I feel like I’ve read the statement somewhere that legacy only gives the applicant a little boost if they apply REA/ED. Is this true? True sometimes?
My alma mater says the legacy bump is only given in ED but I don’t think that’s universal. You should be able look up the policy for the schools where you are a legacy.
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Most colleges are not transparent about how much legacy matters (unless they say it does not matter at all), or how much difference it makes in REA / ED versus RD. A few have made statements. The usual example is UPenn which used to make statements hinting that legacy mattered much more in ED than RD, but over the years watered-down the statement to say basically nothing in this respect (current statement: “Legacies who apply to Penn—like all applicants—receive thorough consideration in the application process.” – more at ‘On its last legs’: How Penn is quietly refining its legacy admissions policy | The Daily Pennsylvanian )
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This is very college dependent. My son is a legacy at William and Mary, and this is how they handle legacy applicants. “William & Mary does not currently have a separate admission process or standard for legacy applicants, and our data confirms that the academic profile of admitted legacy applicants is very high and consistent with our overall admitted class." Virginia has passed a law that legacy status cannot be used in admission decisions.
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wife went to USC. Son applied and didn’t get any preferential treatment.
Pretty sure being alum isn’t helpful unless it is coupled with lots of donations.
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Northwestern and Duke told us that the very small consideration they give for legacy is only applicable in ED. My D24 did not apply to either by the way. Just reporting back what they told us.
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