I reviewed my Yale admissions file to see what the Ivy League school really thought about my application. What I learned surprised me.

Tech Insider
a person riding a bike in front of a yale shuttle
The author, not pictured, got into Yale.

Yana Paskova/Getty Images

I studied at Yale and Cambridge University. The elite colleges offered me secret societies, maids, and formal balls.

Tech Insider
Connie Cheung at her college graduation
The author attended Yale and Cambridge University.

Courtesy of Connie Cheung

I couldn't participate in extracurriculars at Yale because of the school's competitive environment. It's not just a Yale problem.

Tech Insider
A student wearing a Yale University sweatshirt walking across campus.
The author, not pictured, says Yale is too competitive.

Yana Paskova/Getty Images

Waiting for your college acceptance letters can be excruciating. Here's how I survived that anxiety-inducing time.

Tech Insider
a classroom of high schoolers with banners from colleges on the walls
Students are waiting to hear back from colleges.

Mel Melcon/Getty Images

You're not imagining it — it feels damn near impossible to get into top colleges right now

Tech Insider
A graduation cap locked behind a chain

iStock; Rebecca Zisser/BI

A Yale professor is slamming Bill Ackman's campaign against Harvard, calling the billionaire investor an 'odious' oligarch

Tech Insider
Bill Ackman.
"Bill Ackman is a pernicious influence on American education. He thinks his money equals wisdom and even if it doesn't, he thinks it gives him the right to bully at will," Yale public health professor Gregg Gonsalves wrote on X.

Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Yale's grade inflation is a good thing, actually. It makes college less stressful and makes our interest in classes more authentic.

Tech Insider
yale students walking on campus
Grade inflation is apparent at Yale.

Yana Paskova/Getty Images

I'm a freshman at Yale University's Old Campus. Here's what my dorm room life is like.

Tech Insider
exterior and interior of Yale campus dorms
Yale freshmen live on Old Campus.

Courtesy of Miles Kirkpatrick

I'm a student at Yale University. Here's what a weekend is like on campus.

Tech Insider
Brian Zhang and a building on yale campus
The author and a building on the Yale campus.

Courtesy of Elishevlyne Eliason & Brian Zhang

I'm a freshman at Yale and just went to my first Harvard-Yale football game. The weekend was one of my favorites at college so far.

Tech Insider : Sports, Sports
Miles Kirkpatrick at yale football game
The author and his friends at the Yale-Harvard football game.

Courtesy of Samuel Johnson-Noya & Miles Kirkpatrick

Subscribe to Yale