Hello everyone,
I submitted my Harvard application the other day, and as some of you may know, there is no separate legacy section of the Common App for them. My grandpa attended Harvard, so someone suggested that it might be worthwhile for him to send them an email on my behalf. Would this be a bad idea? I didn’t know if it would possibly get me a second read through of my application or anything like that.
Thanks!
I searched for a more recent article with a direct quote, but couldn’t find one. So, you’ll just have to assume Harvard’s definition of legacy hasn’t changed in the past 12 years: http://thedartmouth.com/2003/05/15/legacy-policies-vary-across-nation/
Admissions only considers a student a legacy if their mother or father graduated from the college (the undergraduate school). As such, having your grandfather write a letter on your behalf, no matter what is said, will just show that he (and you) don’t understand Harvard’s definition of a legacy applicant.
Ok thanks @gibby
@gibby - The current wording is here:
https://college.harvard.edu/are-my-chances-admission-enhanced-if-relative-has-attended-harvard