<p>Hi, I'm an out-of state RDer who was wondering about legacies... do they only count your mom or dad? My uncle went to UVa so I was wondering if that would count.. also where do you put legacies on the UVa online app? Thanks.</p>
<p>There is a section on the application that asks where your parents went to college. To answer your other question, no uncles do not count as legacies.</p>
<p>legacy doesnt matter as much anymore...my dad graduated from uva and my grandfather worked as the athletic director for 17 years and it didnt seem to help me get in early d. as i got deferred...you better have 4.5 gpa, 2200+ on the sat and every extra curic. known to man to get in because uva doesnt honor the things that made the university great anymore..no loyalty...good luck though because i will be in the rd pool with you..hopefully we will both get in and all of what i said will be proven wrong...but im not gonna count on it...</p>
<p>Well, what makes uva great is the activity and the fact that it is academically a prestigous public institution. Legacy does count for some, but admitting legacy students over more academically qualified students is indeed not what makes uva a good school to attend. Rather it just ensures that the rest of us benefit because hopefully legacy parents will donate more to increase the endowment of our school... or at least that's the way I see it.</p>
<p>As a Virginia Alum - as my screen name would suggest, I believe all legacy admissions are wrong.</p>
<p>who said i wasnt academically qualified to attend uva? i dont think that i should be admitted based on legacy alone but it should play in a factor for how much time and effort that members of my family have put into the university..should it be a deciding factor? of course not..but i do believe that legacy should count for something if a kid (myself included) has the academic credtentials and achievements necessary to attend the school</p>
<p>Like I said, legacy does count for something. I don't know what statistics you had, but it appeared it did not count enough. I did not say you aren't qualified, considering you were deferred, meaning uva just wants to see more out of you before they can accept. After all, legacies in the past were much easier to take into account since the vast majority of uva students were all white males (often wealthy), leaving a smaller, less diverse pool of applicants. That has completely changed now, and with so many qualified people applying legacy obviously would trend to less and less significance.</p>
<p>Personally, though, I don't think what your parents did should count in your application whatsoever. I think it's what you do that matters.</p>
<p>and when the [academically qualified] offspring of the average UVA alum that gives some money every year doesn't get a spot, you can bet that the Alum will no longer give in the same capacity that they were. The number 1 way to make an Alum unhappy is to not let in their children in when their children are qualified and their children want to go there.</p>
<p>does it really ensure that the rest of you benefit? Or does it lose UVA funding...</p>
<p>sebo189,</p>
<p>perhaps I should clarify my comment...I believe legacy should play no role in admissions. How is it fair that you get preferential treatment because of what your parents did? Also, how did your parents help the University - by donating money?</p>
<p>I think all colleges should not give any preferential treatment to legacies...that way when an alum donates, it is for the right reasons - not a "quid pro quo".</p>
<p>Think about it from the perspective of someone who didn't have an alum as their parent. Is it their fault they were born to parents who did not attend UVa? </p>
<p>Will colleges ever not give preferential treatment to legacies? Probably not, they would lose too much money.</p>
<p>The only way this might be possible is if all top universities agree to not use legacy as an admission's criteria.</p>
<p>Anyways, I am not saying you are unqualified or anything like that. I just think your admissions chances should be based on your intelligence / character - not based on how much your family donated.</p>
<p>While I have sentiments both ways - I recall seeing, although I simply can't remember where - that on average at UVa legacy children have on average better stats than non legacy students. But besides that point, I don't think admitting legacy children is a problem. I guess it would be if all legacy children are coming in and failing out within 2 semesters, but thats not the case. If you're smart enough to do well at a school you deserve to be there. I'm not a legacy, but I would hope that when I have children, and if they wanted to go to UVa, that my alumni status would help them. If they were qualified to get in, and my legacy status gave them that push over an equally qualified non legacy students, wheres the problem with that? I would be much less inclined to give support to the university if my child had the scores to get in but didn't.</p>
<p>jags86,</p>
<p>That is fine if UVa legacy kids have better stats than non-legacy people. I am not saying if you are a legacy, you should be at a disadvantage. If you have better stats, you should get in. </p>
<p>Furthermore, it is not about being smart enough to do well at the University. It is about being the best out of the potential applicant pool. I don't understand why people don't support this - it is only fair.</p>
<p>When you give the comparison between legacy and non-legacy students, you state that if everything else is equal, the legacy student should be given preference. Why? Because you donated money? Isn't that like buying one's admission?</p>
