<p>My grandfather went to Columbia for both the school of General Studies and the School of Journalism. He didn't donate any money, but he is a notable alumnus because he won the pulitzer prize some years ago. Do you think this will aid me significantly? Let's assume for the moment that I'm a slightly above average applicant as far as everything goes.</p>
<p>No. Not in this day and age. You will get a couple of points for a legacy–but don’t expect it to make a big difference.</p>
<p>I think it’ll count for quite a bit. Be a good idea to bug gradnpa to fork over some alumni donation money.</p>
<p>no. you would not be considered legacy at columbia. you would be considered the grandchild of an affiliate. columbia gives minimal push for legacy as is, and infinitesimally small bump for affiliates.</p>
<p>you will get yourself into columbia. don’t underestimate who you are, and sell yourself as good as you can.</p>
<p>Not that I’m upset or anything like that, but where are you getting this information from admissionsgeek? Obviously anything said here is speculation, but I don’t see where you got your affiliate info. Now, it’s impossible for me to prove otherwise, but I do know of at least one person who, I think, was aided significantly with legacy. Her mom went to the Teacher’s College.</p>
<p>i get it from the columbia admissions office faq page and from hearing the admissions officers talk enough about it as a tour guide and now as an interviewer - it is quite clear that merely being a legacy applicant can be helpful, but only for students that are admissible (if you aren’t close it wont miraculously get you there). and students are only considered a legacy if they went to CC or SEAS (bachelor’s or graduate work). a way to think about it, if a student gets to the fence by him or herself, being a legacy might push them over. (other things can do the same, perhaps if you know a professor at columbia, or if you have won a national award, these are pushes.) but do realize that the fence for columbia is quite high for everyone. further TC is not a school of columbia university though it is an affiliated institution. similar to TC students whose parents attended Barnard are understood to be part of the Columbia family, but it does not mean the same as being a legacy of CC or SEAS.</p>
<p>in case you doubt me, here it is verbatim.</p>
<p>Does Columbia give preference in the admission process to applicants whose parents attended Columbia?
We are always pleased to receive applications from students whose family members have graduated from Columbia. When an applicant is extremely competitive and compares favorably with other similarly talented candidates, being the daughter or son of a Columbia University graduate (from any Columbia school or college) may be a slight advantage in the admission process. This advantage may especially apply for “legacy” candidates.</p>
<p>Please note: applicants are considered to be “legacies” of Columbia only if they are the children of Columbia College or the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science graduates.</p>
<p>You’ve been very thorough in your respsones, thanks. So I guess I’m no longer considered to be a legacy, as was said, although you were thinking it may offer a slight touch of favorability? I don’t know. For the record I am not an abysmal applicant nor, do I believe, I am a stellar applicant. I have accomplished a pretty decent amount in my time at high school (although I’m sure kids have better accomplishments), but I do feel as if I am competitive for a spot. Thanks for the info!</p>
<p>1) never underestimate yourself. part of the application is being able to make yourself seem compelling, and even those with great achievements can fail there, if you succeed you can hop skip them.
2) i never said that it has no impact, i just want to make sure that you nor anyone else overestimates how much it can impact. it is part of the process, it is part of your story, but not the only thing about you.</p>