<p>I’ve been wondering this for a long time. I would think people without legacy would overestimate its power and people with legacy would underesetimate it. Does anyone who’s been around a while actually have a good idea about how much it helps?</p>
<p>Does it only help if your parents donate lots of money or if you’ve got legacy over several generations?</p>
<p>Do kids with legacy and 1300 sats and nothing all that special actually get in just on legacy? I can’t imagine that’s true. </p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>no most legacies are pretty strong regardless because of socioeconomic and educational background, and the legacy push further solidifies their case. it's hard to distinguish between the two. </p>
<p>in the case of prominent legacies, they are virtually locks. there are some kids i know with dorms at harvard named after them; those are locks. run-of-the-mill legacies? still helps a bit, but many of those, even with 1500+ and good GPAs, don't end up getting in. i would say, however, that the legacy pull is pretty obvious from my viewpoint. for instance, last year for harvard ea from my school, i would say that a substantial number of people got in over more qualified applicants because of who their parents were. </p>
<p>with that said, i think there are like 7 non-legacy locks and 8 legacies applying this year, so obviously it is unlikely that all the legacies get in--unless they end up taking 60% for harvard ea. that's not gonna happen. last year was 40% and i expect there are going to be some very angry legacies.</p>
<p>Yeah... that's about what I figured. I'm your standard run-of-the-mill legacy then, I guess. And I've got a 1520 and 3.94/4.84 gpa. So how much does the other stuff help then? How much more does it take to have a substantial shot, say at least 50%?</p>
<p>usamo, 2y sga (class sec,tres), 4y varsity sport, national merit, lots of aps, good school... there's more.</p>
<p>It's so nervewracking, when it's so close to the time. We just learned about fixed-interval reinforcement schedules in psych lol</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>USAMO? Legacy? 4.84? 1520? </p>
<p>****. YOU.</p>
<p>Well at least I've got the 1520, but none of that other stuff. Nice job man. Those are some impressive stats.</p>
<p>Does it make any difference at all if you've got one relative down the line somewhere - say a grandparent? Everything else being equal, no donations...would that even be considered?</p>
<p>Haha, it's nice to hear the rokurota, thanks. I hope they're nice enough, but I'm not all that confident. I go to a magnet, where'd I place myself maybe 10-15 in the class overall as an applicant, and several of my friends are also applying to harvard ea. The only thing I have that really none of them has is the legacy. I hope it makes a difference. My school tends to only get 2-4 kids into harvard a year, but my class is definitely the strongest in the last few years, so maybe we'll do better.</p>
<p>I'd give myself maybe a 35% chance. So far I've only seen 2 people on this board that I think have a very strong chance at getting in, but I haven't looked that hard.</p>
<p>And yes, abcdef... if parent legacy counts, grandparent legacy counts too, just not as much. The further away you get from your immediate family, the smaller the importance of the legacy.</p>