how important is legacy in admission?

<p>Mom got an A.B. (just like a BA), Dad got a JD
daughter has lots of honors/ap's but low weighted GPA (3.8)
SATs 1950, will take again</p>

<p>Thats a pretty low gpa... unweighted I believe that'll become like a 3.4 (for as you said she took a lot of honors/ap). Legacy only gives you a nudge in your decisions. Don't expect too much.</p>

<p>What is your "Michigan" GPA? If you don't know what that means, it basically means the following:</p>

<p>Take all the academic courses (Biology, Chemistry, Economics, English, Foreign Languages, History, Mathematics and Physics) you took in 10th and 11th grade (9th grade does not count) and assign the following values to the following grades:</p>

<p>A+, A, A-: 4.0/4.0
B+, B, B- : 3.0/4.0
C+, C, C- : 2.0/4.0
Ds : 1.0/4.0</p>

<p>Assign equal weight to each and average them out.</p>

<p>Well, according to Wikipedia, researchers at Princeton determined that it adds an equivalent of 120 points to your sat score on average.</p>

<p>^at michigan? at ivies? in general? I don't think it matters as much to UMich.</p>

<p>^ Ditto. UMich has the largest alumni base in the world. I even doubt getting a JD there would make much of an impact. </p>

<p>Besides, don't legacies usually come into play only if they give money?</p>

<p>Thanks for your responses.
I meant that both her parents got degrees at Michigan. Her Dad got his undergraduate degree at Yale, which obviously is irrelevant for our D.
And her "Michigan GPA" is low: 3.3. Not sure how SATs will turn out, 1950/2400 is anestimate based on PSATs. She kind of fell off the boat academically in her sophomore year, having been accelerated twice in science and math, and couldn't keep up. Anyway, I did not even consider suggesting that she apply, except I heard Michigan has a rolling admission, so perhaps applying early might help. I know it's really a crap shoot. We can pay for the full ride if necessary, but we did not donate. Should we forget it?</p>

<p>Applemom, my D last year applied very early (end of September) and was accepted. She's finishing up her freshman year there. Her counselor said it was a "reach" school based on her stats but applying early brought it to a 50/50. I suggest having your D write very very thoughtful essays and show leadership qualities in her EC's. Although my D's GPA was a bit higher, we were told the same thing by a friend whose D also got in with a GPA similar to yours. It does't hurt to try. If she's admitted, you'll find out before Thanksgiving, and certainly have enough time to apply elsewhere if necessary. The application usually comes out the beginning of August. Good luck.</p>

<p>Legacy status can heal the sick, but it can't raise the dead.</p>

<p>It isn't as a big a factor as many people assume, or hope. For reasons given above.</p>

<p>Not much... both of my grandparents came to UMich from India, and I was still deferred rolling with way above-average stats...</p>

<p>Applemom, a 3.3 GPA is low for Michigan, but she may have a shot if there is an upward trend. Let us say she had a 3.0 GPA her Sophomore year, 3.6 her Junior year and, assuming she is not admitted immediately next year, a 3.8+ the first half of her Senior year. </p>

<p>However, she should have her application in first thing. No later than mid September. And she should work hard on her SAT and on her AP tests. </p>

<p>The legacy status helps a little, but even in the days when Michigan used the now infamous formula, it assigned only a few points to it. I cannot imagine things have changed in this respect.</p>