Huge donation from someone at my school; how will this affect my admission?

So someone at my school’s family donated over $40 million to Harvard a few years ago (built a couple buildings in their name). He got in, but he’s far less qualified than I am. Will Harvard look more favorably on my application, to try to hide what was clearly a developmental admit? We’re the only 2 that applied. Thanks!

I don’t think that makes sense.

I see no correlation at all.

As others have said, NO. Your application is completely separate from the child of the donor’s kid – you don’t get to ride on his coattails because you happen to have attended the same high school. And besides, Harvard has no reason to “hide” the developmental admit, as it happens all the time. If you’re Bill Gates and you’ve given millions to Harvard, then your son or daughter get’s a free pass. Ditto with Mark Zuckerberg, John Paulson, Kenneth Griffin, Gerald Chan, etc. Like it or not, that’s the way the system works.

If you had applied in the same year as the big donner, then you would have had a better chance of admission if you were a superior student. Yes, the school would have been embarrassed to have accepted a marginal student and not the superior student.

Doubt it. They don’t care. They got a huge donation.

@Gibby, I’ve read a lot of your comments on this site. You may be correct sometimes, but often you aren’t, and that’s incredible destructive. Seriously, you should stop, as you’re perceived by too many as a knowleadgable authority. I was admitted early to Princeton, yet I don’t act as if I understand everything related to the college admissions process.

@college61728, I agree that people on this site respect Gibby for the wealth of information s/he so freely provides. If you don’t agree with the advice, you’re welcome to ignore it. Perhaps you will get into Harvard; but if you do, it won’t be because they were embarrassed about taking money from your classmate’s family. It will be because your record makes you worthy of admission.

@college61728 lots of times I disagree with Gibby but this time Gibby is 100 per cent accurate. If you go to a high school where another students father gave 40 million you obviously go to a school with very privileged kids. You should be thankful for that. Your application will be decided on its own merits at Harvard. As @gibby said like it or not that is the way the system works

@college61728 Have you ever considered the possibility that Harvard AO’s might occasionally peruse this board? If so, you’ve made it pretty easy for them to identify exactly who you are. You’ve gone out of your way to provide information that portrays you as a Princeton early admit who feels that Harvard owes him something. Your best hope is that Harvard still have a few spots left open for entitled little punk with a chips on their shoulders.

@tdy123 they would never waste their time on a site like this.

Without the regs old timers on these boards it would just be the blind leading the blind.

Here’s a link to the Harvard Magazine review of Daniel Golden’s book, The Price of Admission:
http://harvardmagazine.com/2006/11/admissions-equity-html

Daniel Golden is a Harvard alum who won a Pulitzer Prize for his 2003 Wall Street Journal series on college admissions. His book is based on his reporting for the series. The OP is asking about the “Frist effect” that is described in the book.

MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Closing thread. If the OP wants to spin this around in circles and not listen to and disparage users who have years more experience in the process, there is no reason to keep open. Besides, the definitive answer has been given