<p>I'm a legacy at Penn and I'm applying this year, however like most students, whether or not I attend (should I be accepted XD) will primarily be based on the atmosphere of the institution. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if they've percieved legacy students being thought of or treated any differently than regular admits. Anecdotal evidence would be great! Oh and this is off the record of course...</p>
<p>thankssSSssssS</p>
<p>No. Most people won't even know you're a legacy unless you go around telling everyone (which case people wil dislike you, not because of your legacy status, but because of your ******* status). A couple of my friends are legacies and as far as I can tell they are on pretty much the same ground as everyone else.</p>
<p>The fact of the matter is that being a legacy will not help you get into Penn unless you were a strong candidate already. And even then, it won't help you at all unless you apply ED (something Penn says explicitly). So all of the legacies there are (a) completely qualified, strong candidates, and (b) love the University enough to commit to going there if accepted. And even then, believe me, tons of qualified legacies who apply ED get dinged. (You should hear the whining about this at Main Line Christmas parties, and in late spring.)</p>
<p>it suck.... you need to apply ED to get any benefit. I am a legacy also, but its not my first choice so I am sacrificing it. I also know many legacies who get rejected with stats that qualify them...its still competitive for legacies, but it is easier.</p>
<p>From the newly redesigned Penn legacy admissions web site:</p>
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**10. What percentage of legacies are admitted?</p>
<p>ANSWER:** This number varies from year to year, and there is no quota in place to determine how many legacies might be admitted. The overall admit rate for legacies for the Class of 2012 was 34%. Over 41% of the legacies that applied during Early Decision were accepted.</p>
<p>Penn's Class of 2012 admit rates:
----------------------------LEGACY---OVERALL
Admitted Early Decision . . . . 41.7% . . . 29.3%
Full-Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.9% . . . 16.4% </p>
<p>While legacies have been admitted at a slightly higher rate, it is important to note that in the last several years almost two-thirds of legacy applicants were not admitted to Penn.
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<p>Question number 2 might answer the OP's question better.</p>
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[quote]
How important is the legacy tie in the admission process?</p>
<p>ANSWER: Legacies undergo the same competitive review process as all other Penn applicants, and also receive a supplemental review before reaching the Admissions Committee. If the Committee finds an application compelling, the legacy status could represent an additional point of interest about the candidate. However, it is important to note that the legacy affiliation cannot serve to counterbalance weaknesses or shortcomings in an application.</p>
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