<p>My take on legacies, even if it occasionally goes too far.<br>
modestmelody:
Now just to throw something out there. I am a strong proponent of AA. I’ve made arguments right here on CC why there is reason to consider diversity beyond socioeconomics in college admissions. However, there’s another side of that coin. Let’s begin at dcircle’s point-- while 34% or so of legacy applicants do get into Brown, that number relative to the 12 or 13% who get into Brown out of the general pool drops precipitously when comparing for other key demographic differences (parent’s level of education, socioeconomic status, etc). Second, there’s a few great reasons to let more legacies in. Brown is able to function largely on the donations from it’s most successful alumni. Brown families donate more than a Brown graduate, period. Brown, and any other top institution, could not function were it not for the generosity of alumni and simply as a means to stay afloat and maintain its reputation, Brown is almost required to at least attempt to increase this flow of money through whatever means necessary. Third, legacies offer a critical, critical component to the university’s environment-- institutional memory. In a school where students have so much power and where students truly are the universities greatest resources, one of the most tragic events is that all of these wonderful, invested, engaged students leave in four years. There is no institutional memory amongst the student body-- no sense of where Brown was and often a skewed sense of where Brown is going. Legacy admits help to increase institutional memory on campus. They bring to the student body stories of the culture of Brown throughout the years and serve as a way to acculturate the matriculating class into the Brown community. This is a critical service which occurs almost exclusively through the transmission of information from upperclassman and legacies. The Brown lore and community is alive and thriving in part because of the legacy push.</p>
<p>For those of you rolling your eyes thinking I’m full of crap and just a legacy myself, I’m a first generation college student. Neither of my parents have four year degrees. However, there are advantages to having legacies and their presence in the community is perhaps undervalued by the bitterness of a tough college admissions process.
</p>
<p>Also, what year was your cousin admitted, and what else was on his/her app that looked good? College apps are all about putting your best out there, and just because you know personally that they’re not motivated doesn’t mean they couldn’t present a compelling narrative that made it seem otherwise.</p>