<p>do colleges look at your name and try to determine your background? what if your last name is very… blue-blooded (can’t think of a more subtle way to put it), yet you’re not rich. would they assume that you’re privileged (we’re talking about a stereotypically snobby/elitist first, middle, and last name)?</p>
<p>They will figure out your income level much more from your zip code than they will from your name.</p>
<p>haha probably</p>
<p>Blaine Hildegaard Von Williamson vs. Sean Christopher Rogers?</p>
<p>What an odd, yet enticing, question. Why do you want to know?</p>
<p>Adcoms are humans, humans who make about $40K a year on average, and they as humans will have prejudices.</p>
<p>Upscale names were adopted by the middle class in the past generation. What’s in a name Not much. They know who’s rich from far better sources. The development office will google suspected hidden wealth.</p>
<p>What is an “upscale” name? Are you a Rockefeller, Trump or Vanderbilt? Seriously, what is a “blue blood” name? Smith? Williams?</p>
<p>well, if you google my brother’s name (he’s the 8th in line, so he has a not-so-humble XIII after his name, and by googling it, you will find 8 generations of my family), which is also my father’s, and will both obviously be on the application, this is what comes up, in order:</p>
<p>wikipedia article on g-grandfather - lists his terms in congress, the counties named after him, the prep school he went to, and his relation (by blood) to other prominent politicians, and to a peerage of nobility in england… it basically maps out his lineage.</p>
<p>the next things that come up are:
grandfather’s contributions to political campaigns and charities
grandfather’s oil business
the college that my great-great-great grandfather helped establish
and more, but</p>
<p>So, if they do go as far as to google my family, then the outcome isn’t positive either.</p>
<p>Also, it’s my last name I was talking about, not my first name (although it’s a family name as well, along with my middle names). So, because you can’t change your family name, and you esp. can’t just toss an XIII after your name, I don’t think that logic will hold.</p>
<p>EDIT:
So… will they assume we’re super loaded? How do they go about finding out? Will they like… look up the taxes on my grandfather’s business?</p>
<p>if you’re applying to the top universities, i’m pretty sure they’d like someone who looks as loaded as you from a family with a great history of giving. </p>
<p>and no, looking up taxes? that sounds illegal, and i doubt they have so much time on their hands.</p>
<p>If he’s the 8th, wouldn’t it be VIII?</p>
<p>The development departments do a lot of research of development admit families. The have files on their current businesses and foundation giving.</p>
<p>There are deadbeat Rockefellers. A name means nothing. They will also check your family’s giving to Exeter (they print it each year) to get some idea of their generosity.</p>
<p>I agree with suze, there’s not much in a name. Relatives of former slaves often share the names of the welthy families that owned them. Anyone can walk into court and become a Trump for a small fee.</p>
<p>Colleges will not make wealth assumptions based on a name.</p>
<p>cards4life - yes, he is the VIII. typing long posts at night does that to you.</p>
<p>It’s obviously not only a name… their research on google would reassure their assumptions.</p>
<p>And people aren’t going to change the whole family’s name to Whitney for the sake of admissions… for hopes of appearing established. Plus, you can only change your first name and middle names… not last (if not married or divorced), and esp. not the suffix.</p>
<p>Plus, because I’m not black, I don’t think they would assume we only got the name as former slaves. The wikipedia article would challenge that thought, anyhow.</p>
<p>The thing is, my grandparents are like that – and very much so. I can’t imagine my grandfather calling up he developement office and acting like a big shot but I’m almost certain he would leave an endowed professorship behind at a college or some of his oil wells to then endowment (he already said he wants to improve the geology/petroleum/mineral research and resources at universities). But my parents aren’t like that at all.</p>
<p>Also! My grandfather does want to donate to Exeter. (He actually wanted me to go to Andover, and then he wanted to endow a writer in residence in the name of his lifelong best friend who was an Andover alum, and recently died.) He talked to me the other day about what my thoughts were on what the school needs. But anyway, he almost always donates annonymously (or puts it in the name of a friend or one of his ancestors)… so the Exeter publication wouldn’t reveal his generosity toward schools, anyway, right?</p>
<p>Any thoughts? What research do they do?</p>
<p>
Yes, you can. I’m not saying you should, just refuting a point.</p>
<p>ok, but that’s a lot of trouble… you would need to change your mother’s father’s siblings… all for the hopes of appearing a certain way. think about it. you need to chaneg your license, your credit cards, official school records, medical records…</p>
<p>Any thoughts?</p>
<p>No no no, I didn’t mean for it to sound like changing your name is a good idea. I’m just saying, anybody can.</p>
<p>Yeah, but it’s unlikely that someone would for sake of admissions… I’m pretty sure they take your name for your real name, whatever that name may be. It seems silly not to…</p>
<p>Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Have your grandfather donate in yours or your parents name. Someone that “established” knows how things work. People also leave colleges things in their wills and notify the schools. Development doesn’t work on money that might come in someday. Being a development candidate means the money is presently on the table.</p>
<p>There are a lot of old money families that have run out of money. Colleges aren’t fooled. If you’re on aid at your high school they won’t confuse you with wealthy branches of the family.</p>
<p>if anything it helps ur application, why would it hurt? your g grandfather has stuff named after him and all, he must be famous. unless if it’s like Bin Laden III or something, then it probably doesn’t help.</p>