<p>So, my mom went to Radcliffe (Radcliffe and Harvard hadn't assimilated into a coed college yet when she went there, but it was still part of Harvard Universtiy...she took all the Harvard classes, etc.). I guess that makes me "legacy" of some kind...? Anyway, I was just wondering: everyone always talks about how it's easier to get into Harvard if you're legacy, but, upon applying, I noticed that it's one of the only schools whose CA supplement does not ask if any relatives of yours are alumnai. So...how do they know if you're legacy? Do they just look at the common app "parents" section? I'm just wondering...after all, I have nothing else to do while I frantically await my decision. <em>Bites nails</em> Thanks!</p>
<p>On the common app it asks you where your parents went to school. They probably just look at it from that.</p>
<p>Yes, you are a legacy and yes they look at the part where you told them where your parents went to college on the Common Ap. Why ask the same question twice? Which (grumble, grumble) seemed to me happened all too often with the supplements.</p>
<p>Yes you are a legacy, but a one-generation legacy isn't really going to be THAT much of an advantage.</p>
<p>Yes, you are a legacy, but legacy is just a tip factor. All of the legacies I've seen get in (and I'm an alum interviewer) were outstanding, probably would have gotten in without a legacy tip. I've also seen legacies rejected by Harvard who got into places like Stanford, Barnard, and Columbia.</p>
<p>If a one-generation legacy isn't all that helpful, how would they know about generations before that? the common app doesn't ask about grandparents and neither does the harvard supplement</p>
<p>they can only see where your parents went? what if your legacy includes multiple generations and cousins/aunts/uncles</p>
<p>Those relatives do not make you a legacy.</p>
<p>Legacy is defined by Harvard as mother and father. I believe, possibly grandfather and grandmother too.</p>
<p>Harvard legacy status is based only on one's parents' having gone to Harvard as undergraduates, not any other relatives' being an alum at Harvard College or Harvard University.</p>
<p>Being a Harvard legacy may tip one in -- if you have a stellar gpa, board scores, and extracurriculars. It's not going to tip you in if you're average or below average in the Harvard pool.</p>
<p>does a parent having a harvard MBA count as any sort of legacy?</p>
<p>No, legacy is only if the parent has an undergrad H degree.</p>
<p>I’m a legacy. I did not get in.</p>
<p>There does seem to be a higher rate of legacies getting in, but I don’t think that really has to do with the fact that they’re legacies – I think it has to do with the fact that smart parents often make smart babies. Legacies almost always get in because they really deserve it, and their “personal stats” are seldom all that different from other outstanding accepted candidates. Supposedly, legacy admittance is between one in three and one in six, varying over the years.<br>
Legacy very rarely makes you a shoe-in at any school, but at Harvard especially, you can’t depend on it to compensate for any shortcomings on your application.</p>
<p>That said, if they turn you down, don’t take it personally. You literally cannot take it personally: they can only accept about a thousand and then take from the wait-list. That leaves almost 30,000 people with denials…most of the applicant pool is qualified. Often times, it’s just up to desirable demographics.</p>
<p>So uncle/nephew definitely doesn’t count?</p>
<p>Yep you’re a legacy, and they look at the commonapp.</p>
<p>But don’t count on legacy status. I’m a waitlisted legacy that was admitted by MIT, Yale, & Princeton, and I had published research with a Harvard professor.</p>
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<p>No, I think it has more to do with the fact that a family with established roots in an institution is slightly more likely to donate, participate in its alumni community, etc, than a single individual. Almost everyone who applies to Harvard is “smart,” and admissions officers can determine this from their applications. I don’t think anyone thinks, “well I wasn’t sure at first if Jimmy is intelligent, but after I saw that his father went to Harvard, it must be in his genes…”</p>
<p>You seem to be misinterpreting that post. The claim that “smart parents often make smart babies,” whether you agree with it or not, doesn’t imply (at all) that the poster thinks the admissions office is using legacy status as a confirmation of intelligence. It’s simply trying to explain why the legacy admit rate is higher than the overall admit rate, by arguing that the average legacy applicant is more qualified than the average applicant. When he/she says that “smart parents often make smart babies,” I’m sure that “smart” in this context is quite different than the way you’re using the word “smart” to describe “everyone who applies to Harvard” (something that can’t be fully verified, but it’s certainly a reasonable claim).</p>
<p>Oh wow I totally ignored the rest of that post. Good call.</p>
<p>In addition, Harvard grads are smart enough to know when their kids don’t have the achievements that aren’t likely to gain their acceptance to Harvard, so such legacy kids aren’t likely to apply. Neither of my sons applied to H. They were high scoring URMs, but I knew their grades weren’t good enough for them to get in. They also were interested in other kinds of colleges.</p>
<p>So if my father, uncle, and grandfather all went to Harvard, it only matters that my father went there?</p>