<p>I’m my class’s valedictorian, and got into Princeton through ED. Now, evidently, I’m hearing from students that a rumor’s being spread that because both my parents got into Princeton, I’m a legacy, and was an automatic shoo-in.</p>
<p>I resent this for two reasons:</p>
<li><p>People I know quite well were devaluing my acceptance, due to the fact that ‘my parents went to Princeton’.</p></li>
<li><p>My parents never attended Princeton. Seriously, my parents both attended community college, and our family is quite far away from the stereotypical preppy, Ivy-League demographic.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I know I shouldn’t be doing this on the board, and I apologize, but I just needed space to rant. Graaah.</p>
<p>Qwertulen, I can understand your frustration. Trust me, they are speaking out of obvious jealousy. My son experienced similar "rumors." People spread the word that he clearly had to have an in at Princeton to be admitted. The fact that he was accepted to another ivy and other competitive schools that they weren't, didn't seem to matter. It didn't bother my son because he was happy he was going to Princeton, and actually felt sorry for those who weren't accepted to the schools they wanted to attend. </p>
<p>I think in his school, a huge problem was that many kids didn't apply to nonivy but still competitive and great schools. So, when they didn't get into an ivy that they assumed they would, they had to blame it on something.</p>
<p>It is probably the same in your case. Congratulations on your acceptance and enjoy it.</p>
<p>On the other hand so many deserving students get turned down every year. Many of us have met "legacy" brats who did very little during high school. The Legacy kids give $$$$ a bad name. If you were a legacy could you honestly blame them for being annoyed with you? Congratulations on your admission but honestly you will be meeting lots of "legacy" brats at Princeton I suspect you will learn why they have a bad name soon enough.</p>
<p>yeah they are definitely jealous. i'm actually surprised that there are so many legacy brats at princeton... i had thought that legacies only get in over others if all else is equal. but i only based that upon my limited experience so i suppose i was just wrong.</p>
<p>but that is not the point... really the rumormongers are not worth listening to. don't let them bother you. i mean, you are the one going to princeton!! i know how you feel though- the people at my school who didn't get into pton have told others about how i only got in because of SATs, i didn't deserve it, etc... i try to understand how they're feeling but it would be a lot easier if they weren't so bitter.</p>
<p>I don't know what your beef with legacies is, but as seems to be your M.O., you're putting a fairly eccentric spin on things. The closest Dean Rapelye will get to releasing the legacy admit rate for the Class of 2011 is that it's "three times as great" as the overall rate. That means that approx. 70% of legacy applicants are not admitted, which means that "'legacy' brats who did very little in high school" don't get within sniffing distance of getting in. Sure, they may have received courtesy deferrals or courtesy wait-lists because they're legacies, but spots in an incoming class are far too scarce and valuable to waste on anyone who hasn't proven themselves in high school and made it pretty clear that they'll take full advantage of the opportunity to go to Princeton.</p>
<p>In my experience, and I hope some of the other Princeton alums on the board might chime in, as well, the only perceptible difference between legacies and non-legacies is that legacy students will often walk with their parent's class in the P-rade during Reunions, while non-legacies don't get to walk in the P-rade until they graduate. They may be slightly more likely to join a particular eating club. And I guess there's also that orange t-shirt with the baby tiger on it. Beyond that, it just didn't seem to matter.</p>
<p>yeah i am glad to hear that... that is the impression i got... i was confused when i heard about legacy brats. i know some legacies who didn't get into pton and some who did, and the ones who did are just as qualified as non-legacies who get in. pton says the higher legacy admission rate is mostly due to the high quality of the applicants, and i believe that.</p>
<p>First off, if both your parents went to Princeton you're coming probably from an intellectual background, although that doesn't excuse legacy brats. If you looked at the statistics of say Harvard legacies when they applied to Princeton I'm sure the rate of acceptance would also be significantly higher. Second, if you have a building named after you at the school, you're probably getting in. Have you ever heard of Harrison Frist? Also check out the book The Chosen which talks about the history of the Ivy admissions process and really enlightened me about the seriously flawed history of Princeton, Harvard and Yale and their practices of preferential legacy admission. If you're a legacy and you don't have building named after you, you have an advantage but by no means guaranteed admission. I know a valedictorian from a magnet school who was a legacy and was denied, and I'm sure plenty of you have similar stories.</p>
