Hmmm, let me just think about that for…half a second (tick), YES!
Oh please, look at how many qualified applicants get turned away every year. The ones that get admitted are not any more qualified or deserving than the students who are rejected. Schools like Cornell are not likely to admit students who are not qualified or could not succeed at their schools. If there is some little hook that could help push you over to the admit side, I say use it.
My brother is a very involved alum. He gave up a lot of his personal time for the school. There was nothing wrong when the school took a bit more special look at his boys when they were applying. If his kids weren’t qualified they wouldn’t have been admitted.
I know the family that built the main library at Harvard. That legacy didn’t work for them for more than the past 60 years. So I agree that there seems to be a statute of limitations on this sort of thing – unless of course the family can still be counted upon to donate a few million. That changes everything 
Keep us posted, OP. Wishing you all the best.
I suppose it’s a matter of different values, but I’m with @lostaccount. I would never want to use this type of legacy to gain an edge in admissions. It’s fundamentally unfair. For the OP to compare using this to being a first generation student means he or she has absolutely no understanding of why that designation matters to colleges. A typical first generation student is likely to have parents who aren’t knowledgeable about the college admissions process and who can’t offer the same kind of support that’s routine with upper middle class/wealthy parents. First generation students often are fairly low income, which can mean weak public schools and a lack of educational opportunities. And how many first generation students are able to pay for expensive test prep, or private tutoring for tough classes, or to take the SAT/ACT over and over again? Colleges want students who are resilient and who can overcome obstacles, ones who haven’t had everything handed to them. That’s why they care whether a student is first generation or not. And no, being a major legacy is not the same thing–it’s actually the opposite. (I’m helping a few students with their QuestBridge application essays right now, so I suppose I’m particularly sensitive to this subject.)
OP’s connection is legacy from Dad. The guy with the same surname as Mom didn’t go to Cornell. And he gave to lots of colleges, right?
Legacy shows on the Common App, where you give details of your parents’ educations. It can get recorded from that.
Nothing wrong with being legacy. If you don’t qualify for admission, you won’t get in. But agree not to write in detail about this guy. He’s not applying.
Plus, if OP thought of an essay on him, I’m wondering how much he does know about what Cornell wants in an essay.
“Its not about YOU at all, most colleges are bored with the essays today.” Huh?
What I was trying to say is that an essay is used to judge the applicants character. Essays are hard to write. If one writes about why one is inspired by a very wealthy relative, it may show a students character as well or better than any other essay. Its not really about self as much as it is about character. Essays reveal character. Many essays come off as a brag list and colleges see thousands of essays like that. The key with the essay is : show writing skills, and show character. Analyzing a rich relative with ties to Cornell , could be an interesting read. Admissions counselors read millions of boring essays, so a character analysis might just be the ticket. There are lots of strange essays out there and the ones that are about ME ME ME, rarely stand out.
My perspective is, it isn’t about character. It’s about how he thinks, including what he chooses to write about, what understanding that shows. And how he shows the attributes those adcoms like and want. Go off track, write about something not relevant or not reflecting who this kid is now, and you can miss the point.
And it’s “show, not just tell.” Not ancestor this and ancestor that, but how this kid operates. Today. Not inspiration as much as follow through, actual, not dreams. It’s not analysis.
It is not high school writing. It is eyes on the kid, for an admit decision to that college. They want certain attributes among kids in their campus community- not the ancestor’s. And that doesn’t mean a resume, heroics, or someone else’s history. Not at all. Not for admission.
Sure, many are boring. That’s on the individual kid. It doesn’t mean you veer off track.
@fsadreamer if you have a legacy to the school and it can work to your advantage then I would certainly explore how it can help you. You will find after school that networking and relationships are important.
My daughters are direct blood line decedents of the founder of a very well known University. My first born D carries the family name. The school would be very happy if one of my two D’s choose to go there. She choose to go somewhere else because of what she wanted to major in and my younger one is a few years away from college but is considering this school. Each university is different and how they view legacy’s are different.
