Double Odds for Legacy?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

<p>Hey, I am freaking out because my dad, who graduated with a PhD from Stanford, got a letter thanking him for having me apply and saying that they expect to have a double acceptance rate for legacies. That's 25%!</p>

<p>Anyway, I did the online app, and am a little worried because I feel like they didn't get the full feel for me. I will post stats showing ONLY what I put for there app. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!</p>

<p>6~7/160, but Straight A's except Gym and most rigourous course load.
1550, 880Phy 800MathIIC 690Writing</p>

<p>National Merit Commended Student 2004
State Superior Solo 2002, 2003, 2004
Simpson Jazz Camp 2003
Academic Letter of Achievement 2004
Waseca Outstanding Musicianship Award 2004
Lamberton Jazz Outstanding Musician 2004
Independent Research Project 2004
Exchange Club Student of the Month 2004</p>

<p>State Solo Contest 10, 11, 12. 3 State Superior-Rated Marimba Solos
Jazz Ensemble 15 hrs/week.26 Weeks/Year. Lead Percussionist.Drumset/Vibes.
Drum Line 35hrs/Week. 20 Weeks/Year. Tenor Leader. Top 3 Line in 5 States.
Church Volunteer 4 hrs/week. 52 weeks/year Percussionist. Lead Youth Band.
Percussion Lessons With World Tenor Drum Champion
Pep Band 4hrs/Week 8 Weeks/Year
Leadership Retreat. Invited by Band Director to Attend.
Music Volunteering 4 Hrs Week, 10 Weeks per year.</p>

<p>(Pretty much everything except the leadership retreat are all three years, as they don't include freshman year.)</p>

<p>Work-Grocery/Customer Service. 15hrs/week 52 Weeks/Year.
(Wrote a short, straightforward essay on my very large role in my company!)</p>

<p>Short Essays- Touching, yet funny. A few jokes and interesting anecdotes. I kept them light, but with deeper points. I am happy.</p>

<p>Summer Essay-Talked about jazz camp, marching band, work, and Ultimate Frisbee.</p>

<p>Main Essay- Pretty Good. Talked about love of physics and what I did to learn more. </p>

<p>Well, that is all I have. Any input would be greatly appreciated, or any comments on Stanford's policy on legacies. </p>

<p>BTW, I think I forgot to mention that I was bumped up to AP Physics, making me the first and only junior in an AP class. I have recently won a few awards and picked up a few EC's. Should I submit anything to Stanford?</p>

2

<p>I'm not sure why you think they didn't get a full feel for you. What you wrote looks really great, and especially so considering you are a legacy. It's not like they discount everything else if you are a legacy, and just flip a coin twice. It can only help. If you are worried because the letter only mentioned the legacy part of your application and nothing else, it's probably because they only have a system for sending letters to legacy parents, or something like that.</p>

<p>If you haven't yet sent your mid-year report, ask your counselor to include those things you mentioned at the end. If it's already sent, I would definitely tell them about AP Physics (especially because they expect to know exactly what classes you are taking), but only mention the awards and ECs if they are significant.</p>

<p>I assume you meant you got an 800 on Physics and not an 880.</p>

3

<p>Oops, 800 Physics, not 880 :). Yeah, I think I will talk to the admissions counselor who they suggested to talk to in the legacy letter. Heh, I was just interested if any other people sent in odd pictures for the essay. I sent in a pic of a hypercube shadow and explained how it inspired me to study physics. Hopefully this isn't too quirky.</p>

4

<p>Hey, jerew. Where are you from? My Dad also went to Stanford (got an MSEE there) and I haven't received any letter about legacy status yet. </p>

<p>I did the picture essay. I sent in a picture of my favorite key chain.</p>

5

<p>I am from a small town in Southern Minnesota. My letter was dated Feb 9, and I received it on Feb 12. It was addressed to my dad, who got a MSEE and PhD EE at Stanford.</p>

6

<p>We haven't received any letter either, and my son is a legacy. (I am a Stanford grad.) I remember four years ago, when my older son applied, we received a letter explaining that legacy only mattered when it came down to fine distinctions between candidates who were very close in qualifications. (That son DID get in.)</p>

7

<p>I hope that you're not exaggerating about the number of hours you spend on your EC's. Your main extracurriculars and job add up to more than 60 hours per week. How do you manage that with schoolwork? Do you actually do 9 hours of EC's per day?</p>

8

<p>yea..the commmunity service seems a little odd. Unless his school day is considered volunteer hours or sumthin.</p>

9

<p>Yeah, I have had that comment too, but it was proven on my app. There is no question about the drum line commitment of 35 hrs per week, as my counselor also wrote about the TREMENDOUS time commitment it takes. That is why our band is the best, everywhere we go. And the job was 25 hrs a week in summer and ten during marching season and about 15 during jazz season. 4 hours of community service a week is with church, so two hours sunday and two wednesday, (the time counted is in playing and rehearsing, not in listening to preachers!) And the music volunteering was only one year, and that is large beacuse it took a few weekends. I really don't see how it is that out of line? As stated, some of these activities are only a third of the year, but yeah, music consumes my time, with 5 hrs of jazz practice a week, weekend competions, and personal practice time, the numbers are right-on to conservative.</p>

