<p>people here seem to vehemently shoot down any insinuation that prep schools are elitist, and here we are sitting around and talking about our legacies. </p>
<p>personally i really hate the idea of legacies, but it seem that where there is no monarchy we will create one</p>
<p>Worldy Wise,
Most of the time legacies don't get into schools just because they are legacies, though, at some schools that does help. A lot of the time it is because they are just as or more qualified as other applicants, and the chances of them being from the same molds as their relatives that did get in and attend are higher, so that is why they are admitted.</p>
<p>Ummmmm....I have no legacies in the U.S
And the all girl schools that my sisters attend don't count. lol</p>
<p>Of the colleges I will apply to... I'm a legacy at Duke and a quadruple legacy at UNC-CH (And directly related to the first student)</p>
<p>@ worldlywise247: These schools are on-going, hopefully perpetual, institutions. And they have to be run that way, top to bottom. That includes admissions. It matters when a qualified applicant comes from a family with a history of attending and (usually) financially supporting the school's mission. That sustains sources of giving and, for first-generation students, it encourages new sources of giving. And these sources of giving are what make it possible for these schools to offer financial aid and scholarships and need-blind admissions, etc., etc. It's a long-range view that makes legacies important. First generation applicants -- whether wealthy or in need of aid -- should be glad for the legacy families and appreciate the school's cultivation of those resources and connections...because without them, the school might not be able to give aid. In fact, the school might not be around. Legacies might seem elitist from the short range perspective, but over the long haul...they're mission critical.</p>
<p>Moreover, schools want to accept people who will accept them in return. A legacy is very likely to want to attend (or to have the parental pressure to attend) whereas another student may prefer another school, and have parental pressure to go there.</p>
<p>During our recent visit, my son was extremely impressed with the fact that the facilities had been funded largely by alumni donations. "They must have been really grateful." were his exact words. Full pay students are what make it possible for those of us on the lower economic rungs able to share in an amazing opportunity. Be grateful for it, rather than bitter. It's not elitism, it's pragmatism. </p>
<p>I have told my children that if they are lucky enough to be accepted with FA into one of these schools, they have a moral obligation to donate at least what was offered to them in financial aid over the course of their lives. Their response was, "oh, at least!" </p>
<p>Personally, I think it's rather sad when a legacy, especially one who has made major contributions, is rejected. It seems unjust. I remember reading a thread where a parent went through something of this sort - had donated large amounts to his alma mater with one child, then another was rejected. Perhaps they thought the second child wouldn't succeed there? Don't know. I know that I would have been upset.</p>
<p>hellosunshine: if they have the merit to get in on their own, then there is no point to having the little space for listing relatives who have attended</p>
<p>d'yer maker: if the people who have attended loved the school, it is likely that they will give money anyways, thereby preserving the pool of funds. </p>
<p>i just don't see how anyone could find giving advantage to people based on their families history is fair.</p>
<p>and legacies are just as likely to be pushed by parents, if not more so. everyone want their kid to attend the old alma mater</p>
<p>neatoburrito: so you are saying that because the parents of a student have the means to make hefty donations they should be admitted, if only because of said donations? if the student doesn't meet admissions criteria then why should they be accepted?</p>
<p>I'm sorry, I thought my statement: </p>
<p>"Perhaps they thought the second child wouldn't succeed there?"</p>
<p>clarified that the child was rejected because he/she wasn't qualified. I don't know the family - I only read a post. It would be unwise for any school to admit an unqualified child, regardless of family donations or legacies, and I highly doubt any of them do it.</p>
<p>Apparently, I wasn't very articulate. </p>
<p>As a parent of a child who will need considerable FA, I have no problem with an EQUALLY QUALIFIED child who is a legacy and/or full-pay and/or child of major contributor gaining admittance over my child. I would even go so far as to say that it is Just. I am THANKFUL for all the full-pay, legacy, etc kids because it is their financial support that gives my kids a shot at attending.</p>
<p>Nobody owes us anything. We would gratefully accept the charity (because that's what FA is) and do everything possible to eventually repay in kind. Nobody has a right to someone else's resources.</p>
<p>And it does happen...legacy kids with big money are rejected. It must be very disappointing for both parent and child, but like many rejections, usually works out best in the end.</p>
<p>Well, I have NO legacies, seeing as my older brother was the first one in our family to attend college.
But I am grateful for them.
If you walk around a campus of any prep-school you will notice that most of the biuldings are named for alumni families that have donated a great deal of money to the school. Enough money to pay for a WHOLE BIULDING. Now if the [inserty legacy here] family is willing to put up enough cash to biuld a whole new dorm for a school. Then i'm almost positive that another legacy family provided the FA that will soom be paying for almost all of my schooling.
If a family is donating colassal ammounts of money to your school, you are going to want to make sure that you do absolutley nothing to jepordize your relationship with them. That means admitting all of theit offspring.</p>
<p>You can all resume your lives now.</p>
<p>none. zero.
my parents didnt go to college..
hhahahahah
However, cousins at:
Exeter, Governers, L'ville, Proctor.
even though it doesnt count hahaha.</p>
<p>I'm only a legacy for Southern Methodist University (bleh)....BUT starting now...my daughter(s) are going to miss halls and so on and so forth. it'll keep going on because well that would just be awesome if like in the year 2089 or something my great great great grandchildren are there and we're famous in the mhs community and i started it all! my cousin already wants to go there and she is 9. im rambling... :x</p>
<p>Being the first generation in your family to attend college is one of the better hooks you can have right now for the elite colleges and universities. Legacies don't carry the weight they used to.</p>
<p>Yeah, that's one of the reasons my brother was accepted at Duke.</p>
<p>Legacies are hooks at competitive schools if the legacy is basically of the variety that has named buildings. Otherwise, it's a little hook.</p>
<p>Complaints about legacy preferences from applicants remind me of newspaper reviews of <em>The Price of Admission</em>. It's worth your time to read, and it does outline admissions preferences given to the wealthy and well connected at certain colleges. However, while I read that book, I had to admit that those colleges' policies worked, even if they seemed outrageous. Whatever else one might say about it, Brown's policy of admitting celebrities' children raised its prestige among high school students immensely. Duke's standing has increased markedly in the last few decades, also due to its policies. In connection to this discussion, I'll only observe that no one complains about legacy preferences at the less selective schools. The most selective schools have profited from generations of school building. Even a multi-billionaire could not create a second Andover today. He might found a school which would rival Andover in 80, 100, 150 years, but it takes time to grow a school.</p>
<p>We also forget that schools can go out of business. When a school's in trouble, alumni are frequently the best source of help, as they have emotional ties to the school. In our family's research on boarding schools, I count a strong alumni organization as a positive factor, even though it does decrease our children's chances at admission.</p>
<p>uhh.. University of Moscow. and some prep school in china. the same one that the current vice-president of china went to. he and my dad were school mates.</p>
<p>^ dude that's cool.</p>
<p>but lately with colleges, unless you might be like a third generation legacy, i doubt harvard would accept you over the brilliant perfect student standing in the corner.
then again even prep schools have long lineages of legacies. i honestly don't understand how an 11th generation kid attended the same school as his father, grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great grandfather, and so on.</p>
<p>I have a legacy for Harvard (dad) yale (mom)</p>
<p>Hotchkiss (uncle) and, Exeter (uncle)</p>
<p>Does having a legacy help you get in or something?</p>