Teen with 4.0 GPA, Viral Cal AI App Denied by 15 Top Schools

A high-achieving teen with a 4.0 GPA and the creator of a widely popular Cal AI app was surprisingly rejected by 15 prestigious universities. Despite exceptional academic performance and innovative contributions to technology, the student’s college applications were unsuccessful at top-tier schools. The case has sparked widespread discussion on the competitiveness and unpredictability of college admissions, raising questions about what elite institutions value most in today’s applicants beyond grades and achievements.

Zach Yadegari, a high school student and co-founder of the Cal AI app, has drawn widespread attention on X after revealing that 15 out of the 18 elite colleges he applied to turned him down.

Despite earning a 4.0 GPA and a 34 ACT score - well above average - he believes his application essay may have been the reason for the rejections, a sentiment echoed by thousands online.

Yadegari, known for co-developing the viral Calorie-tracking AI app Cal AI, claimed the platform is on track to earn $30 million annually, with over a million downloads and tens of thousands of positive reviews. While TechCrunch couldn't confirm the revenue, the app's popularity is evident.

This wasn’t his first entrepreneurial venture; he previously sold a web gaming company for $100,000. Initially, college wasn’t in his plans. He and his business partner had already built their prototype during a summer at a hacker house in San Francisco, and he imagined following the path of many successful college-dropout founders.

However, his time at the hacker house made him reconsider. He realized skipping college meant missing out on key personal experiences, so he decided to apply after all.

In his essay - shared publicly on X - he expressed how mentors and investors reinforced the idea that higher education wasn’t necessary for him. But eventually, he had a change of heart, recognizing he had replaced one set of expectations with another by embracing the dropout-founder archetype.

He shared a personal realization: while he had chosen not to attend school, he was still being guided by others’ expectations. College, he concluded, would allow him to build on his work and grow through human interaction, not just online learning.

In his essay’s closing message, he said that attending college would help him contribute meaningfully to society and make a lasting, positive impact.

Despite these reflections, his application was rejected by top institutions like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Columbia, Princeton, Duke, and Cornell. He did receive offers from Georgia Tech, the University of Texas, and the University of Miami.

His tweet about the rejections quickly went viral, amassing over 22 million views, thousands of retweets, and comments.

Critics called the essay overly self-important, suggesting that its tone hurt his chances. Others argued that the college admissions system itself is flawed and unpredictable.

Some thoughtful responses noted that universities tend to admit students who clearly show a hunger for education and a strong intent to complete their degrees—something his essay only barely conveyed.

Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan even chimed in, sharing that he, too, was widely rejected after submitting essays influenced by Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead—a book whose philosophy continues to stir debate. (Tan, nonetheless, got into Stanford.)

Speaking to TechCrunch, Yadegari admitted he’s still unsure of his next steps but was intrigued by the wide range of reactions to his post. While he hoped to be seen as genuine through his essay, he acknowledged that the real takeaway isn’t his business success, but the realization that life’s value lies in relationships and community, not just financial wins.

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Source: techcrunch‍