A provocative open letter addressed to Harvard, Yale, and Stanford, and shared on social media by 18-year-old entrepreneur and Cal AI CEO Zach Yadegari, has set off a widespread debate.
New York-based Zach Yadegari penned a response after being rejected from top universities, including Harvard, Yale, and Stanford, despite boasting an impressive academic and professional profile, which includes a perfect 4.0 GPA, a 34 ACT score, and a startup that generates a staggering $30 million in annual revenue.
In a heartfelt letter posted on the social media platform X, Yadegari expressed his disillusionment with the university admissions process, questioning the value placed on traditional success metrics by elite institutions. Yadegari shared his remarkable self-taught coding journey, which began at age seven and led to the launch of his first app at 12 and the establishment of a thriving AI company during his high school years.
Zach Yadegari stressed that his entrepreneurial accomplishments and academic excellence are testaments to his unwavering dedication and potential. He also touched on the broader implications of his rejection, posing a thought-provoking question: “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?”
Zach Yadegari publicly revealed the list of universities that rejected him and shared his college admissions essay on X. In the essay, he candidly admitted that he initially believed higher education was unnecessary. He went on to share his remarkable journey, which began with coding at age 7, launching his first app by 12, and achieving a successful exit from an online gaming business by the time he was 16.
Zach Yadegari’s posts sparked a viral sensation, garnering millions of views and igniting a heated debate about the college admissions process. Many praised his impressive achievements and criticized the universities for overlooking a candidate of his caliber. However, others speculated that his admissions essay, which initially questioned the necessity of college, may have influenced the decisions.
One user backed Zach by saying, “You sir, are absolutely correct. My own son has seen this first hand as have you. Admissions based on quotas and ignoring merit, is absurd and as you say, un-American. Well said Zach.”
Another opposed by writing, “It’s been days of everyone pointing out all the reasons why you were not a good fit for those colleges you applied to and instead of learning anything from what everyone is trying to teach you, you just doubled down. No wonder colleges didn’t want you. You don’t learn.”
Despite the rejections from several prestigious universities, Yadegari has been accepted into the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Miami, both of which are highly regarded institutions.
