I was accepted to Yale. Here's everything I included in my successful Ivy League application.

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Brian Zhang with the Yale dog mascot and a screenshot of his application
The author got into Yale with his successful college application.

Courtesy of Eric Gan & Brian Zhang

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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a person riding a bike in front of a yale shuttle
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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a classroom of high schoolers with banners from colleges on the walls
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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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

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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.

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.

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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

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