mariambaby3

This is purely a hypothetical question:

Suppose after I graduate from Cornell and have kids and it's now my kids are applying to college.

He/she really wants to go to Cornell. I am very rich. His/her stats are avg. for an Ivy League applicant.

How much money do I need to donate to the school to ensure him/her a spot in the class?

Are we talking hundreds of thousands? Millions? Tens of millions?

somni

Get back to work.

Will7

A million will suffice. Half a million if your lucky. Remember to apply for financial aid to get it all back.

countryangel926

...is this a serious question? ._.

bluebayou

Seven figures in today's dollars will get their attention.

Hunt

If you gotta ask....

katmandoo

does this really matter? are you even at Cornell?

speedo

I think to be successful with this strategy you have to start earlier, say 4 or 5 years before your kid applies. Donate a few grand the first time to some special fund and then gradually up your donations. Go to the various events, make yourself known and then around application time make the appropriate phone calls. I think 100 grand might be good enough.
Course they'd want you to keep going for awhile too, but once the kid is in, that's optional.

BrandNew70x7

donate a wing

springisintheair

Speedos plan has merit - you need to donate as a dedicated alumni for as many years as possible prior to application time...also, join a committee, board, alumni organization, etc. this is just as important as the dollar amount...however, the dollar amount should be six figures to get noticed and have any type of impact on admissions.

Jay1020

I remember reading an article about this and the then-president of Harvard said "If it's less than 10 million, it doesn't even show up on my radar." Just a thought...