Ok - I have a theoretical question - all things being equal. 3 students from the same school apply SCEA - one is “hispanic” first generation, legacy, and non-hook. The non-hook is Top 1-2% of class, other 2 are Top 10% or less. All have great ECs, recommendations, and essays. Who gets in?
So, we have 3 kids who are coming from very different backgrounds and have very different outcomes. But, we are to consider all other things equal – how are we to do that?
My 2 cents is that the non-hook gets in, followed by the first generation (why is Hispanic in quotes?), followed by the legacy. And, bob’s your uncle.
I put hispanic in quotes because in this case (ok people, I know I may get hated) the person is the most far from hispanic - but is able to check the box.
How is it equal if the non hook has a much higher rank? That being said, I think they pass on the non hook in the EA round (Defer) and if the legacy has donated significant $, he/she gets in, if not first gen gets the nod
@wisteria100 Equal meaning ECs, leadership, Essays, recommendations, test scores - then you look at the difference (first gen, legacy, non-hook with higher rank/GPA)
I suppose that you would have to look at it this way. All test scores, letters and essays being equal- what would be the next in the line of selection. My guess is that next would be what they could contribute to the community of Yale. I would say the first gen because they can contribute a different point of view. Then the legacy because they will contribute money and tradition. After that would be the non hook because although their gpa and rank are higher than these two other students, they will be compared to the thousands of other students that also are equal to them with the same high gpa and rank.
You also need to consider that the three of them are not actually being rated against each other but against the hundreds of kids that have applied and are just like them. It will take more than this checklist to make them stand out.
The whole of the app and supps themselves are key. Don’t assume all 3 kids put forth the same self-presentation or have solid interviews. Too many kids apply based on prestige, know too little about the colleges and suffer the consequences.
You don’t want to call this “ECs, leadership, Essays, recommendations, test scores.” If, hypothetically, all 3 submit excellent whole apps (including the writing, what it shows about their understanding of what the college looks for in candidates,) then all 3 might get admitted.
And if the college could only take one from that hs, it still depends on what other local kids are offering.
I agree with @lookignforward: The whole of the app is key. In the real world, all three hypothetical students could have identical GPA’s, identical course rigor, identical test scores, and identical EC’s – however all of them are going to have different teacher recommendations that speak to various strengths and skills, different essays with varying topics and themes, and completely different interview reports. As such, you can’t arbitrarily pick one student without comparing those factors. All three might get admitted, or none at all!
A legacy is not someone whose parents have donated a lot of money, that is called a developmental admit and come from a total different area of the university. Trust me, if a parent has donated millions, you are looked at differently. Barring that, most legacies have normal parents who may be active (recruiting and other alumni activities) and may have given some money over the years. Otherwise they are your normal Joe Blow. So legacies compete against each other and only the tippy top of them get in each year also. I think legacies are usually 11% or so of admits.
Also, there is no such thing as “all things being equal”. Yale sees each student as an individual and you have no idea what the GC or teacher recommendations may say or what their essay and short answers reflect about them. These are the intangibles that push students that seem “equal” over the finish line.
When a legacy applies to Yale, the parent alumnus receives a polite letter from the university acknowledging it, which notes in part that around 20% of legacy applicants have been offered admission in recent years. The university disclosed that legacies are 13% of the class of 2020, or about 178 of the 1,373 enrolled freshmen, so I would guess something like 1,000 out of the 31,445 applicants to the class of 2020 (3.2%) were legacies and something like 200 of them were offered admission.
I think the OP (I’m still getting used to cc code) says assuming all else is equal ( even though that’s not possible) because he wants to know what is given preference. Is it legacy , higher rank/gpa or being first gen Hispanic? I don’t think comments talking about recommendations and stuff are really helping 
@CrimzonZa: Teacher recommendations are where Admissions Officers learn if a legacy applicant is a person of good character or an entitled SOB. A guidance counselor’s Secondary School Report (SSR) is where an AO might learn about a first generation student excelling despite their family’s tough situation at home, or an AO might learn if the student is having trouble acclimating into US culture. So, it’s difficult to discuss legacy or first gen without taking into consideration comments from recommenders. This video will help the OP learn about what is said in the “room where it happens.” Most of the comments (save one at the end which is directly from a student’s essay) are from either teacher recommendations or guidance counselor’s SSR’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-OLlJUXwKU
@CrimsonZa thank you. That is exactly what I was trying to get to.
@gibby or in our case the AO might find out that the URM is the furthest thing from an URM
@hcmom65: If a URM is one-half African American or one-quarter Hispanic, or one-eigth Native Hawaiian, no documentation is required or needed. And often times a teacher recommendation or GC may not comment on an applicant’s ethnicity . . . so there is really nothing an applicant can do to prove who they say they are. In that case, Admissions Officers will take a student at their word. If a URM (or someone claiming to be) is also a top-tester with a high GPA, that’s going to be a plus factor in the Admissions process, AND it could tip the balance in their favor depending on the caliber of other URM applications in the SCEA or RD applicant pool. Keep in mind, many colleges have disclaimers on their website like this one
Yes, some applicants have benefited by claiming URM status when they only have one thirty-second ancestry, but what is an Admissions Office (or another student or mom) going to do to disprove they do not have it? http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/05/is-elizabeth-warren-native-american-or-what/257415/
Frankly, so many kids have so much trouble with the presentation that they make in their apps/supps, that “all things equal” seems so terribly hypothetical. Verging on useless. You just don’t get in on stats and ECs alone. It’s not just LoRs or who states what about character or background. It starts with the kid himself, as he sits down to approach the process. Lots of kids who think they’re “perfect” candidates blow it. Sometimes, the tortoise does best the hare.
@gibby Thank you. I just know some students are true URM in all sense of the definition. Others - maybe 1/2 or quarter- in no way are underrepresented. They are just lucky to check the box and have an edge. Don’t get me wrong. For the true URM OR 1st gen, I think this is an opportunity of a life time and truly fair. But in other cases, where they r just using it to get in I think is terribly wrong with the system.
Over time, we’ve gone over this identity thing countless times. It’s not for us to state a percentage at which “we” accept a person’s heritage, identity, or life experiences. Even the govt allows one to state what they feel applies. Let’s not go into the stereotypes, how one needs to look that identity “enough” or fall into some SES category. Unfortunately, our society doesn’t work that smoothly. (Also evidenced countless times on CC.)
^^ Or, to use an analogy from one of my previous posts
@gibby As always, your comments are soooo appreciated and insightful. Thank you.
@DeepBlue86 - I got no such letter when my child applied to Yale and she was a legacy. Did I miss something?