How much does Legacy Matter for ED vs RD

interesteddad
Sat, 31 Mar 2007 22:28:34 +0000

Williams wants to accept only people who really want to come to school there.



I’ve seen no particular evidence that Williams cares one way or the other. They don’t offer interviews. They don’t ask any essay questions that suggest an interest in finding out, such as a “Why Williams?” essay. Having said that, I agree with you that a serious applicant, and especially a legacy, should proceed as if Williams does care.

To the orginal poster:

Nobody can give you a precise answer. There is no doubt in my mind that, if Williams is your first choice, then Early Decision is a significant plus. IMO, a qualified legacy (Academic 2, maybe 2.5, or higher) applying ED will get accepted unless something specifically shoots him/her down (bad recs or whatever).

But, if Williams isn’t a clear first choice, then it doesn’t really matter, does it? You have to accept the odds for what they are. We did.

My daughter was a qualfied Williams double-legacy (bothparents), but Williams was not her first choice. She and I had a conversation about whether she should just forget her first choice and apply ED to Williams. From a pure “game strategy” standpoint, doing so would have given her maximum odds of acceptance at a maximally selective school that she would have been happy attending. She understood that, but she accepted this potential scenario, knowing that her odds of acceptance to Williams declined without ED:

a) Would have gotten in Williams ED, but didn’t apply

b) Wouldn’t get in her first choice ED (equal reach with no legacy)

c) Wouldn’t get in Williams RD (because RD is fraught with peril).

Things worked out for her (ED at her first choice). However, I can’t advise someone else on what’s the right decision. It’s very personal; you have to weigh strength of feelings about the choices, financial considerations, etc. If she had felt a little stronger about Williams and a little less strongly about her first choice, she might well have tipped the scales the other direction.

None of this stuff is mathematically predictable to the point where you can find the answers in an Excel spreadsheet. You’ve ultimately got to go with your gut.