<ol>
<li><p>How close does the family member have to be? (Aunts? Stepfathers? Siblings?)</p></li>
<li><p>How close do the programs have to be? (Graduate schools, the College, etc)</p></li>
<li><p>Do these "rules" (or "practices") typically differ amongst the private schools / Ivy league?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>So for example, if a grandfather went to Harvard for grad school, can that help for the undergraduate admissions process? Or if a grandfather went to Harvard for undergrad, can that help for undergrad / grad school admissions?</p>
<p>I'm just curious about how the system works.</p>
<p>I believe that only parents who went to Harvard College count if you are applying for Harvard College.</p>
<p>“Legacy” status entails that your parents went to that school for undergrad.</p>
<p>Parent went to Harvard Kennedy School = not legacy for Harvard College</p>
<p>Parent went to Columbia Nursing School for undergrad = not legacy for anything but Nursing School</p>
<p>Parent went to Yale for undergrad = legacy for undergrad</p>
<p>Ok thanks</p>
<p>What about parents and specific grad programs? (example: Mom went to Harvard law, now Jr is applying to Harvard law… etc)</p>
<p>This is for Harvard. Stanford, for example, is more generous and says that grad alums are legacy.</p>
<ol>
<li>Parents. Only. They will probably know if you’re a 5th generation, though.</li>
<li>Harvard College.</li>
<li>My cousin, a rising senior, was trying to use me as an advantage. The admissions representative giving the presentation responded “No, the only relatives who count are parents, but don’t worry about it. Legacy only has the weight of a feather, and most other factors are bricks.” Penn, though, supposedly gives significant weight (let’s say three pencils’ worth) to legacies who apply ED.</li>
</ol>