A youthful entrepreneur, just shy of 19 years old, shared his college admission essay after facing rejection from several leading educational institutions in the nation —and numerous readers were unimpressed.
Zach Yadegari shared a post to X /Twitter on Monday about a slew of colleges he was rejected from. This included schools with notoriously low acceptance rates like Stanford University , Harvard University, Columbia University , Princeton University , Cornell University, Yale University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Pennsylvania.
He gained admission to three lesser-known institutions: the University of Miami The high school senior, who founded the app Cal AI, mentioned that his business generates $30 million annually. He also stated that he maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA and scored 34 on the ACT. It's worth noting that the maximum achievable score on this test is 36. Additionally, he applied to universities such as the University of Texas and Georgia Institute of Technology.
Following his post, Yadegari shared screenshots of his college admission essay, wherein he described an "achievement, incident, or epiphany that triggered a phase of personal development and a fresh insight into himself or those around him."
His essay boasted about his accomplishments throughout the years, mentioning how he began programming at age seven and released his initial application on the App Store when he turned 12. By the time he reached 14, he asserts that he had made as much as $60,000 annually with his online gaming site.
He mentioned that after relocating to California to further develop his startup, his advisors advised him that "college was not necessary." He went on to talk about the achievements of his business, noting that his staff had reportedly expanded to include 15 members and that Cal AI became "the quickest expanding application within its sector."
Yet, after his application reached "a million dollars in revenue," he experienced a void and pondered about his "reason for being." Reflecting on his past decision to bypass college because he was committed to following "another set of expectations: the stereotypical drop-out entrepreneur."
In the end, he mentioned that he understood college goes "beyond being merely a right of passage" and expressed his desire to gain knowledge from fellow students and teachers instead of solely relying on "computers or textbooks."
Yadegari’s post has garnered almost 20 million views on X, drawing criticism from numerous individuals who accuse the student of appearing overly boastful and not adequately addressing the issue at hand.
"I don't intend to embarrass a young teen, but it's incredibly clear why a college wouldn't accept someone because of a statement like this. Honestly, I’m surprised there weren't individuals in this student’s life who took the time to clarify that point," a commenter noted.
“It’s not even a bad essay in any vague literary sense, it’s just full of a lot of stuff that pretty clearly communicates 1) a major risk of dropping out and 2) no particular interest in the specific school or program. Both major red flags for admissions,” they explained.
“This reads like a braggadocious cover letter more than a personal statement that showcases who you are as a holistic individual outside of your accomplishments,” wrote a second person.
A third person proposed: "The personal statement suggests you have a high likelihood of dropping out, which is why they offered your place to someone who genuinely wishes to complete their college degree."
Some believed Yadegari did not provide sufficient details on how attending college would be advantageous for him.
As someone who previously worked in an admissions office, my advice would be for you to trace how your past experiences have shaped your abilities and see how they match up with the major you're interested in," another individual suggested. "Illustrate how those skills will benefit the institution and clearly mention the specific courses you wish to pursue (make sure to highlight this connection too).
"My perspective is that you failed to address their core concerns adequately until the concluding paragraphs, which was rather brief. Additionally, you devoted excessive attention to explaining why college wasn’t necessary instead of focusing sufficiently on how it would be advantageous to you and beneficial for the community," someone else concurred.
Nevertheless, many individuals supported Yadegari’s essay and expressed their admiration for his accomplishments. Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, replied to the tweet stating, "That's insane."
I hope those criticizing the essay also reserve some criticism for the requirements that prompted it. Indeed, it might have boosted his admission prospects to fabricate a charity and hire someone else to pen sentimental nonsense about it. However, that’s often what driven 17-year-old boys tend to contemplate," one commenter noted. "Zach remained truthful and showed courage by sharing his story.
It’s incredible how many people choose to criticize and scrutinize your essay," another commenter noted. "I suspect they do this to sidestep acknowledging the extensive discrimination occurring... and what it reveals about our society that such issues persist.
The Independent Has reached out to Yadegari for their input.
When asked about what drives him towards attending college, he responded: "The main reason I want to go to college is for the social aspect."
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