Bernie Zak, a high school senior in Brookline, Mass. says he was accepted to the University of California, Los Angeles, after an online Twitter campaign to gain admission.
The 18-year-old from Brookline High School had been wait-listed for UCLA when he decided to launch his campaign #AcceptBernieUCLA.
Zak, whose Twitter handle is @berniezak, told Boston.com "I didn't want to just wait. I wanted to do something" and that his sister, a social media producer at the Wall Street Journal, helped him conceive of the idea.
The two came up with a list of reasons why the California university should accept him and by his 18th tweet on April 29, he received a letter that his admissions status had been updated.
Here are some of his tweets:
Reason #34 @ucla should accept @berniezak: he looks like @davidhasselhoff when he runs down Santa Monica beach #AcceptBernieUCLA
— Bernie Zak (@berniezak) April 26, 2013
#37 @ucla should accept @berniezak : Coming from a school embodying 76 nationalities/ 57 languages, he can fit in anywhere #AcceptBernieUCLA
— Bernie Zak (@berniezak) April 24, 2013
Reason #42 @uclashould accept @berniezak: After taking every AP history, he is a note taking master #AcceptBernieUCLA
— Bernie Zak (@berniezak) April 18, 2013
UCLA told ABC News that the Twitter campaign did not influence its admission decision, nor would it have any bearing on any student's admittance to the University.
Zak, however, told Boston.com he still believes it helped him "stand out."