<p>My question is about legacies. My dad went to Harvard, but he's not a huge donor, and we don't have some extensive family lineage (my cousin went too), and I was wondering how this will affect me in the application process. I've been told Harvard weighs legacies a lot (I think 10-15 percent of the freshman class is legacies), and I've also heard they don't place too much weight on it. Opinions anyone? And I prefer quantitative over qualitative answers if possible, i.e. how much more likely am I to get in versus a regular applicant with similar stats (I'm well qualified, not one of those once in a generation kids, but definitely competitive). And I didn't intend for this to be an ethical debate about legacies, but, if you must...</p>
<p>being a legacy is a hook. if you're an actually competitive person (aka you'd have a shot without it), then you'll probably get in. look at the results thread in the Harvard forum; you can probably check the stats of a couple legacies over there.</p>
<p>^ I agree, but the boost is only a significant boost in the ED round.</p>
<p>ses, I think there's a significant boost in the RD round as well. Colleges like to accept legacies because their yield tends to be higher. Also, if you've been raised by an alum then you're more likely to have a strong connection to the school's culture and values - it's more likely to be a good fit.</p>
<p>I've read that being a legacy gives you a boost in admissions equivalent to 150-300 SAT points. At Princeton, to give one example, the admit rate for legacies is about 25% higher than for other applicants. Here's an interesting article about how much of an advantage it can be: <a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/Polk_Groton_Grads.htm%5B/url%5D">http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/Polk_Groton_Grads.htm</a></p>
<p>I figure that at most ivies being a legacy appears to about double the chances of a qualified applicant. By that I mean one with stats at the 50% or higher. You are in a different category if your parent is influential at the school or a major donor. The bottom line though is most legacies are rejected so have good safeties.</p>
<p>I knew a guy who was a double legacy who didn't get in. He was a USAMO/USAPHO qualifier and one of the top few violinists in the state. He also made ARML team. He was on the soccer team too. Pretty sure he got straight A's (he went to the state magnet school so this is big deal) and had the SAT/SATII's you'd expect from his other accomplishments. But he was a quiet, unassuming guy, so this may have hurt him.</p>
<p>Since there's no longer ED at Harvard, RD is all that matters. I understand that legacy means your parent attended the undergraduate institution, so if it's Harvard Law or Biz, it won't count. Everything I've read suggests that you have to be as qualified as other admissible candidates, but would get a "tip" from being a legacy, whether your family donates $ or not. The big bucks donor preference goes to "development cases," and they likely have a slightly bigger advantage.</p>