So I am a junior in high school and am looking to attend a highly selective university like Stanford or Duke and others. In the case of both Stanford and Duke I know they value being a legacy to some extent. For both of these schools, my dads cousin went to both for various degrees. I was wondering if putting him down as a family member that went to Stanford or Duke would be at all helpful for my application or it would make it seem like I was just reaching and would be a waste. Any feedback would be extremely helpful!
Thanks
Each school has its own definition of what a legacy is – typically it is a parent, sometimes a grandparent. As far as I have seen legacy never extends out as far as a dad’s cousin.
For Stanford, the definition of legacy is parent. I think Yale is the same. I know that CMU has a rather lax definition on legacy (“known relative”) but I don’t think dad’s cousin, for example, holds much weight in any case.
Ok sweet thanks for your help!