<p>In my "chance me" thread, I got a lot of "You'll get in"s, but they all had to do with my legacy. Can you really get into a school based on that? My "chance me" thread is called "chance me for exeter?" If you want to go and take a peak. </p>
<p>I am fifth generation legacy at Exeter, could this really be all I need to get in?</p>
<p>If you’re fifth generation, you such clinch a spot, unless you are extremely unqualified and you seem as qualified as any other person.</p>
<p>I think it depends on a couple things. First, what does “legacy” mean when you use it? Did your uncle go there twenty years ago, is a sibling there, or are you in your fifth generation? I think these are all seen differently. Second, if you’re qualified, I think it would get you out of the “it’s a crapshoot,” pile but it wouldn’t necessarily get you in if you’re not.</p>
<p>Exeter loves that type of thing. They want to keep getting money from your family, so unless you have major holes in your academics or behavior, you are in.</p>
<p>They also might think there’s a higher chance that you would attend, and that looks good for their numbers.</p>
<p>My legacy situation: my family was part of early early Exeter, sent two boys there back in it’s first few years. The two boys then sent their sons, who sent their sons. One of the third generation sons sent all three of his boys (would have sent his daughter, but Exeter was still single sex). That daughter is my grandmother. Nobody has gone to Exeter since, except for a few distant cousins. So I’d be fifth generation, but not very directly. I don’t have any major holes in my application, but nothing entirely special either. I think I’m qualified, but so are a lot of people. I guess the real question is this: is legacy the hook I need to get in? Does it really mean anything to AOs?</p>
<p>Also, two of the three great uncles who attended have worked in Exeter admissions, they both sent emails to the AO before my interview. I know that I have a lot of connections to the school, but is that enough?</p>
<p>If you didn’t have connections I would have had more doubt, but I still think you have an above average chance, but not 100%</p>
<p>Is it enough? It’s a small piece, exeterbunny. Most schools appreciate family devotion but your definition of what a legacy is might be a little skewed. A true legacy runs down a straight line. It doesn’t go sideways or skip. It sounds like family members have stayed involved and connected to the school, which is always great. I don’t know how consistent your family has been as far as annual giving goes, but that’s definitely something a school will look at, too. Stay positive and good luck! </p>
<p>My dad went to one of the HADES schools I’m applying to and is a pretty consistent donor, giving more than the average alum. Does that have great weight?</p>
<p>My family has been very generous and consistent in regards to annual giving- all of them were very successful after Exeter! @PhotographerMom will they view “true legacy” kids differently than me?</p>
<p>Here are some questions to ask yourself in trying to figure out how much a legacy connection will help you out.</p>
<p>What would the school be risking in not admitting you? If your legacy connection is tenuous or your family has had little or no involvement in the school since graduation you may not get much of a bump. No one stops giving to their alma mater because their second cousin’s kid didn’t get into the school, and if your family is giving $200 a year the school can afford to lose your family’s support. If, on the other hand, your family has given large donations to the school, has a history of major giving at other schools or has been heavily involved in the school in other ways (e.g., as trustees or alumni leaders) your application will be given more weight.</p>
<p>How much would the admissions office have to stretch to admit you? If you fit the average profile for admitted students the school wouldn’t have to stretch their admissions standards to admit you, and your legacy status would likely be enough to push your file into the admit pile. If you’re a C+ student applying to school where the average admitted student is a A/A- student legacy status probably won’t help much.</p>
<p>How competitive is admission to the school? Are you competing against an average of 20 students for your spot or 2? In the former case the school may need to use your slot to fill another institutional priority. A few select schools could fill their entire class with legacies, but then they wouldn’t have room for the other students they’d like to admit.</p>
<p>exeterbunny- I think the tradition your family has had with PE will be noted, but (please take this the right way) I don’t think you’re going to be in the legacy pile. Even though you have a link via your great-grandfather- it’s a stretch. I think you should focus on all the other things that make you a wonderful candidate and stay positive. </p>
<p>@Sue22 would a couple thousand dollars be considered a lot to the school or a couple hundred thousand?</p>
<p>Naturally, we all want answers. So in this day and age, we Google our questions and we end up on CC.</p>
<p>But CC has no answers, just guesses. Good ones, maybe, but remember that they’re just guesses.</p>
<p>Are you not going to apply if someone here says no? Or are you not going to try on your application if someone here says no?<br>
Legacy matters, but as you said, you aren’t continuing fifth generation, you are a grandniece of several Exeter alums as far as I can tell.
Apply, hope you get in, they either have a spot to list your family connections or not.
I would also say that a more recent alum going to bat for you might help, it tends to at prep schools.</p>
<p>Major gifts aside ( see buildings, etc.) Here’s what a BS Development Office looks for: An alum willing and able to contribute on multiple fronts:</p>
<p>Examples: </p>
<p>*We need you to host a school reception at your home for 100 people.
*We would like you to underwrite students who cannot afford to train over Spring Break.
*We need two new shells for the boathouse.
*We need 10 iPads for a classroom.
*We need you to make a contribution for the Class Gift. (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 year…)
*We would like you to travel and meet with families applying to the school.
*We would like you to call/ write notes to accepted families.
*Will you be attending the Christmas Reception in NYC this year?
*Are you attending the reunion in Spring?
*Will you be able to attend the annual gala? (Answer: No, but let me purchase a table and donate an auction item.)</p>
<p>I could go on and on, but I think you can see it’s a little more than writing simple check. There are many families able to say yes to some or all the above. And they’ve been doing it for years. That’s your competition.</p>
<p>And just to clarify: It’s the alums (if they choose to) who reach out to the Development Office to say they want to be contacted for whatever they need. Everyone else gets annual giving postcards. </p>
<p>^^ Not meant to sound snooty. That’s just the way it is…</p>
<p>Traditionally, top boarding schools in the East puts a lot of emphasis on legacy. </p>
<p>They tend to think that an applicant with legacy should have a higher chance of enrolling when accepted. It is a royalty factor. It is not only an applicant that fights for the spot. Schools also have to fight to keep accepted students from going to some other schools. </p>
<p>Secondly, students with legacy tend to get better used to the school system because they may have already known a lot about the school from their parents and siblings. As such, chances for failure can be minimized. </p>
<p>Thirdly and perhaps more importantly, schools need to fill the cost gap. (The gap between the tuition and the actual expense of a student.) It may be very big depending on the schools. So, they expect financial endowment from parents and legacy is the one of the best sources of that. </p>
<p>That being said, if your parents/grandparents never come back to school for any single endowment or any activity, legacy doesn’t mean a lot. Also, if you have a seriously big hole in your academics, legacy seldom helps. They can always look for new legacy relationship in other better qualified applicants. </p>
<p>I am a qualified applicant. No major holes, exceptional grades and scores, interesting extracurriculars. Interview and essays went great, glowing recs (so I’ve heard). Family has remained very involved, some relatives worked in admissions for awhile, another conducts off campus interviews in his spare time. All this being said, it’s not direct legacy. How does this affect my application?</p>
<p>It may depend on the school. As others have mentioned, the school wants to accept students who will attend and ultimately help fund the school ad infinitum. Some legacy is better than none, though they may not have a written policy around it at all. The odds you will go and stay there are somewhat greater when you have family ties to the school. Clearly the 5th generation types are more a formality than anyone else.</p>