Zach Yadegari Faces Backlash After College Rejections
Zach Yadegari, the teenage co-founder of Cal AI, has recently become the center of attention on social media platform X after sharing that he was rejected by 15 out of the 18 top colleges he applied to. Despite holding a perfect 4.0 GPA and scoring a 34 on his ACT, Yadegari believes that his essay was the deciding factor in the rejections.
As reported by JS, Cal AI, the AI calorie app co-founded by Yadegari, has been a viral success with millions in revenue and over 1 million downloads. Prior to this, he had also sold a web gaming company for $100,000.
Initially not planning to attend college, Yadegari had a change of heart after spending time at a hacker house in San Francisco. He realized the importance of the college experience and decided to pursue higher education.
His essay, shared on X, detailed his journey as a self-taught coder and his reluctance towards traditional education. However, he ultimately expressed a desire to learn from a more diverse set of sources and contribute to a larger community.
Despite his academic achievements and real-world success, Yadegari was rejected by several prestigious universities but accepted by others like Georgia Tech and University of Texas.
Following his viral tweet about the rejections, Yadegari received mixed reactions with some criticizing his essay as arrogant while others questioned the college admissions system. Some pointed out that colleges seek candidates who show a genuine thirst for education and commitment to graduation.
Even prominent figures like Garry Tan from Y Combinator weighed in on X, sharing his own experience of college rejections due to controversial essay content.
Reflecting on the responses, Yadegari expressed gratitude for the varied perspectives but acknowledged that he may never fully understand the reasons behind the rejections. He emphasized the importance of authenticity in his essay and his personal growth beyond business success.
