Can someone tell me realistically how much legacy can really boost my chances to get in early at Harvard considering I am a “good” 7.5 or 8/10 applicant?
the rating is for Harvard’s standards btw
How do you know if your rating is a 7.5 or 8? Are you an admission officer? Legacy doesn’t boost that much, you get a second reading though in the application process, but it is a nice touch. Sometimes, admission officers expect even MORE of you as a legacy so it can hurt if you are not that good. But overall, legacy helps a slight bit if you have the credentials and proven to be a strong applicant.
Here’s what William Fitzsimmons has said about legacy applicants: http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/5/11/admissions-fitzsimmons-legacy-legacies/
Given the above, I would think a successful legacy admit would have to be better than just “good.” They would have to be better candidates than average non-legacies. So, in a self-rating, I would say that would mean a legacy would have to be an 8/9 on a scale of 1-10, assuming the average applicant is a 7/8.