I have a sister who just graduated from a school that I want to go to, does that count as legacy? how much does it matter?
Generally siblings don’t count as legacy (usually it’s just parents). However there may be some schools that treat it differently and have a spot for that on the app. It does give you the advantage of knowing school-specific details from your sister you could incorporate in a “why school x” essay.
With that said, each college values legacy differently. You can sometimes see how much they value it in comparison to other aspects by searching school name “common data set.” Generally it’s not valued nearly as highly as grades, ECs, test scores, etc.
Depends on the particular school. But even it if does provide a bit of a boost, don’t count on it getting you into a school you are not otherwise qualified for.