How is legacy defined

[Anonymous]

Is it just your parents or does it include grandparent, uncle, aunt, cousin etc?

[Anonymous]

It differs, depending on the school. For some schools, like Harvard, it's just your parents, and they had to attend as undergraduates. Penn counts grandparents. Other schools consider whether the applicant has a sibling at the school, etc. Unfortunately, you need to look at each school's website.

[Anonymous]

And at Penn, you are considered a legacy if your parent attended graduate school at Penn, not just undergrad.

[Anonymous]

only parents.

[Anonymous]

Parent-child is the strongest, but other relationships can also help -- depends on the school and the relationship and the number of relationships. For example, 3rd generation legacy can help at some schools even if the applicant's parent didn't attend (e.g., grandmother, aunt and applicant). Sibling can also help at some/many schools.

Legacy status is most helpful if parent was an u-grad, but can also help at some schools if one or both parents were grad students.

In all cases, history of giving and -- to a lesser extent -- volunteer involvement in support of the school are also factors.

[Anonymous]

Also, an older sibling doesn't necessarily confer legacy status, but it can be considered a plus, since the school feels that it knows what it is getting with respect to the family.

[Anonymous]

From what I've seen, it depends on the school. Some only count parents and grandparents, some include siblings, others include aunts and uncles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, an older sibling doesn't necessarily confer legacy status, but it can be considered a plus, since the school feels that it knows what it is getting with respect to the family.

Whether or not the school refers to a sibling relationship as a "legacy", it is certainly a plus at many schools for the same reason that any familial relationship may be considered a plus: it is likely to result in greater loyalty to the school, particularly as reflected by giving. Having worked in admissions and in development at a SLAC, I would say this is a prevalent view among many professionals in these fields.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, an older sibling doesn't necessarily confer legacy status, but it can be considered a plus, since the school feels that it knows what it is getting with respect to the family.

Whether or not the school refers to a sibling relationship as a "legacy", it is certainly a plus at many schools for the same reason that any familial relationship may be considered a plus: it is likely to result in greater loyalty to the school, particularly as reflected by giving. Having worked in admissions and in development at a SLAC, I would say this is a prevalent view among many professionals in these fields.

What about an uncle? I think my son would thrive at the SLAC that my brother attended. Think that might tip the scales in his favor?