In my case, the school knows we live in the vicinity and my wife and girls attended a reception held by the University President a few years ago and we’ve been invited to different events throughout the years. There is no problem with leveraging relationships or connections. Not sure I would put it in the essay but I certainly would be reaching out to the school and letting them know of your intentions to apply.
I’ve admitted before that, in doing genealogy, I discovered an ancestor was among the first classes at a well known LAC that was a great match for D, and she for it. He’s mentioned in the school’s own history.
I called and asked, in a lighthearted way, what they thought of mentioning this in “any other relatives who attended.” They talked and said, sure, why not? It would have been merely a point of interest, no hook. Most likely, she would have noted in the Why Us that this led to her looking into the school, but followed by a fuller Why Us answer.
She didn’t apply there.
OP, you really need to explore your own match, academics and other. How Cornell will view your record. Do you know what Cornell looks for?
Here are three Common App prompts, and a Cornell essay on Colonialism in Africa, that got a student into Cornell:
https://www.apstudynotes.org/cornell/post-colonial-african-conflict/
- Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. [Revised]
- Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? [New]
- Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. [New]
An essay about a relative that is philanthropic, and chose to give a building to Cornell over
thousands of other colleges, fits prompt 7, and maybe 5 and 6. From the perspective
that learning about our legacy and our families tell us something about ourselves.
It could be a powerful essay, in my opinion.
I think its less about writing about self and more about WRITING and THINKING, thats what essays are today, otherwise how could the essay on Colonial Africa work to get a kiddo into Cornell University?
That is not a Common App admission essay!!!
But it is a compelling essay topic, in my opinion, a relative one can research who made so much money that he could donate to multiple universities he did not attend. Wow, I would love to research and write about a relative like that. Unfortunately for me, I was first generation college, and my relatives worked at Alcoa and other factories, and I did not write good essays about them, but got into good schools, anyway, as I was really first generation.
The OP wants to get into Cornell. This is his/her ticket. I would just love to read an essay like this weighing what this relative did right and what he might have done wrong. Was he a bootlegger? Was he a railroad tycoon? It could make a fascinating story for a Common App Essay. Its cool to have relatives who did something meaningful like donate money to higher education.
@Coloradomama, an admissions essay is supposed to give insight into the student who’s applying, not some distant ancestor. Seriously, you’re giving the exact opposite advice of what a student should do in his or her Common App essay.
The point behind a college essay is not to introduce others to the school. It’s not to showcase your bloodlines. It’s to separate you from your statistics, from the 400 over applicants with virtually the same statistics and activities. Piggybacking on someone else’s success, in my opinion, seem s to imply that there’s nothing to set YOU apart from the pack. It’s kind of a " none of the above" answer to the question.
It may very well be a compelling story… for a magazine or a family newsletter. I don’t see it as a good choice for a college essay.
OP, do as you choose. My opinion, as both a mom and a senior teacher, is that those precious 650 words could be better spent on you than your ancestors.
I would include it somewhere in your app because I think it’s pretty interesting. It says something to me that you even know that part of your family history.
I think people who call you out because they think it’s “unfair” need to take that up with colleges that consider legacy, not high school children. A legacy won’t make up for subpar stats, so if you get in it’s because you did the work to get there.
Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.
Right, this is for college adnissions, not a class research paper or writing contest. It’s not submitted to a teacher to grade.
The tippy tops want kids who know the difference, what is good to show.
@lookingforward Never thought about writing my essay on my relative. Ever. I’m a talented writer and a qualified student for admission; I have done my research on the school and truly think it would be a good fit for me.
LET ME BE CLEAR: I AM NOT, NOR HAVE I EVER BEEN, THINKING ABOUT WRITING MY ESSAY ON MY RELATIVE. Both my CAS Supplement and my Common App essay have been written and their topics will not change.
@momcinco thank you!