If someone’s parents/siblings went to grad school at Penn (NOT undergrad), how much do admissions officers care?
If an applicant’s parent or grandparent has a degree from ANY of Penn’s schools–undergraduate OR graduate–the applicant is considered to be a legacy by the Admissions Office. However, according to Penn, legacy status has the greatest (and essentially only) impact during the Early Decision round.
@“45 Percenter” thank you! so how much does legacy count for? if you have two applicants - one with legacy, okay grades and great extracurriculars vs. one without legacy, great grades, and great extracurriculars, which one will get in?
assuming only one does ^
In general, it’s an all-else-being-equal kind of thing. Legacy status won’t make up for otherwise below-average (for Penn admits) stats, ECs, and essays, but it can help during the ED round if the legacy applicant is otherwise competitive. Remember that 50-60% of legacy applicants who apply ED are rejected by Penn every year.
If you’re interested, here’s a recent article about legacy admissions from The Pennsylvania Gazette, Penn’s alumni magazine:
http://thepenngazette.com/five-is-four-cs-%E2%80%A8and-the-right-road-to-college/
Thanks so much!