<p>Both of my parents attended UChicago for college, and have donated to the school every year since they graduated. How much will this help in college admissions?</p>
<p>I think there might be some benefit, but not a whole lot. Perhaps the legacy will push you over when your stats is marginal or your essay was not well written. They certainly will not admit you if you are too far from the norm.</p>
<p>No idea. Historically being a legacy had less influence at the U of C than at other places (HYPSC). But then, historically the U of C was also a lot easier to get into than those other schools, so it probably didn’t matter all that much anyway. At the moment, however, giving an advantage to legacies is not something that many schools want to brag about – because at HYPSC, the legacy influence is associated with less diversity in the student body (wealthier, whiter, etc.). </p>
<p>If they ask for it anywhere on the application, then they definitely care a little. But unless there’s a new building department being named after your family somewhere on campus, the benefit will only be marginal - legacy won’t absolve you of the need to have a stellar app overall.</p>
<p>Yes, being a legacy should help boost your application. But it’s one aspect of your application and you shouldn’t overly rely on it. So it won’t make up for mediocre grades or test scores, for instance. </p>