<p>Furthermore, the majority of UVa alum do very well in life - financially speaking. So are you telling me that the kid of an alum should not only get to attend the best day care centers, the best pre-schools, the best private elementary, middle, and high schools, take prep courses, etc., but he/she should also get preference in admissions just because he/she was born to a UVa alum?</p>
<p>Do you know one of the reasons why this country is so great as it is? It is because we have a system based upon meritocracy, not based on class and aristocracy.</p>
<p>Furthermore, I don't think in-state applicants should have an easier admissions process. Should they pay less in fees? Sure, the state of Virginia is paying partly for their education.</p>
<p>Man, I wrote this big response that somehow got deleted. I'm not going to rewrite the whole thing but I'll give you some response.</p>
<p>You say the school should only take the best applicants. That doesn't happen, and is easily proved by the fact that the 3300 best applicants dont all come here. They take more, knowing that not everyone is going to attend the school.</p>
<p>Everything is not equal when comparing students with equal stats when one is a legacy. One brings in more money to the school. Just a little metaphor for ya... Someone brings you into their garage there are 2 identical cars infront of you. He says the one on the right has $10,000 in the back seat, and then tells you you can have only one of them. Which one will you take? </p>
<p>Yes, there are a lot of wealthy Virginia alum, just as there are a lot of not wealthy virginia alum. Don't make that generalization. You act as if when you finish UVa you shove a silver spoon in the mouth of anything you're wife pops out. </p>
<p>Also, legacy status is nothing more than affirmative action. If you can prove to me that a minority kid should get a leg up over a non minority 100% of the time, then I'll concede the argument to you. But I really don't see how you're going to do that.</p>
<p>Finally, I do agree 100% with you that instaters shouldn't have an easier time getting into the university. But its really hard to do that unless you get rid of the quota (which I dream of happening). If you get 5000 virginia applications to fill 2200 1st year spots, and 10000 applications to fill 1100 first year spots, obviously its going to be more competitive for the OOS's.</p>
<p>state schools exist to provide education first to the people who live in their state. The people who live in the state pay money to the schools so the schools will be there for their kids.</p>
<p>And the Commonwealth of Virginia contributes less and less to the University each year, but the in-state percentage doesn't decrease. How low does the state think they can go and still have a major say in the affairs of the school?</p>
<p>jags86,</p>
<p>Your example about the car makes no sense. Education is different then buying a good or service. By your logic if someone were to pay $100 million dollars to UVa, their children should not only be admitted, but they should receive 4.0s too.</p>
<p>I don't even understand the logic of your statement that since the best applicants don't come to UVa, legacies should be admitted.</p>
<p>I am assuming you are from out of state. Assuming that you are, notice that when an injustice is done to you, how you object (in-state admissions is easier). Notice also that when an injustice favors you, you keep quiet (legacy admissions).</p>
<p>I don't agree with affirmative action. I think it should be more based on socioeconomic factors. So, hence I agree with you. An underrepresented minority should not be able to gain admissions more easily than anyone else. However, a minority or non-minority whose parents never attended college and who is not financially well-off should receive some help in admissions.</p>
<p>Truth be told, most legacies have better stats than most non-legacy applicants. </p>
<p>Being a legacy only really helps if you're an out-of-state student since you would be treated as an in-state applicant.</p>
<p>Virgina alum,</p>
<p>the example about the car makes perfect sense. If UVa could only have 1 of 2 exactly students with exactly the same stats, and one could bring extra money to the school (say a legacy whos parents donate), obviously they'll take the one who's going to donate money. just as u'd take the car with the $ in the backseat even tho the 2 cars are exactly the same.</p>
<p>I wasn't making a comparison between the legacies there, i was refuting your statement that the school should only admit the absolute best of the applicant pool. if they did that then they wouldn't fill the class.</p>
<p>yes, i am oos, im also NOT a legacy, so it doesn't favor me. your 3rd point doesn't prove anything. and as globalist confirms like ive said several times before, legacies in general have better stats anyway, so stop arguing about it.</p>
<p>for me, i'd like to see the quota gotten rid of just so the school would become more competitive. the average scores would go up instantly if they even took just 50% from instate. the average scores and SATs are somewhat watered down by virginia students. I don't think anyone will disagree with me that the school is hindered because of the quota.</p>
<p>lose the 'tude please. it makes arguing much less enjoyable ;-)</p>
<p>anywho, im done with this thread.</p>
<p>jags86, let us just agree to disagree. :)</p>
<p>elgordo</p>
<p>that's why they passed the Charter Plan (or whatever it was officially called)</p>
<p>The advantage that is given to legacys is that their application is treated as instate.</p>