Hello! I am applying early to a T20 and my dad is legacy there. If I just list that my dad graduated from the college in the family info section, will admissions definitely see it there/I don’t need to call their attention to it in supplemental essays? In the “why us” question, I have so few words to say why I genuinely love the school and why it is a great fit for me that I don’t want to waste words name-dropping the legacy thing in that question if I don’t have to. Thanks!
What is this school’s policy on legacy admissions? Do they consider legacy?
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Not only do you not have to, you shouldn’t.
You’ve listed his education; admissions will see it there.
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They definitely consider it
Really? Okay, that’s great because it felt unnatural to weave it into an essay.
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Schools will ask questions they want answered in their section of the common app.
Not sure what this means? Do you mean some schools come out and say “are you legacy”? This school does not have anything like that in the common app.
Yes, they might ask if you had a family member attend that school, possibly with a definition of which family members they will consider.
But not all do that.
Edit: I just checked, and it is on this fun list of standard question options:
https://membersupport.commonapp.org/s/article/First-year-member-screen-questions
Members may opt to use one of the following question groups to gather the applicants’ legacy information.
- Do you have any relatives who are attending or have attended [Member Name]?
Question type: Y/N
- Please include their first and last names, graduation year, and relationship to you.
Question type: ?
Note: This question is not required.Or
- Have any relatives ever attended [Member Name]?
Question type: Y/N
- Are any of those relatives a [Member provided list of relations]?
Question type: Y/N
- Family legacy relationship
Question type: ss- Family legacy first/given name
Question type: text- Family legacy last/family/surname
Question type: text- Family legacy maiden/other last name
Question type: text
Note: This question is not required.- Family legacy number of degrees at [Member Name]
Question type: ss
Note: ‘No Degree’, 5 max.
- Family legacy degree received
Question type: ss
Note: Fixed list to match Family screen- Family legacy year received
Question type: ss
Note: Add another, 5 max.
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Each school has their own questions in the common app - in their section.
If they have a specific question they want to ask, they’ll ask it there.
The main portion of the common app is “generalist” but when you fill in the school’s specific portion, they ask what they want, etc.
Interesting! I started the common app and see they don’t ask anything like this, so I guess I’m just going to hope they look carefully at the family info section and make the legacy connection there.
You started the main section.
But have you gone into a school specific section after you add them?
That’s where they ask you about majors and school specific essays, etc.
Or they might glean it from your family info in the general section.
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They will look at the parent section. One of the apps my son is working on asked in their Question section “other than your parents do you have any relatives that attended X” so I guess they all check the Common App section if they consider legacy.
My son just had to put every relative we know of that attended Notre Dame. They have a pull down choice for Great Uncle!
When our children were applying to Stanford, all they did was list Dad’s name and the university and when he attended/graduated.
Several weeks into submitting their applications, Our husband received a letter from Stanford, Indicating that they were pleased that our children had taken an interest in applying to Stanford. It wasn’t addressed to the kid applying, it was addressed to my husband.
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yes
Great, that is good to know!
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