<p>Three of my relatives have graduated from what happens to be my Top Choice school, and interestingly enough...that has not influenced my interest in the school. I am planning on applying ED to the school, and I'm simply wondering how being a legacy can positively/negatively effect my application. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>bump-bump…</p>
<p>I think the general view for most schools is that it can give you a push, but it can’t raise a dead application. It also probably depends on how directly you’re related to the alumni…distant cousins, for example, wouldn’t be considered as much as a parent.
It certainly won’t affect you negatively, but if one of the supplements asks “Why ____?”, make sure you emphasize why YOU love the school so that it doesn’t seem like you’re just applying because you think you can get a legacy boost in admissions.</p>
<p>My three relatives that attended were my Grandfather, Aunt, and Uncle. (Uncle is not directly related…he and my aunt dated throughout and married a few years after graduating.)Their attendance/graduation from the university has no impact on my LOVE for the school.</p>
<p>Generally speaking legacy refers to your parents. Now, If uncle Joe and Aunt Fay have donated enough $$$ to have a building named after them, that’s an entirely different kettle of fish.</p>
<p>In truth, I just don’t know how much a legacy helps an application. My gut feeling is in line with 09tennisgirl22, your app has to be competitive for the school. A legacy might tip it in your favor if it comes down to you vs a non-legacy, but it won’t get you in if your way outside the parameters. Of course there are plenty of posters here at CC that will tell you legacies and other “special cases” (athletes, celebrities, etc) suck up huge numbers of spots, but I’ve never seen any data to support the assertion.</p>
<p>What if a Great Aunt and Uncle gave $2,000,000 30 or 40 years ago and have a dormitory named after them…does that help at all? If so, where should that information appear in the application?</p>
<p>amory,
Legacy refers to your parents.</p>
<p>Charliesmom,
Mentioning a gift given by a great aunt and uncle many decades ago will get a laugh from application readers and then, upon further reflection, may increase the likelihood that your application will be discarded without a serious review.</p>
<p>uh, not if they gave 2,000,000. I know somebody who gave stanford 10 million a decade plus back, and all his kids, and some nephews have gotten in.</p>
<p>Every school wants to improve itself, and the more $$$ families give, the more is available for financial aid (to be able to attract more top but poor or non-wealthy students) and other improvements. So it can be a net win for many by accepting a less-than-stellar but wealthy student who is likely to bring in more money. Yes, the elite really benefit, but some non-elite benefit as well.</p>
<p>not even money guarantees something</p>
<p>i have a friend who’s second grandfather donated like 4 million dollars to build a school. The school is a top school in its category. Well he applied (the school’s name is the same as his last time). he got rejected</p>
<p>Of course money doesn’t GUARANTEE anything; if you’re just blatantly unqualified you will not get in. But even at the schools that officially do not consider family donations, there is always some degree of “this student has some pretty good essays <em>wink</em>”. Without going to completely formulaic admissions, there’s no way to completely avoid that.</p>
<p>School administrators are savvy enough to realize that one’s great aunt and uncle donating money decades ago does not mean a present day admit will be a wealthy adult and spend a significant portion of that wealth on his/her alma mater.</p>
<p>At many schools a grandparent WILL make you a legacy. Check with the individual school. Any relative can make you a development candidate by giving lots of money.</p>
<p>Legacy helps a lot at many schools. At the ivies, for example, you have at least double the chance at all of getting in and at Princeton it’s over three times the chance of an unhooked applicant. At Stanford it’s way less helpful. And many state schools and MIT do not count legacy at all.</p>
<p>Legacies typically need the average stats at minimum unless they are legacies from wealthy, giving families.</p>
<p>I think people underestimate the power of the legacy boost. At my school, I can’t think of one example of a student with qualified stats (3.9+ GPA, 2300+ SAT) with legacy that didn’t get into his/her legacy school (and I’m not just talking “top schools,” I’m talking HYP).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Name one school that does not consider donations.</p>
<p>I’m not looking for the fact that a few of my relatives went to my top choice to CARRY my application. I’m merely trying to find out whether or not it will actually impact my application in any way, whatsoever. Oh, and the school isn’t necessarily looking for direct relation, they merely ask you to list ANY family members who had attended/are attending the school.
I guess I’m a little ahead of myself, though, because I’m still only a rising junior!</p>
<p>I think we’d say that it can but only the school’s adcom will know if it actually did, and then after the fact they might or might not tell you, depending on the family’s relationship with the school.</p>
<p>
But that is not the point. The point is, when an alum of a school donates a 7-8 figure sum to his/her alma mater, that school is obligated to return the favor in some way, most commonly through admitting the relatives of that alum. Not only does an admissions boost exist, but it is probably the biggest form of admissions boost possible. Developmental students can often get in without qualified statistics.</p>
<p>So you don’t think that having more than one familial connection could in any way hinder my application?</p>