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…

to me in a way I had not anticipated. My family had used the language of quitting so freely for so long that I had internalized it as a threat. At Columbia I learned the difference between leaving the wrong path and abandoning the right work when it became difficult. I loved the program, not because it was easy or glamorous but because every part of continue reading …