<p>I have been told that legacy isnt as important to Stanford as to other similar instituions. Assuming that your parents didn't build a library, how much of a help do you think it is?</p>
<p>Stanford says: since they have many equally qualified applicants for each spot, if you are a qualified applicant with legacy status, that might be enough to be the tie breaker. The acceptance rate for legacies tends to be around 20% compared to the general acceptance rate around 12%. Even though the legacy rate is much higher, that still means around 80% of legacy applicants are denied admission. Hope that gives you some idea about how much legacy "counts" at stanford.</p>
<p>For comparison, Harvard accepts about 40% of legacies, and has a narrower definition of legacy: parents only, undergrad only.</p>
<p>My sons were legacies at Stanford. Son #1 got in; son #2 was waitlisted. Son #2 had a lower Verbal SAT score, which also matched his Writing SAT II, although his other scores, EC's, etc. were terrific. (EC's better than his brother's) We weren't surprised by the waitlist. </p>
<p>I remember with son #1 receiving a letter from Stanford after he applied that explained that legacy only mattered when it came to making fine distinctions between equally qualified applicants.</p>