Mixed feelings about legacy

[Anonymous]

Spouse and I graduated from different HYPS. Our DC is starting to think about college, and we recently learned that my alma mater provides a 2x admissions bump for legacy applicants, while spouse's provides a whopping 3x. With these numbers, DC literally has a better chance of attending HYPS than a less prestigious university that may be a better fit!

DC's academics and extracurriculars are not in question, but with college admissions these days resembling a lottery for many, many highly qualified yet unhooked applicants, I am under no illusion that DC is "special" enough to be accepted to a highly selective school without the legacy bump.

DCUMers who have BTDT, how did/do you and your DC feel about her/his/their legacy status? Grateful? Guilty? Pressured?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spouse and I graduated from different HYPS. Our DC is starting to think about college, and we recently learned that my alma mater provides a 2x admissions bump for legacy applicants, while spouse's provides a whopping 3x. With these numbers, DC literally has a better chance of attending HYPS than a less prestigious university that may be a better fit!

DC's academics and extracurriculars are not in question, but with college admissions these days resembling a lottery for many, many highly qualified yet unhooked applicants, I am under no illusion that DC is "special" enough to be accepted to a highly selective school without the legacy bump.

DCUMers who have BTDT, how did/do you and your DC feel about her/his/their legacy status? Grateful? Guilty? Pressured?

Congrats. Your kid has a 10 percent chance of getting in. Don't count on it.

[Anonymous]

Is he interested in the school?

[Anonymous]

Legacy only counts at Harvard if you have given 7 digits. We can’t and DD got a soft deferral.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spouse and I graduated from different HYPS. Our DC is starting to think about college, and we recently learned that my alma mater provides a 2x admissions bump for legacy applicants, while spouse's provides a whopping 3x. With these numbers, DC literally has a better chance of attending HYPS than a less prestigious university that may be a better fit!

DC's academics and extracurriculars are not in question, but with college admissions these days resembling a lottery for many, many highly qualified yet unhooked applicants, I am under no illusion that DC is "special" enough to be accepted to a highly selective school without the legacy bump.

DCUMers who have BTDT, how did/do you and your DC feel about her/his/their legacy status? Grateful? Guilty? Pressured?

First, there is no way to know -- either now or when your kids will eventually apply to college -- that there is a "2x bump" or "3x bump" for legacy applicants. A large percentage of legacy applicants with stats above the 75% percentile and excellent EC's are denied. The actual benefit of legacy status cannot be quantified without full regression analysis controlling for all other factors relevant to admissions. And if you are relying on the Harvard litigation data it is old data and irrelevant to admissions in the future -- particularly if schools remain largely test optional.

Second, legacy has little to no benefit outside of the SCEA and ED applications. So if you want any legacy bump you are surrounding the opportunity to possibly attend other schools that may be a better fit for your kid (which you acknowledge). The legacy tradeoff for having to apply ED or SCEA is real.

All three of my kids attended the same Ivy where my wife and I went. We encouraged them to apply elsewhere (including another Ivy where they also would have been a legacy) but all three were most familiar with and comfortable with the double legacy school and insisted that they apply there ED. If the legacy school really is a great fit and the kids first choice school then legacy (like other admission hooks) is nothing to feel guilty or pressured about.

[Anonymous]

DC resisted applying to schools where she had legacy. Thought it was unfair. Applied EA to a peer institution and was one and done. Not sure that was rational, but her choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spouse and I graduated from different HYPS. Our DC is starting to think about college, and we recently learned that my alma mater provides a 2x admissions bump for legacy applicants, while spouse's provides a whopping 3x. With these numbers, DC literally has a better chance of attending HYPS than a less prestigious university that may be a better fit!

DC's academics and extracurriculars are not in question, but with college admissions these days resembling a lottery for many, many highly qualified yet unhooked applicants, I am under no illusion that DC is "special" enough to be accepted to a highly selective school without the legacy bump.

DCUMers who have BTDT, how did/do you and your DC feel about her/his/their legacy status? Grateful? Guilty? Pressured?

Congrats. Your kid has a 10 percent chance of getting in. Don't count on it.

It's actually quite higher than 10%, but you are right that we are not counting on it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Legacy only counts at Harvard if you have given 7 digits. We can’t and DD got a soft deferral.

Not true categorically — I guess it depends on how competitive your kid’s app is. If your kid looks like non-legacy kids they admit, then legacy helps. If your kid doesn’t look as good, probably not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spouse and I graduated from different HYPS. Our DC is starting to think about college, and we recently learned that my alma mater provides a 2x admissions bump for legacy applicants, while spouse's provides a whopping 3x. With these numbers, DC literally has a better chance of attending HYPS than a less prestigious university that may be a better fit!

DC's academics and extracurriculars are not in question, but with college admissions these days resembling a lottery for many, many highly qualified yet unhooked applicants, I am under no illusion that DC is "special" enough to be accepted to a highly selective school without the legacy bump.

DCUMers who have BTDT, how did/do you and your DC feel about her/his/their legacy status? Grateful? Guilty? Pressured?

Congrats. Your kid has a 10 percent chance of getting in. Don't count on it.

It's actually quite higher than 10%, but you are right that we are not counting on it!

Look, OP, let's call it like it is: you're on here to brag that your kid is a legacy and to try to start a pissing match. But what's so great about all of this is that in the end your kid isn't going to get in. I'm sure of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spouse and I graduated from different HYPS. Our DC is starting to think about college, and we recently learned that my alma mater provides a 2x admissions bump for legacy applicants, while spouse's provides a whopping 3x. With these numbers, DC literally has a better chance of attending HYPS than a less prestigious university that may be a better fit!

