How I Used AI to Get Unstuck on an Essay (and Still Keep It My Own)

I didn’t plan to use AI when I started my essay.

I had the topic, the deadline, and a vague idea of what I wanted to argue. What I didn’t have was a structure. I spent an entire evening opening articles, saving links, and then staring at a blank Google Doc, rewriting the same first sentence over and over.

At some point, I realized the problem wasn’t that I didn’t understand the topic.

I just couldn’t get started.

That’s when I tried NoteGPT’s AI Essay Writer.

I expected something rough and generic, but about a minute after entering my topic, I had a full draft in front of me. It wasn’t something I could submit directly, but it was surprisingly coherent: an introduction that framed the issue, body paragraphs with clear points, and a conclusion that actually tied things together.

The biggest relief was that I finally had something to work with.

What really caught my attention was the citations.

Instead of vague or suspicious references, the essay came with real, traceable sources. I could click on each citation and open the original article or paper behind it. As a student, that matters a lot — I don’t want to risk using fake sources or incorrect data. Being able to verify everything myself made the process feel much more legitimate.

Another thing I appreciated was the citation formats.

Different classes, different rules. One professor wants APA, another insists on MLA, and sometimes the format changes at the last minute. The AI could switch between APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and even IEEE without me having to manually reformat everything. That alone saved me more time than I expected.

From there, the essay became mine.

I rewrote paragraphs, added examples from my readings, removed parts I didn’t agree with, and adjusted the tone to match my own writing style. The online editing made this easy — it felt more like collaborating on a draft than fighting against a blank page.

To be clear, I didn’t use AI to avoid thinking.

I used it to avoid being stuck.

Instead of spending hours trying to start, I spent my time refining ideas, checking sources, and making sure the argument actually reflected what I believed. In that sense, the AI acted less like a shortcut and more like a guide that helped me move forward.

For students who struggle with structure more than understanding, tools like this can be genuinely helpful — as long as you treat them as support, not a replacement for your own work.

If you’re interested, feel free to click and check out my essay.