<p>I am mentoring a student with with a less than super stellar profile: 3.33 weighted GPA and 22 ACTs, two 2s and one 1 on AP exams. </p>
<p>However, she is also first-generation, from a low income family (faced significant financial hardships/obstacles), is a minority and solidly involved with her extra currics. </p>
<p>Her elder sister went to Wellesley. </p>
<p>Of course, in light of this I am encouraging her to apply. But I am wondering what other people think about the family connection. Some say it helps just a little, but I have read reports about other schools where it pushes a less than stellar student into the acceptance pile. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Just my guess, based on how I have seen other private colleges do it:</p>
<p>I don’t think that having a sister at Wellesley counts as a legacy. It usually requires a parent or grandparent, so I don’t think having a sister there will help at all.</p>
<p>Being a minority, however, gives her an advantage. Whether it gives her enough of an advantage, however, depends on the particular minority she is. With those scores, I would probably say “unlikely,” but Wellesley probably has some stats somewhere, maybe on its web site, that you can find to give you a better idea.</p>
<p>Agreed, siblings won’t count much in admissions, compared to a mother, grandmother, aunt, etc.</p>
<p>I know they won’t count as much as having generations of alums but I know it does count for something. (At least it did when I went to Wellesley). I just posted this to see if someone who had actual experience with this would reply. </p>
<p>I guess the real answer is no one knows how much. Here is a link to CC discussion about this (which if I had found it in the first place I wouldn’t have had to post here). </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/647562-sibling-admissions.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/647562-sibling-admissions.html</a></p>
<p>I actually don’t think Wellesley considers legacies at all. At orientation this year, incoming students were told that they got in on their own merits, not because they were a legacy.</p>
<p>wjibara, that discussion pertains to prep schools, not colleges.</p>
<p>Perhaps relevant questions to ask in the case of the kid you are mentoring are “How do her stats compare to that of the sister? And how is the sister doing?”</p>
<p>I don’t know that you are doing her a favor to urge her to apply. Her stats are really, really weak, and if she is rejected from the school her sister attends, won’t that be a significant slap in the face to her?</p>
<p>I think Wellesley tries to honor legacies.
My sister also attends Wellesley.</p>