<p>I know legacy at some schools (mostly private) is almost a guaranteed admission. Is this the case for public schools? In particular I'm looking for a transfer to william and mary, and my father went there, does that help at all?</p>
<p>Very little</p>
<p><a href="http://cfdev.wm.edu/IR/part_c.htm%5B/url%5D">http://cfdev.wm.edu/IR/part_c.htm</a></p>
<p>I saw that, but I also saw that character/ability was also "considered". How could that not be important?</p>
<p>I'd think it would only be important if you were a convicted felon or the like.</p>
<p>That's flat-out wrong. There are no schools where a simple legacy is "almost a guaranteed admission". Legacy, in the vast, vast majority of cases is simply a tip factor.</p>
<p>Legacy is worse then Affrimative Action.</p>
<p>What do you mean by worse? As in an unfair type of worse? Elizabeth, if I am qualified, for example, to go attend a university my parents attended, my chances of getting in are far, far greater, especially if they donate money, which is the case also.</p>
<p>In my opinion, if you need your parents money and generosity to make it into a university you don't belong there, but that's just my opinion and I don't mean to offend anyone.</p>
<p>I tend to agree. But then my parents never went to college and had little money.</p>
<p>As a rejected, yet at least reasonably qualified 5 generation Harvard legacy, I think I can say that it's far from a guarantee.</p>
<p>I am sure that some institutions put a higher weight on it than others.</p>
<p>If you where a 5 generation legacy and you still didn't get in...then you really don't belong there.</p>
<p>I don't trust the Common Data Set, I believe it's a guide, but not a basis for their decision.</p>
<p>For instance, Macalester says ethnicity is considered, however, they have an average for accepting 65.3% of all black applicants (JBHE)</p>
<p>Stealth, that is so out of line. Harvard rejects more than half of all legacies and it's tough to get in under any circumstances. If we were talking a mediocre college where less than millions talks, you would have a point...</p>
<p>Even your post makes it sound like legacy gives a huge advantage...Am I supposed to feel sorry for the legacy kids that shouldn't have gotten in any way? Or forgot to ask their parents to send the school a nice check before admissions.</p>
<p>Legacy is an advantage like the others that get half of every class into elite schools, but among them it's probably the smallest. It works for everyone, as alum support the schools.</p>
<p>oh no, I'm not using it to get me in. I am going as a transfer, and my college GPA should be plenty good enough to get in. I was just wondering if it could help significantly (10% or more increase in chance).</p>
<p>Wow suze, thats an interesting way to look at it, I agree with you, donating money is just as important as a legacy, the rich get richer right?</p>
<p>i don't really agree with legacies. my parents are immigrants and worked hard to get where they are, but that also means they didn't have time to go to stanford. so how is that fair? </p>
<p>having said that, nothing is really fair anyways. richer people can afford SAT prep, to send their kids to private schools, get tutors, not have their kids get jobs, etc. so just accept legacies as a part of that. and anyways, it's not a shoe in if you have a legacy.</p>
<p>"If you where a 5 generation legacy and you still didn't get in...then you really don't belong there."</p>
<p>Considering she got in to Wellesley, I would assume she's reasonably qualified.</p>