<p>I always see that in the Yale thread, though I know of plenty of legacies who were denied admission.</p>
<p>All things being equal, legacy status is a favorable tip factor. But there are tons of children and grandchildren of Yalies who won’t be accepted. It’s just a fact of life.</p>
<p>I think I’ve read that it is one of those factors that can cure the sick, but not raise the dead. From what I see in the accepted/rejected threads, it can only cure a fairly mild illness.</p>
<p>Universities need that money. It’s probably not tons of fun to have a glut of old money kids on campus, but legacies apparently achieve pretty highly so perhaps that’s an extra incentive to give the tip once in a while.</p>
<p>what’s a hook?</p>
<p>A hook is something that gives you a little extra look in the application. The generally accepted hooks (by consensus, not any factual data, is URM status, First Gen status, legacy(some schools), Being famous(well known research or pop culture status, again some schools), or a “developmental” admit (family donated a building or huge amount of donations).</p>
<p>Just because legacies were denied doesn’t mean the legacy factor didn’t help their chances.</p>
<p>Does anyone know the statistic for legacy admissions? especially in SCEA…</p>
<p>I think it’s something like 30% legacies get in early?</p>
<p>don’t quote meeeeeee. </p>
<p>But I am a legacy and got in SCEA!</p>
<p>Legacy used to be a bigger deal but admissions to Yale and other prestige schools has become more like a lottery. A single legacy, meaning a parent, is worth next to nothing. Two is worth more, but you really start to get noticed when you have two legacies + cash. Sorry to be blunt, but cash and lots of it helps. </p>
<p>Go to any of the Yale reunions and you’ll hear how their kids didn’t get in. And much of the rest of the talk is about how “we” wouldn’t get in now.</p>
<p>A couple years ago, we were told children of alumni were admitted at a rate of about 30%, compared to 10% for all applicants. (old numbers, obviously) The caveat, of course, is that the number can be deceptive because “alumni children tend to present strong applications and are disproportionately represented at the most competitive level.” The info we received also said that early applications from legacies didn’t fare significantly better than those in RD.</p>
<p>On a 10-point scale (10-highest) of academics plus personal ratings (the so-called “holistic” admissions scale), being a legacy adds one point to your score. That’s the equivalent of getting bumped up from an all-regional musician to an all-state one. It’s a significant increase in one’s chances for admission, but no guarantee.</p>
<p>Being a big donor also adds one point to your overall score.</p>