnosis. He is still fighting to this day but I still visit him just in case it will be the last time I visit him.

After my aunt and grandfather got cancer it really made me realize how life really doesn’t promise anybody anything. Any day can be your last. Doesn’t matter if you’re the happiest person alive doing everything right. Life can end at any second. So I always make sure to visit my family often and I hang out with my friends pretty much every day. I make sure I tell everyone to be safe and that I love them before I leave. You don’t truly understand something like cancer or something else until it happens to you or someone you know.

Using Ai in writing and using a calculator in math is quite similar but have one main difference. Both tools can be used to assist you with your work. For example, you could ask Ai to give you an idea to write for an essay and in math class you could have a calculator solve problems for you. The main difference is with Ai, you could use it for more than just helping you. It is capable of writing full essays in seconds. Although it is not reliable to use essays from Ai as Ai is not perfect yet and it could also be considered plagiarism. So, using Ai in English and calculators in math can both be a great tool to help you except ai is capable of much more.

When considering the best car to own, there are many factors to weigh—reliability, fuel efficiency, affordability, comfort, and technology. While personal preference plays a major role, the Toyota Camry consistently stands out as one of the best all-around vehicles for the average driver.

First and foremost, the Camry is known for its exceptional reliability. Toyota has built a reputation for making long-lasting vehicles, and the Camry is no exception. Many owners report driving their Camrys well beyond 200,000 miles with minimal major repairs, making it a wise long-term investment.

Fuel efficiency is another major advantage. The Camry offers competitive gas mileage, with hybrid options delivering over 50 miles per gallon. This makes it ideal for both city commuters and highway drivers looking to save money and reduce their environmental footprint.

Comfort and technology also make the Camry a top contender. The interior is spacious, with user-friendly infotainment systems, advanced safety features, and smooth handling. Newer models include adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and smartphone integration, offering a premium experience at a reasonable price.

While sports cars and luxury SUVs may appeal to certain lifestyles, the Toyota Camry offers a balanced, practical option that meets the needs of most drivers. It’s not flashy, but it delivers where it counts—reliability, efficiency, and value. For those seeking a dependable, everyday car, the Camry is arguably the best choice on the road.

How would you evaluate or review the essay produced?
By doing your own research to see if the information given by AI is reliable.

Would submitting it in a college classroom constitute plagiarism, and why or why not?
Technically using AI isn’t the same as plagiarizing, because you’re not stealing someone’s work for your own benefit. Although it can be taken just as serious and is considered academic dishonesty.

Could you revise it in some way to make it an acceptable submission, or a better essay? Revise a short portion to demonstrate.
I wouldn’t recommend having AI write you an essay and just revise it yourself since AI isn’t perfect yet and is still capable of giving you inaccurate information. Instead have AI there to help you develop ideas and write the essay out yourself so you know it is your own credible work.