<p>My father attended Washington and Lee for two years, but had to transfer due to his father's (my grandfather's) company going under. He left the school on good terms and later donated to W&L after graduating elsewhere. As a future applicant who has heard about the role of legacy in admissions, I am curious, will I be considered a legacy?</p>
<p>That is a legitimate question for the admissions office, my hunch is you might be because he donated.</p>
<p>You should consider legacy as less of a checkbox than a connection. A lot of students here have had older siblings attend which isn’t a “legacy” in the same way that having a parent attend is but seems to be a draw for admissions because it shows that you are familiar with the school and you can demonstrate a lot of interest that way. Some students had uncles or grandfathers but not parents. You should bring up your father’s positive experience with the school in an interview (I wouldn’t mention the donation). I know someone who only had a parent study here for one term as an exchange sort of thing but he could talk about how his dad really wanted him to look at the school because he had loved it so much and how now he could see why and etc…</p>