Why do colleges care about legacy

Without it, you are unlikely to be admitted whether you're a legacy or not. Selective colleges will also be looking for meaningful extracurricular involvement , positive letters of recommendation , and a winning application essay. Legacy status won't compensate for significant weaknesses in any of these areas. When Harvard University was sued in for discriminating against Asian Americans in the admissions process, one issue that emerged was how the school's legacy practices favored wealthy and typically white applicants.

Harvard applicants with legacy status were over five times more likely to be admitted than non legacy applicants. Information such as this has put a lot of pressure on elite institutions to address legacy practices that clearly contradict an institution's claims of valuing diversity and merit more than privilege. Johns Hopkins University removed legacy status from its admissions equation back in , and the result was that the percentage of legacies in the first-year class dropped from Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. That might sound unfair to you, and indeed, legacy admissions have come under increased scrutiny in recent years as people both inside and outside of universities have called for the most elite schools to abandon legacy admissions.

Nevertheless, with very few exceptions, the vast majority of colleges and universities in the United States still consider legacy status. So what should you know about legacy status? First, be aware that it can strongly affect the higher early decision admission rate at many schools; because most universities primarily consider legacy status in the early round, a disproportionate number of legacies are admitted early, which can drive up that early decision or early action percentage.

Second, if you are a legacy at your dream school, check what kinds of resources exist for you through the admissions office. Students who are legacies are already connected to the school, which is an indicator that they could be likely to attend if admitted.

Parents are primary legacies for students. But some colleges also consider secondary legacies, such as grandparents and siblings. Typically, the further removed the family member is from you, the less of an impact the connection will have in the admissions process. If the college considers legacy status, the admissions committee will also look at the relationship the family member has with the school.

They may also unearth their college application and compare their profile strength to yours. If you have a relative who is a big donor to the school, this will likely be in your favor.

Meanwhile, if your sibling is doing well or did well at the school in the past and your profile is as strong as theirs, that will reflect well on your candidacy, too. If you do have a sibling legacy, it could give you a small boost in the admissions process.

Wondering how your profile compares with typical accepted students at your dream college?