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…

looks messy, how many extraordinary students live in the margins of neat narratives. I had an instinct for them. The transfer students. The ones with detours. The ones whose essays revealed a mind sharper than their statistics could fully hold. When Yale called about the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions position, I almost laughed. The irony was too continue reading …