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High school graduate hired by Google but rejected by colleges
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High school graduate hired by Google but rejected by colleges

The recent Supreme Court ruling on Affirmative Action intensified the debate on college admission fairness. Here is an interesting and concrete data point that hopefully can bring more substance and rationality to the debate about college admission.

Stanley Zhong graduated from high school in June 2023. In 2019, Google invited him to a full-time job interview after noticing his high rankings in coding contests for top professionals. (The interview was canceled after Google realized he was only 13.) In 2020, unhappy that DocuSign didn’t offer any relief when the COVID lockdown necessitated e-signing, he built an unlimited free e-signing service (details below), which is featured by Amazon Web Services (AWS). Shortly before he turned 18, Google circled back to the interview. Five Google engineers spent no less than ten hours in total assessing his skills. In September 2023, Google hired him as an L4 software engineer, a position that typically requires a Ph.D. degree or equivalent experience.

In contrast, his college application results in Spring 2023 were underwhelming. He applied to the Computer Science programs. All but two colleges (listed below) rejected his application.

Only Univ of Texas and Univ of Maryland accepted his application.

Here are some highlights of his application.

Apparently, his profile was enough to interest Google to interview and hire him for a Ph.D. level position, but failed to qualify him for most undergraduate programs.

After Stanlely’s story was shared in a local parents group, the public’s reaction was overwhelming.

As a California taxpayer, I was rattled that all five UC schools he applied to rejected his application. Coupled with the Varsity Blues scandal and the 2020 State Auditor report on UC admission, we have compelling reasons to demand more transparency in UC admission. As a basic democratic principle, we should have checks and balances for every power, including the power of the admission offices. Holistic reviews should not be construed as black box reviews. I think college admission transparency is not a blue/red issue. It’s a common sense issue about our kids’ education and their mental health. It’s a common sense issue about America's competitiveness in the global economy.

If you live in California, please contact California lawmakers and Governor Newsom by following the steps at https://www.admissiontransparency.org. Four California lawmakers have responded and expressed support. Their responses described Stanley’s case as “alarming” and “extremely disturbing”. But we need to raise awareness and spark conversations with more state lawmakers and Governor Newsom. It won't matter for Stanley anymore since he is having a blast at Google. But other kids and your grandkids may thank you one day for the action you take today.

Best,

Nan Zhong

nanzhong1@gmail.com

(Stanley’s dad)