<p>I’ll supply a dose of reality. My D, as a double Dartmouth legacy AND a Princeton legacy, had better SAT scores, better GPA, and similar range of ECs. She was denied at both. I also know a girl who was a double Yale legacy, ranked fifth in her class, fantastic ECs, and was denied. Unless your parents have paid for a building or are celebrities, your legacy will not be an admissions hook. The legacy only comes into play when they have to decide between two top candidates. </p>
<p>You should prepare your parents for this, as I suspect they may have their hearts on your attending Yale. Several of my classmates were devastated that their high-achieving children did not get into our alma mater.</p>
<p>I suggest you take a hard look at the women’s colleges such as Wellesley, Smith, Bryn Mawr, and Barnard. They accept more applicants (because their pool is self-selecting and single gender) but offer fantastic educations.</p>
<p>Edited to add: I wrote GPA, but I meant class position.</p>