Zach is the CEO of the AI company Cal AI. He has become an entrepreneur at the age of 18 but that’s not why he is in the news. He has circulated an open letter on social media on his rejection from Harvard, Yale, and Standfor despite having an established career and GPA.
His ACT score was 34, his GPA was 4.0, and a startup generating annual revenue of $30 million. In the letter that has gone viral lately, he questioned the traditional methods of admissions followed by universities across the world. He shared his journey as a self-made coder who began coding at the young age of 7 and launched an app at only 12. Going on to establish a successful venture while in school.
After this news was circulated on social media it raised an important question on accessibility in these universities. Zach emphasised, “If, someone like me, who has demonstrated both academic and professional success, cannot gain admission, what does this say about the accessibility and inclusivity of higher education?”
Along with the names of the universities, he also shared his essay on X.
While many users commented that an IVY league degree is not important for a person, this viral post by Yadegari started a controversial debate on the admission process in top universities across the world. He was rejected from many top colleges but was accepted into institutions including Georgia Tech, the University of Texas, and the University of Miami.
Netizens are divided over the rejection debate. Where some sided with his stand on the outdated methods of admissions others said that his essay reflected arrogance and pride which might have rightly caused the rejection. One user said that any university would be fortunate to enroll him and the admission officers might be jealous of his success while reading the essay.
Other users said that his admissions might be rejected because his personal achievements might have led to a possible dropout in future so his spot should have been given to another deserving candidate.
While others criticised his essay straight forward saying that it lacked compelling story-telling and was quite underwhelming. While Yadegari’s essay can be better scrutinised by admission officers, it is not wrong to say that there might be loopholes in the admission process of Universities that hold the discretion of admitting students in a highly competitive world.
