Different Kinds of Legacies

zenkoan
Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:38:09 +0000

muddy, I think legacy status these days is more of a “tip” than a “hook”. By that I mean that, if you were to be compared with a hypothetical candidate who was otherwise pretty indistinguishable from you on paper, your legacy status could potentially give you the “tip” that pushes you over into acceptance. A “hook” is something much stronger that can actually compensate (in the eyes of admissions) for less-than-great aspects of an application. If your dad has donated a substantial amount, and might do so again, that could put you into the “developmental” category, and that’s a big hook everywhere. You sound like you are doing very well on your own merits so far though–keep up those grades, get the best SAT scores you can, excel in your sports, and write great essays.