I have three generation UPENN legacy, and my mother was a class VP there. How drastically, if at all, does it affect my chances?
The legacy is a hook, for sure (but they may not specifically care about your mothers’ VP position because this application is about YOU). But unless your parents are major donors, your stats will still have to be in the ballpark.
Legacy helps at Penn only if you apply ED.
Note that being a legacy won’t get you in in and of itself – you need to be very well qualified on your own.
And for most schools, the hook is only a hook if you apply ED.
From your other post you have good stats and EC’s etc. So the legacy hook may bump you into the accepted pile. Penn only considers legacy during the ED round. If you apply RD then there is no hook.
My Alma mater said it would double my Ds chances, from single digits to the teens!
They accept +/- 25% of legacies who apply ED. You’ll be in the pool of legacies instead of a general pool, IIRC.
@PetraMC Just wanted to clarify your comment above because I hadn’t heard that before. Is it true that legacies have their own admissions pool?
Legacy will help but I know plenty of Penn legacies who were either deferred ED and then rejected or flat out rejected ED. As with all these schools there are way more qualified candidates than spaces. My daughter and my nephew are both 3rd gen and were ultimately rejected this admission cycle. My other nephew was admitted 2 years ago. It’s a lottery but legacies have slightly better odds than the general public.
@GoldPenn
Pool. Pile. Think piles of applications stacked on a desk. Legacies are typically considered after recruited athletes, Dean’s interest list and children of faculty and staff, but before everyone else. In the Harvard lawsuit, these were referred to as “ALDC” applicants, and collectively had a much higher rate of acceptance than average.
Legacies do not have their own pool. It is not allowed.
Given the 25+ or - percent of legacy admits ED, it is clear that it helps at least on ED. The real question for many very well qualified candidates who want to consider options is whether it helps in the RD round. I wish Penn would simply come out and tell you whether or not Legacy helps significantly in the RD round. To find that out, you would perhaps need the legacy admission rates for both rounds. Not sure you can get that info. As it should be in my view, even if you are a legacy, the admissions committee should only make the difference if you are otherwise a very well-qualified candidate.
It is not crazy to call or have a parent call and talk to an admissions counselor on exactly how Legacy is considered. They would probably talk to you and you can do it on a no names basis. Getting the information from us web-world know it alls… is not necessarily as helpful as calling them up and asking the question. Or, have a third person email Dean Furda and ask him…
best of luck
They also have (or used to) a Q&A session for legacies and children of faculty / staff one Friday per month. I think it was the first Friday. Check the alumni website.