Legacy factor

Hey guys… Let’s say a person has DOUBLE legacy to a highly selective school (like Harvard, MIT, Yale, Princeton or whatnot). Does this person has a MUCH higher chance of getting in than everyone else or just about the same???

<p>Usually. And very much so if applying EA/ED.</p>

<p>actually at some schools they have a better chance only if they are applying EA/ED. Penn, for example, is quite forthright about this; they only give legacies an advantage if they are willing to commit.</p>

<p>It's not really clear. My daughter was a double legacy (both parents) who applied to Yale last year; she was deferred EA, then admitted RD. A friend whose son had similar stats to my daughter and lots of Yale connections (his mother graduated from Yale College, his father from Yale Law, and his sister was a current Yale sophomore) was deferred EA and later rejected. </p>

<p>Note: These were legacy but not "development" cases--i.e., these weren't rich alumni with big past or prospective donations.</p>

<p>so ok.... basically if you're rich, you'll get in with legacy? that's not fair!</p>

<p>Last year at Stanford the overall admission rate was about 13%, while the rate for legacies was about 25%. So being a legacy basically doubled your chances. But it also means that 75% of legacies did NOT get in. So being a legacy helps at many schools, but it certainly is not a guarantee.</p>

<p>legacies rule</p>

<p>My grandfather is a legacy at the Yale Divinity School and my grandfather's sister (lol) is a legacy at Yale Law. I'm number 2 in my grade of 120 kids and got a 1410 SAT. What would you peg my chances at?</p>

<p>you're probably in iceman!</p>

<p>Is it advantageous in the admissions process to have had siblings go to a certain school? Or is it just parents/grandparents who matter?</p>

<p>Also, what about if a parent has recieved a postgraduate degree from somewhere, does that help at all?</p>

<p>probably out iceman!</p>

<p>ieatglue, you have to ask at the schools you are interested in. Stanford, for example, has a generous legacy program and counts you as a legacy if a parent has a degree at any level from Stanford. At Harvard, by contrast, it must be the undergrad college so if mom has a MD or MBA from Harvard, no help.</p>

<p>Umm, can someone please elaborate?</p>

<p>Iceman- Obviously I'm not an admissions officer but I'll give you my two cents anyway. Legacy works best when your parents (one or both) have gone to that school and contributed money to their alma mater. Also, just dropping rank and SATs don't necessarily help b/c they look at ECs, other board exams, what kind of school you go to, where you live, etc. </p>

<p>Also, I think someone was talking about benefits in applying EA/ED vs. RD when you are a legacy... basically, if you don't apply EA/ED to a college that you are a legacy at, and you only apply RD, you probably will get rejected for the simple reason that the college perceives you don't really want to go there that bad or you would have applied early. To add insult to injury, you are a child of one of their own and you still don't want to go... at least that is how it would be perceived.</p>