<p>My alma mater is a possible college of interest for my son, but a definite reach. I have never given them a dime, not because I don't have (mostly) positive feelings about the place but because there have always seemed to be more urgent things to do with my charitable $ (the school in question is not hurting for money, to put it mildly). </p>
<p>Will it make a difference? I mean, I'm sure it has an effect at the high end--if somebody's been a consistent and generous giver, their kid will get a substantial break, naturally. But at the other end, how much of the benefit of being a legacy is lost if the parent has been a no-show at annual fund time?</p>
<p>I don’t think there is a school out there that isn’t hurting for money… and not mildly. That includes HYP and many, many others.</p>
<p>but the answer to your question is… probably not unless you’re talking millions. And even then I’ve heard of rejections. I think legacy counts for something in the admission’s process but not so much that if you don’t have the numbers you’re not getting in. I know a woman whose grandfather was the president of a major university. Her children did not get in, but her brother’s children did. Was it donations? Not sure, but in knowing them all, I’d say it was academics.</p>
<p>It matters what your alma mater is and how much you give. For a place like HPY, you’d probably have to give 7 figures for the gift to make a difference, and your kid would need to have stats, too, indicating they could survive academically there.</p>