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…

in flashes, just beginning to understand that writing is less about talent than about stamina and honesty. I loved the moment when a student who had been hiding behind cleverness finally wrote one clean true paragraph. I loved showing them how a scene could be made sharper, why point of view matters, how not to flinch from what a character actually continue reading …