Will Alumni Help My Chances?

<p>I have a rather extensive list of family members who attended Stanford — mother, father for post-doc, both aunts, grandmother, grandfather for graduate degree, and great uncle. I know Stanford would be a reach for me (although I don't think anyone can truly call it a match/safety), but my parents think it would be good to apply with seven alumni — will this really help my chances of admission, and if so, how much? Thanks :)</p>

<p>Very little. Around 90% of the legacies are rejected. There were people this year who had very strong applications and who were mega-legacies and were waitlisted or rejected. It’s a small consideration and may be a factor when they decide who to take off the waitlist, but nothing is certain.</p>

<p>It’s a little different if your family is a major donor to the university (by “major” I mean 8 digits).</p>