GPT Destroyed College Camaraderie

I was chatting with a friend the other day, and we landed on something that’s been bothering me for a while, something that has been a noticeable shift in the very fabric of being a student. We were talking about how tools like ChatGPT, as undeniably invaluable as they are, have sort of… replaced the need for each other in academic settings. And with it, maybe something more.

Remember those late-night study groups? The ones fueled by energy drinks and a shared sense of impending doom before a big exam of a monster programming assignment (PA)? There was this unspoken brotherhood, right? Those tough assignments, those seemingly impossible problems, they were our mini-apocalypses. We were on a quest, a really difficult one, together.

And now? “GPT has made it like, like, why would you hang out? What’s the point?” my friend mused, and it hit me hard. That’s exactly it. For so many of the problems, especially the foundational stuff in CS, the “just GPT it” reflex is almost instantaneous. Those PAs that used to have us huddled around a whiteboard, debating logic, and sharing those “aha!” moments? GPT just… kills them, in a way. The struggle, the collaborative problem-solving, it’s just… gone.

It feels like a lot of that social energy, that need for connection, has migrated online. And don’t get me wrong, platforms like Discord, Reddit, or even just watching Twitch streams, they have their place. Communication is so seamless now. A Google Calendar invite, a one-click link, and you’re synced up. No installs, it’s all in the browser. Hyper-efficient.

But there was something about the inefficiency of the old way. The little favors, for instance. “If I help you solve a problem and you help me solve a problem… it makes our bond stronger,” my friend pointed out. That exchange, that mutual reliance, just doesn’t happen as much. I could help someone, or I could just say, “Have you tried GPTing it?” And honestly, they’ve probably already thought of that before even asking me. It’s like the tool itself removes the opportunity, or even the thought, of seeking human help first for certain things.

I remember going into college with this vision, probably a bit romanticized, of constantly solving problems together, whiteboarding ideas, and having those intense intellectual debates. But often, there’s just no real reason to do that anymore for a lot of the coursework. And if you do try to tackle it the old-fashioned way, you almost feel like you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage.

So, where does that leave us? We’ve gained incredible tools, unparalleled access to information, and new ways to connect globally. But I can’t shake the feeling that we’ve also lost something precious in the process, those shared struggles in a room, the easy camaraderie's built over a problem set, the simple act of asking a friend for help and knowing they’re your first, best resource.

It’s not that one is wholly good and the other bad. It’s just.. Different. And I find myself a little nostalgic for the hum of a full study hall, even if the answers are now just a click away. Maybe the “quest” now is figuring out how to find that connection again, even when the looming threat of a difficult assignment has been seemingly neutralized by our AI sidekicks.

Just some small thoughts…