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…

of my apartment eating takeout rice from the carton because I had not yet found the energy to clear enough space for a kitchen table. “I heard you’re living in some shoebox in Brooklyn,” she said. Not hello. Not how are you. “Mom’s worried about you.” “I’m fine,” I said. “Are you?” Her voice had that bright sharpened edge lawyers develop when they continue reading …