<p>My wife attended W&M and graduated making my son "Legacy".</p>
<p>My son's visited, toured interviewed and applied early to W&M -- he loved it.
We are out of state.</p>
<p>We're talking about a kid who pushed himself all through HS (AP's and Honors)
Not the straight A / B student that W&M is known for attracting, but a hard
worker, and very well balanced in his EC's and workload.</p>
<p>His GPA falls somewhat below the normal accepted range (2.9 / 3.0).
His SAT's are in the range of acceptance.
His EC's are very, very good. Marching Band, Jazz Band. Clubs etc.
Athlete (Baseball / Football).</p>
<p>We're talking about an above average student that alone probably would not
apply to the school, but since his Mom is Legacy and he liked it, we said "why not reach?"</p>
<p>My question: How much does legacy play into the acceptance of an applicant?</p>
<p>singlemalt, I can't say I think the situation looks promising. Legacy and ED are considered at W & M, to answer your question. If there's a compelling reason for the GPA, which is quite a bit off the mark for W & M (tough freshman year, difficulty in only one subject, illness?), and if the reason was addressed in the application, the chances may be better.</p>
<p>If you check out W & M's common data set for students admitted in 2007, it states that legacy and interview results are "considered" at W & M (the categories being "very important," "important," "considered," and "not considered"). It also states that 2.4% of enrolled students that year had hs GPAs in the range you mention above.</p>
<p>If your s really wants W & M but isn't admitted this year, he could have a strong freshman year elsewhere and apply as a transfer. The University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg is another smallish VA state school, with a campus similar to W & M's.</p>
<p>Frazzled1, I agree with your points. All of them.</p>
<p>Anyway, I figured that this was the case. His lower GPA is indicative of someone who
probably was out matched in a lot of AP courses, but really pushed himself. </p>
<p>This is a kid that has to work harder than most to get B's in AP / Honors level classes. But the point is, he worked hard.</p>
<p>The grades were much better his second half, as things clicked. </p>
<p>But I tend to agree that W&M is a big reach.</p>
<p>Your advice about a year elsewhere is probably what will happen. </p>
<p>He's got other more attainable schools in the region that he's applied too.<br>
Some bigger than W&M and thats fine, but he can always look to transfer a year
later if he's done well elsewhere.</p>
<p>He should also think about starting and transferring from a community college. This will save you all lots of money, and there is no difference in the process.</p>