Adora, applaude YC's efforts to do the right thing! Admitted applicants, however, are getting a diluted experience; thus the solution takes away fairness from the admitted applicants. It's an impossible situation and all the time/energy YC is spending to fix it is incredible! Some suggestions:

1. Give the originally accepted applicants access to a separate pool of 100 $10k grants - so they have the same odds of accessing the grants. 2. If 1 isn't possible, try to think of other perks that the accepted pool gets access to (in addition to what was already offered to make up for the larger pool of people with access to the grants) 3. In tandem with 1 or 2, put some meritocratic constraints around all participants. In order to stay in start-up school, partcipants must read x book, conduct x experiments, etc. This way those who will really put effort into the program and be a part of the community will get to participate. After all, as Duckworth's book Grit outlines,and some research at Google, effort coupled with curiosity is an important predictor of success.

I got a rejected email first and then I got the accepted email with an apology. So I am assuming I was among the originally accepted startups, now since everyone is going to be accepted, the originally accepted startups will have a disadvantage and will we still get an advisor? The thing to rejoice is being accepted out of a pool of competition but now since everyone is accepted, its just something usual.

I think the originally accepted companies will have an advisor in addition to other resources, whereas other companies will have access to everything except an advisor. Src: Their latest email.

Was wondering the same.

this is awesome! Let's go. Been an interesting day haha

Great call! Thanks!

Not sure if it make sense. No competition no fun.

How does that make any sense? Now instead of competing with 3000 applicants, you're competing with 15000 for the $10,000. Your chances of winning the prize just decreased 5 fold.

From the email

you’ll be able to use the company update feature so that you’ll also be eligible for one of the hundred $10k equity-free grant

So I think the competition is still among the actually selected 3000 applicants and there will be one slot for the rest of them.