My DS is interested in applying to Northwestern ED. Both my husband and I went to grad school there (husband PhD, I was also in a PhD program but chose to leave after getting MS). Does being an alum of the graduate school count as legacy? or only if attended as undergraduates? (and will me leaving my program early hurt his chances?)
Short of asking the school, I don’t know NU’s legacy definition and don’t see it on their website. Would knowing this detail change your son’s application strategy?
It depends on the university. I don’t believe that at HYP, for example, a graduate degree is considered a legacy with respect to undergraduate admissions. At Harvard, it feels like those who attended “the College” are considered to be in a different category than others. Stanford seems different. The culture is more inclusive – grad degrees seem equivalent to undergraduate degrees in terms of membership in the tribe. I’d want to hear from someone who is knowledgeable about undergraduate admissions but that is the vibe I get. I don’t know about NU specifically.
1 Like
I haven’t seen anything official on NU’s website but there are past student newspaper articles saying that it’s undergrad only.
That said, there are lots of NU students who had parents go there for grad school. It definitely won’t hurt your child and can help with the why us type essay question.
If your son has the grades to be competitive, ED is a big bump at NU (they’re now filling over 50% of the class in ED).
2 Likes
^^^^^^this. A quick one liner in the essay. The reader will get the idea.
1 Like
Excellent response. I’d like to second your observation that there are lots of NU students who had parents go there for grad school. I know quite a few Medill and Kellogg kids who got in during recent cycles. The Wildcat spirit/purple pride usually runs very deep in those families, and it’s very evident in their ED choice.
The effect of your legacy also depends heavily on your level of involvement, and this is true anywhere. If you compare an undergrad alum who never contributed a dime or put in volunteer work against a grad school alum who has donated significant amounts and/or served on the advisory board(s), the pecking order will be pretty clear.
Good luck to the OP family!