Anonymous
Post 06/30/2025 19:28     Subject: How much does legacy help?
At our private, legacy definitely helps - particularly in the ED round. Our school places a lot of kids at ivy schools. All the early accepts were legacy, urm, and recruited athletes. (Plenty of legacy kids were also deferred and rejected). High stats, non-hooked kids did well in RD.
Anonymous
Post 06/30/2025 15:52     Subject: How much does legacy help?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If it's Princeton, it could help. The others, not so much.


They still consider legacy, but I really don't think it makes a difference unless you are a major donor or otherwise VERY accomplished. My DC applied this year and we received a form letter "damage control" for alumni, pretty much saying they are grateful for alumni, but that it doesn't assure acceptance. They wouldn't go to all the trouble to write to all the alumni who have applicants unless there are a lot of people making a stink because their DC didn't get the fat envelope.

My instinct is that they keep "legacy as consideration" to encourage alumni to make big gifts. But in reality for most alumni, it won't move the needle for your kid.


Where did your DC end up attending?
Anonymous
Post 06/30/2025 14:45     Subject: How much does legacy help?
Anonymous wrote:If it's Princeton, it could help. The others, not so much.


They still consider legacy, but I really don't think it makes a difference unless you are a major donor or otherwise VERY accomplished. My DC applied this year and we received a form letter "damage control" for alumni, pretty much saying they are grateful for alumni, but that it doesn't assure acceptance. They wouldn't go to all the trouble to write to all the alumni who have applicants unless there are a lot of people making a stink because their DC didn't get the fat envelope.

My instinct is that they keep "legacy as consideration" to encourage alumni to make big gifts. But in reality for most alumni, it won't move the needle for your kid.
Anonymous
Post 06/30/2025 14:19     Subject: How much does legacy help?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am 100% sure legacy is extremely helpful for Princeton
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Do you know legacy applicants admitted with lesser stats and/or lesser ECs?



I'm not that PP, but no. TBH, there were 3 legacy applicants in DC's class. Two were top students as was the third, but in the second to highest not tippy top math class (four total). That student had an EC that very few have, so admitted. The second got rejected at ED1/2 schools, but admitted to Princeton in RD. The third, a female of color, also in the top classes, great ECs, and impressive parents who were both alum...was rejected in whatever Princeton uses for ED. Can't make any sense of that. Great kid, friend of DC.


So out of the 3 applicants, the double legacy applicant was the one rejected with top classes and ECs, and the other two were admitted? One of the admitted students took the second highest math class but had a unique EC?

Interesting….
Anonymous
Post 06/30/2025 13:45     Subject: How much does legacy help?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I’m a Vanderbilt alum who has never donated $1 and am not involved. My DC who had in-range stats at their competitive public HS was deferred ED2, in for RD this year.


For the SLAC’s at least, the “buzz” is that you need to apply ED to get the legacy bump. My kid applied RD at a WASP where he’s a legacy and was waitlisted. Fortunately their expectations going in were low to non-existent.



Which SLAC? Amherst, Wes, and Carleton do not consider legacy.
Anonymous
Post 06/30/2025 11:54     Subject: How much does legacy help?
At low admissions schools, it only helps if all other things are equal to other applicants. It doesn't make up for a gap, as there are too many applicants already with no such gap.