Hey guys, I’m just generally curious about how much legacy really matters. I’ve read a lot about it but I’m sure some of you have information or opinions I haven’t heard. My 2nd question is how important grandparent legacy is. For example, what do you think matters more, having a parent attend an institution you’re applying to or having 2 grandparents attend there?
Thanks.
The impact of legacy status varies institutioin to institution. As far as I know, having had a parent attend the institution will almost always carry more weight than having had two grandparents attend.
I’ll lay out my specific situation to see if anyone knows about these particular institutions’ legacy practices.
(All undergrad)
Harvard: parent attended
WIlliams: parent attended
UPenn: 2 grandparents attended
Again, as far as I know (which is a good deal but not to the point that I would claim to be foolproof), legacy status helps quite a bit at Ivy League schools as long as you have a competitve application already. I don’t know how much or if it will help you at Williams.
Agree with other posts. It varies by school to school in terms of:
-How much an legacy helps in the admission process
-How you have to apply to have the legacy help the application (ex. my alma mater made it very clear that legacy only is taken into account for applicants who apply ED).
-Who is consider a legacy (ex. grandparents count at some schools not others…).
In general I do think having a parent who attended the college provides the strongest legacy. If the parent is a consistent and generous donor to the school, all the better.