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To what extent do you think legacy admits will work in your child(ren)’s favor? How fair is it?
My wife and I agree that as long as our kids are happy, we don’t care if they end up going to an Ivy League or a vocational school to get the education necessary for whatever career they choose. I think it’s much easier said than done, though; truthfully, I would be happy seeing either of my kids in any of the undergraduate or graduate schools that my wife and I attended.
I think legacy is only a small bump unless you happened to donate enough to fund a wing at a college or are very active in alumni recruiting. None of our kids applied to to the colleges that we went to because they weren't the right ones for them. Not that it would have mattered, their stats would have got them in without any mention of us.
One reason for legacy preference is that legacy kids are more likely to graduate on time than non-legacy. Legacy kids have already "bought into" the school from an early age, and are less likely to be lost in the maze or to become estranged from the school.
Legacy admissions have a place, as incoming students already feel invested in the school's brand. They are less likely to transfer out and typically outperform others with a similar academic profile. Obviously legacy can't be the primary selection criterion, but all aspects of evaluating high school students for admission are flawed to some extent to some degree.
But I don't think they make up a large enough percentage at most schools for it to be much of a concern to me. At Ivy League schools and their equivalents, legacy admissions and affirmative action/special scholarship admissions probably balance each other out. Could be wrong, but people I know who attended those schools recently felt like there were a considerable number of scholarship students from lower SES groups. Maybe they just stood out. Feel free to correct me.
I'm more worried about quality, affordable education than who is admitted and why. If legacy admissions stay the course and graduate, then they are making proper use of the institution and not wasting money. Same with motivated affirmative action students. When I went back to school a few years ago, I found that it was mostly kids in the uncategorized middle that were the least focused.
My only problem with legacy admits is special treatment in terms of disciplinary action. The school I attended was notorious for legacy admits getting slaps on the wrist for infractions Joe Average would get into serious hot water for. Athletes, too.
At Ivy League schools and their equivalents, legacy admissions and affirmative action/special scholarship admissions probably balance each other out. Could be wrong, but people I know who attended those schools recently felt like there were a considerable number of scholarship students from lower SES groups. Maybe they just stood out. Feel free to correct me.
i went to such a school as a ugrad. i disagree, lower SES students were rare, especially when you consider how many more potential SES applicants there are. i felt pretty out of place as far as SES and i wasn't even *that* poor. my current school (as a PhD student) is another such place and seems the same way looking at the ugrads, but then again i don't really interact with the ugrads much...
i don't really like legacy admissions. i think it's because neither of my parents went to college. but i don't see it as a huge problem or anything since they aren't rampant like they used to be decades ago. and i know it's just kind of how things are - people want to look after their own - and if my kids get a small advantage due to this i will certainly appreciate it so i guess i can't really be *too* disapproving...
College admissions is a zero-sum game. Every legacy admit is one less middle class or poor admit. I don't like legacy admissions as it perpetuates social and economic inequality. From the college's standpoint, I understand it since legacy admits = more donations in the present and future.
It's so much more important for your children to be matched to the school thats right for thier personality. If one of those schools happens to be your alma mater, nice bonus. Legacy admittance means a lot more than some think and of course who you are means all the difference. If you're wealthy and famous that's going to help anywhere.
I had a sister who ended up at what I feel was a University far to big and vast for her to navigate, instead of a nice small town liberal arts college. She died a suicide in part from the pressure and cultural differences of a big 10 when in fact she was more the Amherst, Brown, small college town type.
If I had known that there are "hippie" colleges, I would have attended Warren Wilson or Un of the South or Pomona, a college right for my personality and values, not because it looked good on a resume.
That is the path I would have them follow. Where you attended means zero. Know what's right for them. Start planning actively with them, as a family for their education by 9th grade. Have them take online Summer AP classes. Visits should start happening summer after tenth grade. Most families wait far to long to make these choices. It's the single most important choice they will ever make until they chose a life mate. Good luck.
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