<p>Would Harvard care if I am related to John Adams and John Quincy Adams, both were Presidents and Harvard Alumni</p>
<p>I don’t know the details of your situation–but there are so many people who can claim such relations. Besides, legacy usually matters only when you have parents or sibs who’ve attended the school.</p>
<p>It may be of interest here to state the JQA was deferred for a year, despite his legacy status, having served as secy of the mission to france and to russia (at age 17?) and having been the son of a president. Tough adcom, eh?</p>
<p>i honestly don’t see why they would care since this is harvard, not 19th century St. Petersburg aristocracy, we’re talking about. and if you go back far 10+ generations, most of us have common ancestors. legacy is designed to reward alumni for their commitment to the school, not to promote some sort of bloodline.</p>
<p>Thanks, I didn’t think that they would care but if they did and I left it out I would be mad at myself</p>
<p>I dont have much respect for people who play the legacy card. It just seems iherently unethical to me. I think that admissions should always be about true scholarship and character, not who your father or grandfather was.</p>
<p>i agree…i dont’t have legacy either…but if you had legacy you’d but it on the app as well…</p>
<p>it won’t kill to mention it humbly - perhaps it has contributed something to your family’s traditions?</p>
<p>“I dont have much respect for people who play the legacy card. It just seems iherently unethical to me. I think that admissions should always be about true scholarship and character, not who your father or grandfather was.”</p>
<p>How can you lose respect for someone by using something they have to try to improve their chances. Do you have no respect for URM applicants? They are “playing the minority card” technically. While in a perfect world everything is based on merit that is just not the case in reality. Athletes, minorities, legacies, and super rich people have an edge in admission. However, if someone is a legacy or minority and applies knowing it will help them I do not see how you can lose respect for them. It happens to be something they have that is beyond their control and if they can use it they should. Are you saying if you were a legacy that you would avoid mentioning it as to not “play the legacy card” as you put it?</p>
<p>saying you wouldn’t mention it is disingenuous.</p>