<p>I have pretty decent grades 4.2/4.5 ( I don't know why my school uses a 4.5 scale) I got a 2030 on my SAT, 700 SAT II Math level 1. I was in two AP's APUSH and AP Statistics. I got a 5 on Stat and a 4 on US. I also have some extensive extra-curriculars including internships, volunteering, and sports. My predicament is that my junior and sophomore years I did really really well but my Freshman year i did pretty bad due to laziness and a lack of drive. My dad went to Emory and I'm applying ED there and I think Emory is a good fit for me if I get in. Another school where I have legacy is UVA. My uncle went to UVA and graduated almost at the top of his class and now holds a VERY VERY high government job. I really like UVA and I know that if i hadnt clowned around freshman year things would be different and I would probably be a better candidate for top tier schools. However, that is not the case. Do you think I should go to UVA if i get in. If I do get in I'd know it was only due to legacy ( I also hear UVA is pretty good about legacies). What do you think CC?</p>
<p>Who cares why you got in? Go to the school you like more, and that makes more sense financially. </p>
<p>It’s not like you have any idea what’s going on in the admissions office anyway. For all you know, you could be accepted on your stats alone, regardless of legacy status-- you’d never know the difference, and could be worrying for no reason. Your stats and scores seem on par for these schools.</p>
<p>Anyone who judges you for being a legacy is pathetic, and I say this as someone whose legacy status probably helped get me into Oxford of Emory. If you like the school, apply ED. If not, don’t.</p>
<p>You have a valid point point. My mind set is just a little different because where I live (Long island) im always hearing “oh, he only got in because of his dad” Funny enough, there was this one kid who’s dad knew Bill Clinton so he got Bill Clinton to send a recommendation to Dartmouth and sure enough he got in. I guess you’re right, past HS no one really care how you got in, and i would want to go to a better school. I do think my stats might be off for UVA though because in LI its like a 10% acceptance rate because sooo many people apply.</p>
<p>Congrats on that, I’ll be so happy if i get to put a window sticker that says Emory on my car (When and if I get one) The window sticker thing is huge by me, IDK if its like that everywhere else</p>
<p>If it helps you any, U.Va. apparently won’t consider you a legacy:</p>
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<p>[Admission</a> Liaison Program | Admission | U.Va. Alumni](<a href=“http://alumni.virginia.edu/admission/admission-liaison-program/]Admission”>http://alumni.virginia.edu/admission/admission-liaison-program/)</p>
<p>They’re both very good universities, and you should seriously consider going to either one if you’re admitted. And really, both Emory and U.Va. are too selective to be admitting students only because they’re legacies. Being a legacy may be what gets you plucked from the pool of academically suitable applicants, but it won’t get you admitted if you’re not academically suitable.</p>
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<p>Be very careful about what you know, as opposed to what you think you know. You’ve been told that “this one kid” whose dad knew Bill Clinton got a letter from Bill Clinton on his behalf to Dartmouth. Unless you know Bill Clinton well enough to ask, I doubt that you know whether any such letter was actually sent. And unless you know the Dean of Admissions at Dartmouth, I doubt that you know whether that letter–if it ever existed–made one iota of difference in the disposition of that kid’s application.</p>
<p>I absolutely believe that selective colleges couldn’t care less what famous person writes a letter in an applicant’s behalf. Why should Dartmouth care? Suppose they let this kid in. What’s Bill Clinton going to do for Dartmouth? Or suppose they don’t let him in. What’s Bill Clinton going to do to Dartmouth? Colleges care about letters that talk knowledgeably about the kind of person you are: they kind of student you are, the kind of worker you are, the kind of self-starter you are. They do not care whether your father knows a former President. </p>
<p>Because, really, Bill Clinton knows a lot of people. And the number of people who *think *that they know Bill Clinton, when Bill Clinton actually couldn’t remember their names or faces without the help of an aide, is probably many times greater.</p>
<p>Based on my stats do you think I even have a chance at UVA, I know my uncle would write a rec. but I’d rather earn my entrance outright</p>
<p>When I was admitted, Emory sent me a bumper sticker in the mail. I immediately put in on the rear windshield of my car where it’s remained ever since 
Hopefully Emory continues to send those out, so if admitted you can show all of Long Island your Eagle pride.</p>
<p>Fwiw, there are plenty of incredibly successful Emory alumni. We wouldn’t have a $5.4 billion endowment if our grads floundered after college.</p>
<p>Why you think your stats aren’t good enough for admission at UVA is beyond me. If you like it, apply.</p>
<p>U really cant prove that legacy is the ONLY reason u got in.</p>
<p>My kids pretty much shunned schools where they would have had a preference as a legacy. They did just fine in college admissions and are happy. </p>
<p>I can see where you’d always wonder if you could have gotten in without the connection. It’s not logical to worry about that kind of stuff, but it happens anyway.</p>