<p>I plan on applying ED to Duke this fall, and I am wondering how much of an impact being a legacy will have. My grandpa attended for his undergrad studies, my Dad got both his undergraduate degree and MHA from Duke and has been giving money to the university for the past 13 years, and my sister will be a junior there this fall. Will any of this help? Because I have heard Duke is trying to focus less on legacy and more on just the best applicants. Thanks in advance for taking the time and putting in your opinions.</p>
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<p>Yes, especially if you plan on applying ED. Legacy ED acceptance rates have been historically higher than normal ED rates.</p>
<p>How much would a sibling who is a senior help a prospective Duke first year?</p>
<p>They will handle your application differently by tossing it in the “accept” pile.</p>
<p>^ lol</p>
<p>10char.</p>
<p>@Ohioman2011: I am unfamiliar with Duke’s treatment of ED legacies; however, UPenn, a school of similar prestige and selectivity, encourages legacies to apply ED to receive any boost in the admissions process. Applying ED will certainly earn your app a closer look, while your double legacy status might push you over the top, assuming your grades and test scores are on par (i.e. 2100 SAT, 3.85 GPA).</p>
<p>@hoping4duke: Although a sibling legacy is probably not as lucrative as a parental legacy, it will undoubtedly help your chance at admission. In your case, it could potentially act as a tiebreaker between you and another (non-legacy) candidate. Generally speaking, the more money donated by the family member in question, the bigger the admissions boost. Best of luck!</p>
<p>I attended a Duke legacy college tour and information session once and it seemed like it gave you a boost. If you apply ED and you’re a legacy, then you got a larger advantage than if you applied RD. If you apply RD though you still get a good boost. In the end though, the larger amounts of money donated, the harder it is to turn you down.</p>
<p>It does definitely help. What happens in a normal admissions process for a non-legacy student is that they have one admissions officer read over your application and then it’s sent to your regional admissions officer, after which they discuss your application with the admissions committee. However, legacy applicants have one EXTRA admissions officer read over your application for a total of three reviewers, as opposed to two.</p>