<p>Does it have to be your direct parents? What exactly is it? And does it really increase your chances?</p>
<p>Different schools define “legacy” in different ways. Harvard and, I believe, Princeton considers only the children of undergraduate alums to be legacies. Other schools have a more liberal definition–grandparents, aunts/uncles, etc. might also count. Many schools give a preference to the children of grad alums as well.</p>
<p>It’s entirely up to the school whether and in what circumstance to give a “legacy preference.” At some schools the boost is apparently quite significant: Harvard, for instance, accepts 6% of all applicants but about 30% of legacies (some argue, however, that the legacy “pool” is stronger because those students have a clearer sense of Harvard’s standards) . At UVA, I understand that out-of-state alumni children are treated as if they were instate students, who meet a more lenient admissions standard. Instate alumni children, though, don’t get any additional break. At Cornell, legacy students who apply Early Decision get special consideration, but legacy kids who apply RD don’t. MIT gives no legacy preference at all.</p>