DC's academics and extracurriculars are not in question, but with college admissions these days resembling a lottery for many, many highly qualified yet unhooked applicants, I am under no illusion that DC is "special" enough to be accepted to a highly selective school without the legacy bump.

DCUMers who have BTDT, how did/do you and your DC feel about her/his/their legacy status? Grateful? Guilty? Pressured?

Congrats. Your kid has a 10 percent chance of getting in. Don't count on it.

It's actually quite higher than 10%, but you are right that we are not counting on it!

Probably a wise move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Legacy only counts at Harvard if you have given 7 digits. We can’t and DD got a soft deferral.

Not true categorically — I guess it depends on how competitive your kid’s app is. If your kid looks like non-legacy kids they admit, then legacy helps. If your kid doesn’t look as good, probably not.

I have also heard that alumni donors get more legacy attention maybe not 7 fighters but if they have not heard from you occasionally it matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spouse and I graduated from different HYPS. Our DC is starting to think about college, and we recently learned that my alma mater provides a 2x admissions bump for legacy applicants, while spouse's provides a whopping 3x. With these numbers, DC literally has a better chance of attending HYPS than a less prestigious university that may be a better fit!

DC's academics and extracurriculars are not in question, but with college admissions these days resembling a lottery for many, many highly qualified yet unhooked applicants, I am under no illusion that DC is "special" enough to be accepted to a highly selective school without the legacy bump.

DCUMers who have BTDT, how did/do you and your DC feel about her/his/their legacy status? Grateful? Guilty? Pressured?

First, there is no way to know -- either now or when your kids will eventually apply to college -- that there is a "2x bump" or "3x bump" for legacy applicants. A large percentage of legacy applicants with stats above the 75% percentile and excellent EC's are denied. The actual benefit of legacy status cannot be quantified without full regression analysis controlling for all other factors relevant to admissions. And if you are relying on the Harvard litigation data it is old data and irrelevant to admissions in the future -- particularly if schools remain largely test optional.

Second, legacy has little to no benefit outside of the SCEA and ED applications. So if you want any legacy bump you are surrounding the opportunity to possibly attend other schools that may be a better fit for your kid (which you acknowledge). The legacy tradeoff for having to apply ED or SCEA is real.

All three of my kids attended the same Ivy where my wife and I went. We encouraged them to apply elsewhere (including another Ivy where they also would have been a legacy) but all three were most familiar with and comfortable with the double legacy school and insisted that they apply there ED. If the legacy school really is a great fit and the kids first choice school then legacy (like other admission hooks) is nothing to feel guilty or pressured about.

Great points, thank you! The numbers above were provided by the respective admissions offices just a few months ago, so I do trust the accuracy, although of course you are correct that they could change by the time my DC applies to college.

[Anonymous]

I get you, OP. Our kid is an ivy legacy (multiple relatives) and I feel so guilty for wanting her to get in. She’s qualified for sure, but we know the legacy status might be the thing that gives her a boost.

I truly wish the top colleges would literally do a lottery for all the applicants who meet a certain profile. But that would interfere with their methods of making their tuition goal, so that will probably never happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spouse and I graduated from different HYPS. Our DC is starting to think about college, and we recently learned that my alma mater provides a 2x admissions bump for legacy applicants, while spouse's provides a whopping 3x. With these numbers, DC literally has a better chance of attending HYPS than a less prestigious university that may be a better fit!

DC's academics and extracurriculars are not in question, but with college admissions these days resembling a lottery for many, many highly qualified yet unhooked applicants, I am under no illusion that DC is "special" enough to be accepted to a highly selective school without the legacy bump.

DCUMers who have BTDT, how did/do you and your DC feel about her/his/their legacy status? Grateful? Guilty? Pressured?

First, there is no way to know -- either now or when your kids will eventually apply to college -- that there is a "2x bump" or "3x bump" for legacy applicants. A large percentage of legacy applicants with stats above the 75% percentile and excellent EC's are denied. The actual benefit of legacy status cannot be quantified without full regression analysis controlling for all other factors relevant to admissions. And if you are relying on the Harvard litigation data it is old data and irrelevant to admissions in the future -- particularly if schools remain largely test optional.

Second, legacy has little to no benefit outside of the SCEA and ED applications. So if you want any legacy bump you are surrounding the opportunity to possibly attend other schools that may be a better fit for your kid (which you acknowledge). The legacy tradeoff for having to apply ED or SCEA is real.

All three of my kids attended the same Ivy where my wife and I went. We encouraged them to apply elsewhere (including another Ivy where they also would have been a legacy) but all three were most familiar with and comfortable with the double legacy school and insisted that they apply there ED. If the legacy school really is a great fit and the kids first choice school then legacy (like other admission hooks) is nothing to feel guilty or pressured about.

Great points, thank you! The numbers above were provided by the respective admissions offices just a few months ago, so I do trust the accuracy, although of course you are correct that they could change by the time my DC applies to college.

You do realize that a 2x bump means the admission odds go from, say, 6% to 12%. Still VERY unlikely to gain admissions.

[Anonymous]

This seems like a troll post. How are you quantifying what the bump is? For Harvard in particular, the legacy bump is negligible unless you are a big donor (per the data released during the FAIR lawsuit).

- NP with 4 HYPS degrees between me and DH, and don't think it will help our kids!