<p>My brother graduated cum laude from Dartmouth in 2008. Will this give me a slight edge in an ED application pool?</p>
<p>It can’t hurt, but I definitely wouldn’t count on it “making up” for anything less than attractive about your application.</p>
<p>That is what I figured. I don’t see it as a guarantee, but more as a nice additive to my resume/app.</p>
<p>Although Dartmouth likes siblings, i think you would have been in a better position if your brother were actually in attendance when you were applying. Unfortunately your brother being an alum does not make you a legacy. In order to be a legacy your parents must have received their BA from the college</p>
<p>I’ve been doing some research and the most straightforward definition I got was the following:</p>
<p>Definition: A college applicant is said to have legacy status at a college if a member of the applicant’s immediate family attends or attended the college. At many colleges, legacy status can improve an applicant’s chances of being admitted. However, legacy status will not make up for a weak high school record.
For the most part, legacies have parents or siblings who attended the college. When an applicant tries to present himself or herself as a legacy because a great aunt attended the university, the strategy often backfires. The student will look like he or she is desperate to gain an edge in the admissions process, and the overall impression the student creates might be negative.</p>
<p>I think your assessment is correct - it certainly can’t hurt, and probably will help, to have had a brother who graduated from Dartmouth.</p>
<p>Dartmouth defines a legacy student as someone whose parents received their degrees from the college, and they are the ones who mark your application with legacy status instead of you putting something on the supplement about it. However, we (my friends and I) often joke that Dartmouth tries to make “Dartmouth families” and there are a huge number of siblings that both end up here. So they may get a soft spot for you in that regard if nothing else.</p>
<p>Dartmouth College only considers parents who graduated with a BA from the College as undergrads as legacies. If both of your parents attended dartmouth is no extra benefit for “double-legacies.”</p>
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<p>Thank you sybbie for your clear and legitimate answer. Though I do not have legacy status, I still do not think it would be a bad idea to mention my brother’s great experience at Dartmouth if I do try to apply! Thank you all!</p>
<p>Of course you should mention your brother’s connection. There is a space for it on the common app. Good luck to you during the ED cycle.</p>