<p>It's odd that I'm asking this since I've never been too great a fan of legacies. </p>
<p>Recently, though, I've learned that my long deceased grandfather graduated from MIT during the early 1950s, and want to indicate this for my MIT application. I'm fairly competitive as an applicant (top 1% of class at a very good public school, close to perfect or near perfect test scores, the whole enchilada of APs, math/sci awards, etc), but seeing the kind of people MIT just REJECTS scares the living daylight out of me sometimes.</p>
<p>My question is for an applicant like myself, how much of an impact would a legacy have? I know HYP are heavy legacy schools, but how's MIT? And also, the fact that he's a grandfather (as opposed to parent) who hasn't contributed to MIT coffers can't be good, can it?</p>
<p>I feel somewhat guilty posting this, since I've disapproved of legacies for so long, but I might as well ask what's on my mind.</p>
<p>MIT doesn't like the legacy system. Merits rule over nepotism every time.</p>
<p>Students who are legacy and rejected do get their application read over again by Marilee Jones (Dean of Admissions), as a courtesy to the alums, but Ben Jones (Communications Manager) has indicated that no rejection has ever been overturned as a result of this.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Additional factors that are considered for selection as plus factors (not entry requirements) include whether:
the individual would be the first in the family to attend college;
there is an absence in the individual's family of science and engineering backgrounds;
the individual's high school has historically sent less than 50% of its graduates to 4-year colleges;
the applicant attends a school that presents challenges for success at an urban elite university (e.g., rural or predominantly minority); and/or
the individual is a member of a group that is under-represented in the study and fields of science and engineering (African American, Latino or Native American).
[/quote]
MIT is looking to "make a difference" in a persons life.
Advantages provided by your family, might be a negative for admissions unless you can show how you used your talents to make full use of them.</p>
<p>
<p>Marilee believes strongly in this statement (we all do). It is true that she personally reviews the applications of denied/waitlisted alumni kids, out of respect for the alums - but I've never seen her reverse a decision on these grounds.</p>
<p>This is also a good place for me to clarify that our definition of "meritocracy" is comprehensive. Certainly academic achievement is paramount, but there are many other ways to demonstrate merit - and we look at all of them when making a decision.</p>
<p>But merit (in whatever context) really has nothing to do with whether or not your parents went to MIT or taught here or donated a lot of money. Merit is all about you.
<p>
[quote]
In the past few years some schools have begun to open that door a little wider. At MIT its something of a mission for Marilee Jones, the dean of admissions. Twenty years ago, 25 percent of each MIT class were first-generation college goers from poor backgrounds who used the celebrated engineering school as a ticket out of the blue-collar world. Five years ago, when that number dipped below 10 percent, Jones began scouring the country for bright kids, and then paired the potential applicants with MIT faculty and students who could answer questions about college life. In four years Jones has doubled the number of poor first-generation students at MIT.
<p>I graduated from MIT as did my husband. He went to grad school at MIT. We both interview for MIT. We are active in alumni events.
Our son applied early several years ago. He was deferred. In spite of our haranguing him, he had assumed that he would slide right in as a double legacy. He had to scramble to rewrite his essay ( which he had punted) and also submitted his grades from honors calculus at the local Ivy League university. He was admitted regular decision and is now at MIT
When he was deferred, I got a personal call from Stu Schmill, who is in charge of all the alumni interviewers. He told me to sit down and breath deep before he broke the news.
At MIT, I have been told legacies do get special treatment, although it is more in the realm of a courtesy than point addition. If they are in the non-admit pile, they get their application read again thoroughly and compared to all the regular admits to see if the decision still stands. If it does, then you get the personal call. Stu told me he made the call a few years ago when a major donor's son was rejected. Marilee Jones says that she is one of the few, if not the only, admissions dean who does not answer to the athletic department, the alumni development office, or even the university president. She takes responsibility for each class and reads every admitted students packet.
MIT is not like other schools. You will get points for being the first in your family to attend college but not for being a legacy. We don't have the whole roster of gut courses that can comprise a major for an unqualified student. I snuck into an admissions session for alumni at an Ivy League school reunion. The admissions officer there said that 45% of legacy applicants get in. Maybe she was padding it to make the alumni feel better, but that is a pretty striking number.
Read some of the stuff that Marilee has written and you will understand that she is adamantly opposed to anybody trying to game the system.
So the short answer is No, your distant relative alumni connection will not help get you into MIT</p>
<p>I wouldn't know that number, but would be interested in where the other school's have their legacy percentages posted. I googled it and on Ivy Success, a couple of places do list their percentages but most do not.</p>
<p>Article from Harvard 's diversity & distinction volume 10, number 2, spring 2005</p>
<p>
[quote]
Children of alumni comprise about 13% of the Harvard College student body. A 2003 Wall Street Journal article reported that the admission rate among legacy students to Harvard is roughly 40%, a number which may seem disproportionately large compared to the 11% overall acceptance rate. However, Dean Fitzsimmons explained that the difference in the acceptance
rates is likely due to the fact that some children of alumni choose not to apply to Harvard because they recognize more poignantly (because of their family connections to the college) how difficult it is to be admitted. The knowledge of the way Harvard operates, conferred from parent to child, enables legacy students to know what to expect. A fair number of [would-be legacy] students who might ordinarily apply, dont apply . Anytime you have
that kind of self-selection, you tend to have a higher admission rate for particular subgroups, Fitzsimmons said.
<p>It would be interesting to know MIT's legacy population percentage, just to see if MIT's policy is; a distinction in philosophy without a difference in results. (ie. if despite MIT's avowed non-preference they had an 10% or more legacy population it would indicate the advantages of being a legacy produced worthy candidates that have gotten in on their own.)</p>