<p>I'm a legacy at Vandy (sibling) and wanted to know how much it counted for. I'm applying ED II to the Peabody College (HOD major).</p>
<p>It really doesn’t count as much as people think it does. If you look through the past ED results threads, some people with 3.8+ GPAs and 30+ ACTs were rejected with sibling and parental legacy. Legacy is kind of like a small hook, but it most certainly does not compensate for low scores, grades, etc. (that is, of course, unless you are the direct descendant of some old, Vandy big shot). Just don’t count on it to get you in. I got in ED (no legacy) on Friday, while 3 other people from my school who applied ED got rejected with some sort of legacy.</p>
<p>That’s a good question and I’d be interested in hearing what other people think–of the 9 college apps my daughter filled out, I think Vanderbilt was the only one who asked for a list of legacies; which makes me think that they give it some weight. On the other hand, I know of one girl who had 4 legacies (going as far back as her grandfather who attended VU in the 50’s) who didn’t get in and another girl who had 7 legacies (including both parents) who didn’t get into Vanderbilt either. A history of giving moderate donations to the school doesn’t seem to matter either.
I would guess that if your stats aren’t strong then being a legacy won’t help but maybe if you are on the “bubble” it might tip you toward getting admitted.</p>
<p>Thanks guys. I have a 3.5 gpa (at a top 50 public hs and strong course rigor) and a 33 ACT with unique EC’s, so obviously Vanderbilt is a reach and I hope legacy will help push me over the edge.</p>
<p>Those are pretty decent stats. If your GPA is 3.5 UW then I wouldn’t be surprised if you got in EDII</p>
<p>The legacy question is one of the many mysteries of the AdCom. My best guess is:
- Legacy but no school involvement or donations = no help
- Some involvement and some donations = a little help if you are on the bubble.
- Offer internships & jobs to Vandy students and have a building named after GrandPa and you are in.</p>
<p>My D1 is a sophomore there, and D2 just got accepted ED1. We decided to apply ED1 because we were told at an information session, that your chances are better with ED and if you have a legacy, they DO take that into account. I was obsessed with stats, and poured over previous threads to make a spreadsheet of sorts. I used 32 ACT, 4.0 (UW), and siblings at VU as my criteria. (basically my daughters stats) Results: it was 50% admitted. Which scared to poop out of me! I honestly think what put my daughter over the edge was the extras…tons of volunteer work, job outside of school, and excelling at non-academics (music and theater). I think her essay was completely true to who she is as a person, and that brutal honesty came through and I think her letters of rec were also great, although we only saw one. she did the alumni interview and had 2 personal letters sent in along with the required (the personal letters detailed her volunteer work). Just about everyone who applies is an incredible student, so the extra stuff is really important!</p>
<p>Moonpie, I agree with your post. Vandy and many selective schools take pride in rejecting excellent students with little else to offer. Grades and test scores get you past the first cut but leadership, community service, and/or involvement in an activity in which a student excels is needed to get the fat letter. Students also need a LoR or interviewer who will “fight for them” and an essay that stands out.</p>