<p>I'm sorry Qwertulen! I know everybody is saying it "doesn't matter" but I would be upset if my acceptance were being devalidated as well. My friend got in ED and he is one of those notorious kids who was Princeton-bound from the first day of kindergarten. Both of his older brothers have attended/are attending Princeton, and so a lot of people in our school assume that they "didn't even bother reading his application, they just assumed he was as good as his brothers" and that because his mom once sent a Christmas card to some professor or dean of admission or somebody at Princeton (I don't even know who), he got in. </p>
<p>I try to explain that siblings aren't really that big of a factor in admissions (at least I really don't think they are), but they still claim that he got in because of "who he knows, not what he knows."</p>
<p>I had a similar thing happen to me...I applied early to Princeton and got in. Given that I was no longer at my old high school, people began spreading a rumor that I only applied to Princeton and no where else (as if I thought I knew I would get in beforehand, which would be quite presumptuous and arrogant.) </p>
<p>That couldn't be further from the truth, as I put many extra hours into a UC Application (I'm a home schooler so it wasn't just a fill-in-the-blank exercise...) and Stanford app, in addition to parts of other apps of about half a dozen other colleges in the event I didn't get in, let alone the planning.</p>
<p>I truly don't think that all rumors like that are done out of envy or jealousy, though if the rumors persist in can make you look bad (until people figure out otherwise.) So I know it is easy to say 'don't worry about it' but 5 years down the road, no one from your high school will remember you in terms of a college rumor. If a rumor is brought up in front of you feel free to set the record straight but I wouldn't make a concerted or aggressive effort to combat a false rumor.</p>
<p>Don't let others deter you from doing what you want to do. My friend got into Brown's medical program this year, the one that is super-selective and looks for very serious people, and people who were his friends at one point turned on him. They spread awful rumors that he's a hermit and basically devalued his acceptances. If you know that you got in for the right reasons, then why do the rumors matter? People just need bait, one little thing to distort and spread around largely because they are bored or because the real deal isn't as interesting. No one wants to hear about somebody who got in based on pure hard work; people want to hear how somebody got in for the wrong, unworthy reasons. It gives you more to talk about. Just don't let the gossip get to you and congratulations on your acceptance.</p>
<p>Last year when I got accepted, my dad went to a town meeting for something and overheard them talking about ivy league acceptances at my school. They mentioned my princeton acceptance and some guy said "well, I heard that's because she's Indian or something." </p>
<p>I am 100% caucasian and don't even resemble anything else. I can't tan, for instance. I know how it's frustrating when you have ZERO hooks but somehow people will assume you HAD to have had a hook to get in. Not that you're qualified on your own....</p>
<p>Congratulations to the Legacy kids who are smart but believe me many are below average who play a little squash (ahem). I am sure the alums will fight fight fight for the right to smuggle their kids in and I am sure Dean Janet will report her "stats" to put all of this in the perfect light. Sorry but I think kids who work hard deserve the spot. Kids who are lucky to come from the right families should earn their keep. And just because their parents are smart doesn't mean they are smart. Too many of these kids waste four years partying on the street while everyone looks the other way $$$$. I am not going to debate this I just think its too bad. And I don't expect an alum who is rich to change perspective. Meritocracy vs Country Club tough way to look at it I know but it's a tough competitive world out there and maybe more should be expected from legacies rather than less. Like one legacy kid from Ivy proudly said to me " its not what you know its who you know" I guess he's right.</p>
<p>im a legacy kid who is going to princeton, and nothing annoys me more than people discrediting my acceptance b/c of the fact im a "legacy kid". i got there becuase i worked hard and made smart choices. i dont mean to sound arrogant, but i know im qualified and got in becuase of many other factors besides my parents, and i dont take BS from anyone who says otherwise. im truly sorry for those who did not get in, but i think its not right to say that others who got in did becuase of the fact they are "legacies" becuase they are bitter. </p>
<p>princeton is too good of a school to actually "give out" spots to people who dont deserve it.</p>
<p>This was a particularly tough year for all applicants, including legacies. I know legacies that weren't accepted to Princeton as well as other competitive schools, such as Georgetown. Notre Dame is a school that has a reputation for being good to the legacies, yet this year, many legacies were rejected. I doubt that Princeton is admitting legacies that aren't highly qualified. But I wonder if the those making claims about Princeton, really have first hand knowledge about the the qualifications of legacies accepted or if they are just assuming the worse. My son (a non legacy) feels very fortunate to have been accepted, and from what I hear from students already attending Princeton, the legacies are very well qualified. Congratulations to everyone.</p>