<p>I have applied to University of Chicago, and I'm wondering if legacy helps. I have had 4 blood relatives (one being my mother) go to UChicago as undergrads, at least (some as undergrad and grad), and my aunt taught at the school and helped in the reorganization of the Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology. My scores are good but not great with a 31 on my ACT, but I have a high GPA and I figure there are some students at UChicago currently that had stats like mine when applying. What I'm really curious about is, does the legacy that I have help with my admissions decision?</p>
<p>Google their Common Data Set and look at section C7.</p>
<p>As far as I can tell, UChicago does not have a CDS. Does anyone know if legacy matters at UChicago?</p>
<p>[University</a> of Chicago Admissions Information - CollegeData College Profile](<a href=“http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=327]University”>http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=327)</p>
<p>I can’t answer specifically for Chicago but I can answer generally with respect to schools of Chicago’s calibre. Generally speaking, legacy means something at highly selective private schools, such as U Chicago, which are continuously trying to build their endowments. Not surprisingly, schools that are known to count legacy as a factor tend to have higher percentages of alumni give back to the school and those donations tend to be in higher amounts compared to places which give little or no weight to legacy. Legacy is simply a way to reward alumni loyalty. </p>
<p>That said, the impact of legacy is often overestimated. Top privates tend to define legacy rather narrowly (usually limited to parents or siblings) and most use it simply as a tie-breaker. In other words, it typically does not carry a great deal of weight in the admissions process. But in today’s highly competitive environment for college admissions, even a tie-breaker can be quite valuable. Studies have shown that children of alumni are admitted in statistically significantly higher numbers than other applicants at most top schools. Also, some schools (UPenn comes to mind) only consider legacy with respect to early decision candidates.</p>
<p>Rumor has it that some very wealthy schools (such as Yale) don’t give any weight to legacy unless the parent has been a regular contributor of significant amounts to the university.</p>
<p>What counts much more than mere legacy is something usually called “development” admits. This is when the candidate is a child or close relative to a major contributor to the university and the university’s office of development contacts the admissions office and requests special consideration. If the gifts are large enough (such as donating a building), even marginal candidates may be admitted. Most schools don’t like to talk about development admits but, the truth is, it happens most everywhere.</p>