Does having a parent teach at a college have any bearing on your chance of getting admitted into that college?
It all depends on the policies of that college and the history of the parent’s relationship with the school, and the quality of the student applicant.
Clearly, the college knows more about this applicant than other applicants because of the relationship with the parent. Does that give the student an advantage? Maybe. The student will still need to be qualified for that school. The parent would have to be considered a good member of the academic community and not someone they wish really wasn’t around.
A prof who is pulling in lots of money, who takes on the roles at the college that others shy away from, like admin roles, who is kind and gentle and funny, who has worked there for decades, maybe the school wants to “give” something back to retain that prof, and accept the student. If the prof is a pain in the bottom and doesn’t produce and the kid is marginal as a scholar, maybe the school wants to send that parent a signal and rejects the student.
One top-tier school that I’m familiar with, the profs get tuition benefits for their children at that school. One issue, though, is that the school is such high caliber, and admissions are so competitive, that the children of profs often do not qualify for that school. And they are not accepted even if they are close to the cut-off mark.
Agree with @#Dustyfeathers. We heard that, at a top 20 school where we have friends teaching, being a professor’s kid was a “feather” on the scale – the kid had to be well qualified for admissions, a competitive applicant and then, between otherwise similar candidates, being a prof kid could be the tie-breaker. But it was not going to get anyone in who wasn’t well qualified on their own.
Well, my father taught at UCLA, but doesn’t anymore.
I think I’m qualified to apply, but I was just wondering if it has any impact or not.
THanks!
If your father were a current full-time professor, then it would help. Won’t get you in if you wouldn’t otherwise, but could help you cross the finish line.