<p>How much will having my dad graduating dartmouth suma cum laude, my grandpa (dad's dad) graduating magnum cum laude, and my dad's sister going there help me get in?</p>
<p>I'm just wondering I am just a sophomore and I get mainly A's maybe one B+ ocasionally.</p>
<p>Having a parent who has graduated from Dartmouth with definitely help.</p>
<p>Your grandfather and your aunt doe not make you a legacy. You will be considered a legacy only if your father received his undergrad degree at Dartmouth. If he attended any of the grad/professional schools, then you would not be a legacy.</p>
<p>It didn’t help my son when he applied to Cornell (my alma mater). That really cheezed me off because my son and I really bought in to the legacy business. My daughter will be going to Dartmouth – no legacy needed. Unless your dad is the type who donates $20,000 a year or more or sits on the Board of Trustees, then I think the amount of help it gives an applicant is minimal.</p>
<p>^The fact that your son did not get into Cornell doesn’t mean that his legacy didn’t matter. A selective college cannot accept all legacy applicants, not even all of them who match the profile of the school.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t necessarily say the help is “minimal”. It’s not a huuuge boost for sure, but even regular legacy status can most likely act as a tipping factor for borderline applicants.</p>
<p>I know a kid whose legacy status went back to a contemporary of Daniel Webster…he was waitlisted, and was accepted at H & P. He had sibs who were accepted at D, and rejected. The moral of th3e story is: if D is really your first choice, apply ED. Legacy certainly helps, but only if you apply ED.</p>