I was accepted into my dream colleges: Duke, Columbia, and Yale. I flipped a coin to decide which one was right for me.

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two yale students on yale campus
The author, not pictured, couldn't decide which college to go to.

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

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The author, not pictured, got into Yale.

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

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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.

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

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

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Students are waiting to hear back from colleges.

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

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iStock; Rebecca Zisser/BI

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

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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.

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

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

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

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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.

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

Courtesy of Elishevlyne Eliason & Brian Zhang

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