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…

failure became an editor, a teacher, a dean, a mentor, an aunt worth claiming. More importantly, she became a woman whose life made sense from the inside. The next application always waits. Another student with the wrong transcript, the wrong detour, the wrong timing, the wrong kind of ambition for the adults around them. I pick up the file and start continue reading …