<p>Heh, I think I will explain a little better, since I don't want anyone to think I lie.
Summer schedule for band 7-12 mornings, everyday. 6-9 two days a week, 8 hr weekend practices.
School year band- 6:45-8:45 every day in the morning, 6-9 two days a week, one hour on Monday, and weekend competitions/practices, at Least 8 hrs. Plus about 5 football games, with 4 hours to prep and play and change. </p>

<p>Wow, at LEAST 35 hrs a week, but alas, it ends, and I resume work at 15 hrs a week.
Gosh, now that I look at it, I am a little too busy!</p>

<p>Anyway, since I can prove all of those things with teachers and paycheck stubs, how about my chances and if the legacy thing really is that big of a deal.</p>

<p>PS. My only concern is that for a third of the year, I work less than ten hrs a week, and in the summer, it is more like 30, so I averaged, because their app is too limiting, but at $4800 at 6.25 an hour is 14.8 hrs a week.</p>

10

<p>First of all, your picture has got nothing on mine: I sent in a picture of dog poop, so don't sweat it.</p>

<p>Re: this talk about inflated hours, mine appears that way too, because I have my guide dog puppy in training with me pretty much 24/7, my school decided to document 5 hrs/day. This along with everything else appears to inflate my comm. service/EC hours, but it's all legit. I do worry about how they interpret seeing "2400 hours of community service" on my transcript though, but I'm not going to lose sleep over it. It's probably a conservative estimate.</p>

11

<p>Hey, tigerfan, congrats on the early acceptance and Duke letter. You must have some stats! Since maybe you and your school knows more about admissions than I do, any comments on chances/things I can do. I'm not sure that they know that I was the only junior to take an AP class in my entire high school. Should I email or let it go?</p>

12

<p>jerew- I would not mention that myself...I might ask my counselor or the teacher of the class to, if they wrote you letters. I'm doing a lot of this kind of thinking right now too, being as I was deferred (not accepted early) by Stanford. I'm going to mention the Duke thing but not overplay it and beyond that I'm going with the standard stuff "A.P. Scholar w/ Distinction, etc." That deferral form is kinda tricky because they already have a decent idea of who I am and I don't want to change it drastically; it was at least good enough to get me deferred. Since you don't have the avenue of the EA deferral form to update them, my personal preference would be to relax until April and que sera, sera. (what will be, will be for you non-espanolers out there). I doubt that being the only junior in AP Physics will be the difference between acceptance and rejection, and since Duke sent me that letter, I can only assume that all of the schools have probably read and processed a lot of the apps by this point anyway. Feel free to disagree, but that's just my take.</p>

<p>Oh, and my stats are nothing too special. 34 ACT, 1440 SAT, 800/740/660(!). I think Duke really liked the more personal side of me, rather than my stats, which are standard for schools like Stanford and Duke and....etc.</p>

13

<p>Oh, I misread your earlier thread, but congrats anyway! It sounds like you are very happy with Duke (as you should be!).</p>

14

<p>well, i hope the bit about the admit rate is true...because i'm a legacy and both my parents went to stanford (if only that meant i had a 50% chance...lol), but they didn't get sent a letter. oh well, like tigerfan (and Doris Day) said "que sera sera"</p>

15

<p>Lookin' good all on your own. Slam dunk with the legacy angle.</p>

16

<p>So, anyone else get the legacy letter? Will it really help me that much? (Dad went to Stanford GRAD school, not undergrad, but I still got the legacy letter.)</p>

17

<p>i got one today. i don't know if it helps or not. don't think it hurts :) for the record, i sent in my stanford app in at about the last possible minute, so that's probably why my parents' came later than yours. it's probably just a form letter the alumni assoc. sends out to encourage donations and to clarify things so they don't get "you didn't let my kid in" stuff come april.</p>

18

<p>Why do I I feel so unworthy with all the legacy stuff going on. Hey, guess up to me to show I don't need no fr... legacy to get in, lol.</p>

19

<p>The legacy letter is sent to every parent who graduated from the university--undergraduate or graduate. The receipt of the letter does not signify anything--it is simply a polite letter acknowledging that the parent attended Stanford. </p>

<p>Legacy status helps in the sense that if everything else is evenly balanced between two candidates, the legacy may provide the "tip" that provides admission. </p>

<p>I think that it is hard to tell how much legacy status per se helps, or provides a "tip", because in many cases the most outstanding candidates coincidentally have the Stanford connection. You still have to pass muster on all of their important measures--grades, scores, teacher/school recommendations, essays, and demonstrated excellence/passion in ecs as well.</p>

20

<p>LOL, I actually think the legacy letters are there to defuse the situation. 25% rate for legacy seems quite low to me...</p>