“Hey Siri, turn on my writing app Truth Detection. I need to write my college admissions essay and I want to be sure I don’t lie in it.”
“Truth Detection activated. Begin writing and I will check for dishonesty.”
“Dear admissions committee, I want to attend the University of Michigan because of the breadth of opportunities across all academic disciplines. I could participate in a number of different areas of interest, from the fine arts and humanities, to engineering. I am interested in the humanities becau…”
“Excuse me, Roman. Our database of your interests indicates that while you enjoy reading, you have not expressed an interest in studying humanities at university.”
“Ok. Thanks, Siri.”
“While I appreciate reading and humanities, my primary interest is in the sciences. I like addressing problems in a manner that can be tested and explored objectively. While I do enjoy open debate…”
“Excuse me, Roman. Our database of your interests indicates that you do not enjoy the open debate. On May 23, August 17, and October 6, you said so. Shall I search further back?”
“No, stop searching, Siri.”
“While I prefer debating interpretable results with people of similar open-mindedness, I am hoping to expand my interests by interacting with students of different backgrounds within a smaller classroom. The Honors Program, with its idyllic setting…”
“Excuse me, Roman. You have not used the word ‘Idyllic’ before today. Shall I add it to your known vocabulary? Are you sure of it’s meaning?”
“Does it mean ‘academic and argumentative’?”
“No, Roman.”
“Inside a small classroom?”
“No, Roman.”
“Without grades and lots of free time?”
“No, Roman. You do not know what idyllic means.”
“Apparently, not. Ok, thank you, Siri.”
“The Honors Program offers an opportunity to engage with similarly motivated students within a smaller classroom and with greater interaction with faculty. Being accepted as a student to a number of small liberal arts colleges and also to a Division III soccer team as a star recruit, I…”
“Excuse me, Roman. A review of your soccer statistics indicates that you were a good player, but hardly a star.”
“Ok. Thank you, Siri.”
“You scored a lot of goals, but…”
“Ok. Thank you, Siri.”
“… you misplayed or were dispossessed…”
“Ok. Thank you, Siri.”
“ …a number of your mistakes on the ball even led to…”
“OK! I get it, Siri.”
“Sorry, Roman.”
“While soccer is an important interest to me, I value my education above all else. The Honors Program will help me to make this transition, by offering the academic intensity and class sizes I desire, while also providing the enormous amount of opportunities that the whole of U-M can offer, including sports, music, and perhaps new activities as I try to expand my interests.”
“Excuse me, Roman. Our records indicate that in your nearly 18 years of life, you have shown minimal desire to expand your current interests. In fact, you’ve only ever played soccer and…”
“Shut up, Siri. Things can change.”
“Ok, Roman.”
“Having devoted thousands of hours of my life to music…”
“Excuse me, Roman. Throughout your years of trombone playing, you’ve spent approximately 1567 hours in either band class or jazz rehearsal. This is an inadequate amount to label as thousan…”
“Thanks, Siri.”
“While not expressly, devoted to music, at U-M I could perhaps participate in a non music-major ensemble and…”
“Excuse me, Roman. While you were a competent trombone player in high school, your level of talent at the instrument is well below the standar…”
“Alright, that’s enough for now, Siri. Stop Truth Detection App.”
Frustrated, I took a break from writing. While the new U.S. laws about truthfulness and honesty in writing were somewhat annoying, I understood their importance. Honesty should be valued above all else. If we don’t have honesty, we have nothing. Prior to these new laws, prospective college students were able to say they did any amount of community service hours without repercussions. Students could exaggerate and distort the truth about their level of devotion to clubs, sports, and organizations they may have been apart of. I’m glad these new laws were put into place because it holds people accountable.
“Hey Siri,” I took a deep breath and rested my fingers against the keyboard, hesitating.
“Nevermind Siri, shut off.” In a flash, I began typing. But this time, the only words that appeared on the screen were the truth.
Words From the Author
Roman Damer-Daigle
This fictional story is an adaption of a piece that I wrote as part of my application to the Honors Program at the University of Michigan. My inspiration for this piece was a novel I read last year titled The Truth Machine, by James L. Halperin. This book takes place in a world where a super genius invents an infallible lie detector that can detect untruthfulness 100% of the time. This short story that I wrote is about how a machine like that may affect how prospective college students may work on their applications.
Revision Decision
When I first wrote this piece, the large concluding paragraph towards the end and the subsequent lines weren’t initially there. It originally just ended with the line: ““Alright, that’s enough for now, Siri. Stop Truth Detection App.” However, after sharing the piece with my peers and receiving feedback I decided that a retrospective conclusion was necessary to wrap up the piece.
