When I Dropped Out At 20, My Sister Told Everyone: “She’s The One Who Didn’t Finish.” Twelve Years Later, I’m Yale’s Dean Of Admissions. One Essay Read: “My Family Moved Past My Aunt’s Setback.” The Name? Amanda Chen. My Niece. I Picked Up My Red Pen And…

could manage. “It took a long time to hear that,” I said. “I know,” she replied. “I know.”

Amanda visited Yale three weeks later for admitted students’ day, and I arrived at the café near campus twenty minutes early because I suddenly felt as awkward as a teenager. I had spoken on panels to hundreds of families, negotiated faculty politics, and handled continue reading …