Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What major is DC applying for? Non STEM is better. HYPS is tough for STEM without national level awards.

Just stop.

There is nothing to stop. Top colleges look to private schools for non-STEM majors because such subjects are taught much better in private schools. They will pick their STEM students from magnet schools, and kids with STEM awards. I have seen this repeatedly at private schools that the students who apply for non-STEM majors do the best.

Oh, I see. You've "seen it" so it must be true and apply generally across the board.

And how much of this are you actually "seeing?" What's your sample size, how many private and public schools are you "seeing" and how much of the underlying data are you privy to? Are parents of strangers sharing their kids' college applications with you? Are AdComs inviting you to their review sessions?

NYC feeder this year, about a dozen kids with legacy applied and only admits were two unhooked kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is “high stats” from a strong private school (stats fall within the 25-75th percentile for top colleges). DC is also a legacy at one of said ridiculously selective colleges (think, HYPS).

But…DC has very average ECs. Their not going to be an athletic recruit, nor will they have national recognition in anything (excluding possibly NMSF). It’s obviously too late to have put a violin in their hand at age 3, and DC will never write a novel.

If you were in the same boat, can you give your honest take on how much legacy status helped? We are not a “development case,” but have donated modest amounts since college graduation.

It could help for others to respond to you if you can include your kid's high stats/#s here to understand what exactly high stats are since "many" kids are "high stats"

OP here: school does not rank, but told by outside counselor that their GPA puts my child in the top 5% of class (over 3.9 GPA UW). Highest rigor and advanced in one subject. Don’t want to write more because it might be clear who my kid is. SAT is 1550+.

Basically, my kid is doing everything they can to stand out at school. They just do not have objectively impressive ECs.

Legacy is not your competition. As others have pointed out, other hooks at your school are your competition. Does your school have many URM, FG, LI ? Athletes?

The question you asked is very general. Your kid is only evaluated in the context of your school. Does your school send kids without impressive ECs to colleges? The majority of private schools do with great results, but the question is does your school do?

So DC does have another “hook” according to this criteria, and I believe that my kid will stand out in the context of the school. They just won’t win the EC arms race.

Thanks for responses. This is helpful. Obviously my kid will apply broadly and try to work on their squash skills over the next year. (I wish I were kidding).

Typically private schools limit students applications at 12 or less. Identity one or two safeties your DC loves to attend. Then it’s all about reach schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What major is DC applying for? Non STEM is better. HYPS is tough for STEM without national level awards.

Just stop.

There is nothing to stop. Top colleges look to private schools for non-STEM majors because such subjects are taught much better in private schools. They will pick their STEM students from magnet schools, and kids with STEM awards. I have seen this repeatedly at private schools that the students who apply for non-STEM majors do the best.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is “high stats” from a strong private school (stats fall within the 25-75th percentile for top colleges). DC is also a legacy at one of said ridiculously selective colleges (think, HYPS).

But…DC has very average ECs. Their not going to be an athletic recruit, nor will they have national recognition in anything (excluding possibly NMSF). It’s obviously too late to have put a violin in their hand at age 3, and DC will never write a novel.

If you were in the same boat, can you give your honest take on how much legacy status helped? We are not a “development case,” but have donated modest amounts since college graduation.

It could help for others to respond to you if you can include your kid's high stats/#s here to understand what exactly high stats are since "many" kids are "high stats"

OP here: school does not rank, but told by outside counselor that their GPA puts my child in the top 5% of class (over 3.9 GPA UW). Highest rigor and advanced in one subject. Don’t want to write more because it might be clear who my kid is. SAT is 1550+.

Basically, my kid is doing everything they can to stand out at school. They just do not have objectively impressive ECs.

Legacy is not your competition. As others have pointed out, other hooks at your school are your competition. Does your school have many URM, FG, LI ? Athletes?

The question you asked is very general. Your kid is only evaluated in the context of your school. Does your school send kids without impressive ECs to colleges? The majority of private schools do with great results, but the question is does your school do?

So DC does have another “hook” according to this criteria, and I believe that my kid will stand out in the context of the school. They just won’t win the EC arms race.

Thanks for responses. This is helpful. Obviously my kid will apply broadly and try to work on their squash skills over the next year. (I wish I were kidding).

Stats is not everything. There are two additional components that are important: essays and recommendations. High stats kids got rejected every year due to weak essays or weak recommendations. Lower stats kids got in over higher stats because of strong essays and recommendations. Rather than worrying about legacy, I would work on the things you can control.

Still matters at some schools but definitely getting to be less and less.

We had a strong legacy candidate (stronger on paper than you describe) denied at Hopkins

Anonymous wrote:Not helpful at Yale. Anecdotal, but only 5% of 2 dozen legacies and double legacies I know have gotten in. Including active volunteering/donor parents.

+1 on Yale. Maybe it helped my kid get deferred in SCEA rather than rejected, as they were in RD. You still need a national-level EC or athletic hook, even with legacy, unless you are a mega donor or an extremely well-connected family.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is “high stats” from a strong private school (stats fall within the 25-75th percentile for top colleges). DC is also a legacy at one of said ridiculously selective colleges (think, HYPS).

But…DC has very average ECs. Their not going to be an athletic recruit, nor will they have national recognition in anything (excluding possibly NMSF). It’s obviously too late to have put a violin in their hand at age 3, and DC will never write a novel.

If you were in the same boat, can you give your honest take on how much legacy status helped? We are not a “development case,” but have donated modest amounts since college graduation.

It could help for others to respond to you if you can include your kid's high stats/#s here to understand what exactly high stats are since "many" kids are "high stats"

OP here: school does not rank, but told by outside counselor that their GPA puts my child in the top 5% of class (over 3.9 GPA UW). Highest rigor and advanced in one subject. Don’t want to write more because it might be clear who my kid is. SAT is 1550+.

Basically, my kid is doing everything they can to stand out at school. They just do not have objectively impressive ECs.

Legacy is not your competition. As others have pointed out, other hooks at your school are your competition. Does your school have many URM, FG, LI ? Athletes?

The question you asked is very general. Your kid is only evaluated in the context of your school. Does your school send kids without impressive ECs to colleges? The majority of private schools do with great results, but the question is does your school do?

Anonymous wrote:What major is DC applying for? Non STEM is better. HYPS is tough for STEM without national level awards.

Just stop.

What major is DC applying for? Non STEM is better. HYPS is tough for STEM without national level awards.

Let's break this down, OP.

Your kid is in the 25-75 percent range for these schools, you say. That puts him in the running but doesn't distinguish him. The ECs then come into play, and he doesn't have any that distinguish him there either.

What he does have is legacy. It means very little to be a legacy these days unless you're a development case, which you say you're not. It's become more of a tie-breaker, but your kid isn't really in a tie with anyone. He's in the vast middle of a group of kids academics wise where the large majority aren't getting in.

If I had to guess, which of course is all that any of us is doing, I'd say he's lucky if he gets a courtesy wait-list. My kid, who sounds a lot like yours, didn't even get that.

Anonymous wrote:I am 100% sure legacy is extremely helpful for Princeton

“tune every heart…”

Yeah the cult won’t be as strong without the generational element!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is your kid at the very top of the class at your private? Legacy is more a tie breaker than a boost these days.

Second this. I truly don't think legacy matters in the T20. It may have some influence in lower ranked schools, but that influence is waning. There are just too many well qualified kids and the optics are bad.

Athletics, URM, celebrity kid or FG are the hooks these days. Or a true development case ($1mill+) or Dean's pick (family friend, business associate's grandkid, etc.)

Make that 10 million

Legacy is DEAD