<p>SOmeone just mentioned that my DS (junior) should only apply to Penn ED and not RD. They say that as a legacy, if student applies RD, admissions will feel that they are not really interested in Penn, but are applying to appease parents or just as a backup school. My DS has credentials that should make him a good candidate ( top 10 in class, weighted GPA 4.5+, music, debate, student govt, tennis, variety of clubs, 3 5's on APs, will have 7-8 college math courses done when he graduates HS). </p>
<p>My question is will he really be looked upon poorly by admissions if he doesn't apply ED? He's stil at the point where he doesnt have a specific school that he absolutely wants to go to (and not sure that he will know differently by the fall either!!) Has anyone else heard this before? I'm interested in hearing what others think about this as well as possibly hear from other students that have been in the same position before.</p>
<p>Yes , legacy is considered only when applying ED. If he is a strong student, he can take a chance and apply RD. However, he won't gain the legacy edge- albeit a slight edge.</p>
<p>I doubt Penn will look poorly at his application if he doesn't apply ED. He'll just be another applicant.</p>
<p>I had this exact same concern this year. I ended up applying ED, but everybody I spoke to in the almuni office assured me that it is not a disadvantage for a legacy to apply RD. You're put in the same pool as everybody else. However, I would consider applying ED... the legacy status helps a lot and it's really nice to know that you're in early!</p>
<p>I had written someone in the alumni relations office at Penn with concerns similar to yours a couple of years ago, and received a very thoughtful and lengthy reply. It read, in part:</p>
<p>"The legacy factor is never negative, and applying Regular Decision does not detract from the application, but stronger legacy consideration in Early Decision does indeed imply weaker legacy consideration in Regular Decision."</p>
<p>My son ended up deciding to apply to Penn RD, and is now awaiting their response. We'll see how everything turns out soon enough.</p>
<p>thanks map. Hope your son gets the reply he's waiting for next month. Just curious, what were his stats? I'm still trying to figure out if he should apply for one of the dual degree programs or just Wharton. He definitely wants to have math in there, but not sure if we shoudl get him locked into anything too early. Good luck!</p>
<p>If your S is thinking about Wharton and especially the dual degrees offered by Wharton, I suggest he applies ED taking advantage of his legacy status, even though he is a strong candidate.</p>
<p>njmmmom my nephew a legacy did not apply ED. He applied RD and got in. he was a very strong candidate and wanted to see what choices he would have</p>