My College Guide» Legacy Status

Majors in College, The College Admission Process, and Other College Questions: Answered!

admin — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 13:00:01 +0000

When applying to college seems overwhelming, don’t forget about My College Guide’s awesome free resource: our College Admissions Guru! Straight and to the point, our Guru will answer your college questions. Did we mention it is free and anonymous? Here’s the latest from the Guru!

SMJJP

Latest Questions
Question: I am a high school freshman, and I am currently taking Japanese as a foreign language. I enjoy the language and hope to someday become fluent. However, I’ve heard that there could be issues with college admissions recognizing certain foreign languages like Japanese. Is this true, and if it is, what is the general range of languages accepted at colleges?

Answer: Don’t worry about it. Japanese is a wonderful language to pursue fluency in, and if you want to continue it, simply apply to colleges that offer Japanese as a language option to study. In one of our magazine articles, we even interviewed a school official who talked about how essential knowing Japanese or Chinese will be to new students studying…continue reading our Latest Questions!

College Admissions Process
Question: What do you write in college application essays? Can you write an essay about your experiences in extracurricular activities? Or do you list your extracurricular activities? Also, is there a limit to how many recommendations you can get from your teachers? If not, is it better to get a lot of recommendations from your teachers? Even if the recommendations are not well-developed, it’s better to have lots, right? Thanks.

Answer: Great questions! You can really do a lot with a well-written, interesting essay. If your grades are good but not fantastic, you could push yourself over the edge to acceptance with a great personal statement. And even if your grades and scores are great, presenting yourself in a poor essay could… continue reading the College Admissions Process!

SAT and ACT Tests
Question: Thanks for taking the time to read my question! I am currently a rising senior in high school. I scored an 1870 on the new SAT, have an unweighted GPA of 3.8 and am very involved in extracurriculars. For example, I am the president and founder of my school’s Young Democrats Club and am completing internships under the Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates and under the local teacher’s union. By the time I finish high school, I will have taken 6 AP classes along with 15 honors classes. I have a list of several schools I’m interested in. I was wondering, how many “reach schools” should I apply to? I’m working with a private SAT tutor to bring up the SAT scores. What other advice would you have for me to make my application more desirable to a school like Georgetown? Finally, would I be considered a legacy candidate at a school if my grandfather attended it?

the.sprout

Answer: It sounds like you’re doing all of the right things! You have a strong record and should be in the running at a number of fine schools. In response to your specific questions, the only thing I can think of that you could do to possibly improve your chance of getting into a top school is to take the SAT again, as you mentioned. You have a very good score, but if you think you could…continue reading SAT and ACT Tests!

Majors in College
Question: What is the difference between priority and regular decision? Also, what are majors and minors? If I want a bachelor’s degree, does that subject have to be my major, or can it be my minor? Do colleges generally offer the same minors as majors? Should my minor be a more specific subject within my major…or at least related in some way?

Answer: Priority decision is just another name for early action or early decision. In other words, you apply to the school by an early deadline, and you hear back from them earlier than you would if you applied “regular” decision.

When you go to college, you will have at least one major…continue reading Majors in College!

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SMJJP (b and w –> the.sprout

Factors of College Admission or How to Get Into Your Dream School

admin — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:30:59 +0000

As college deadlines loom in the not too distant future, you might be asking yourself, “Can I get into college?” To answer your question, My College Guide will clue you in on the factors of college admissions! While these factors can differ a bit from college to college, having some idea of what colleges are really looking for in your academic background can go a long way to make sure you are prepared so that when you get ready to actually submit a college application: you’ll be ready!

Stuck in Customs / Trey Ratcliff

SAT or ACT Test Scores – The majority of colleges will be looking at your SAT or ACT test scores, comparing your score to other applicants. If you’ve only taken the test once, know that taking the test a second time can help improve your SAT score – just from knowing what to expect! The College Board SAT test and the ACT test are very important and, if you are homeschooled, it’s also a way for colleges to measure you academically.

College Interview – Do you match up? While not usually mandatory, the college interview is used by some colleges as a way to make sure that you are the right fit for their institution. On the upside, an interview can put a nice personal spin on what can seem a very impersonal process. You can let college admissions meet your charming, wonderful self and explain any slip-ups in your record. If it’s optional at the college(s) you are interested in, why not request one?

Community Service – Are you a valuable member of your community? Community service can help you stand apart from other college applicants – it’s not like every student volunteers their time and energy, but for the most part, many students do take the SAT, have a decent GPA, and class ranking. Not only is it a great way to get accepted into college and help out your community, but it could even net you a great scholarship!

College Essay – This seemingly innocent little open-ended question can be a hard one to answer. The truth is, college admissions can place a good amount of emphasis on what you have to say – and how you say it! Use this space as a way to explain why your grades fell your Sophomore year or how you successfully handled a difficult situation. If colleges are on the fence about whether or not to let you in, your college essay may give them a nudge in the right direction.

Leadership Roles – Are you a future leader? Did you skim through high school or did you leave a mark?Universities want independent, motivated students. They will be actively seeking students with leadership roles on their college application. Holding positions in high school clubs or as a class officer can show admissions that you are just the type of person they are looking for.

clevercupcakes / Clever Cupcakes

Letters of Recommendation – Colleges like to get a second opinion – and the college letter of recommendation is an easy way for them to learn more about you through the eyes of someone else. Whether your college of choice lets you choose who writes your recommendation or there’s someone specific, colleges will takes these letters under consideration so if the choice is up to you, choose carefully!

Diversity – Your race, the state you live in, your gender, and national origin can play a part in college admission. Colleges like to say that they have students not only from around the country, but from around the world, too. Increasing their student body while diversifying it can help pave the way for you if you happen to possess the traits of the missing pieces.

Challenging Courses – While it’s okay to have a fluff class every now and again to boost your GPA, colleges really want to see something more challenging than a constant run of classes like Film Studies or Fibers on your course schedule. Honors classes and AP classes go a long way to prove to college admissions that you take your education seriously – just don’t take on more than you can handle. These classes dole out more work to start with and receiving poor marks in a few of them because you packed your schedule too full with difficult classes won’t help you get into your dream school, either.

Legacy Status – Did your mom and/or dad attend the same college that you are interested in? Many colleges like to keep the legacy going and put special emphasis on legacy applicants! Applications will usually have a spot to check or write that you had a family member attend their college – which may help you get in! Bonus: many colleges also let you apply for a legacy scholarship!

Grades — It almost goes without saying, but your grades are one of the key factors of college admission! Colleges have a GPA range they accept for a reason: they want students who fit within specific parameters. The more competitive the college, the better your GPA had better be! If you’ve got a few years before you are officially thinking “college” make sure to use this time wisely and try to keep those grades up.

Miss Millificent / Athena Workman

Awards and Achievements – Do you have a stack of blue ribbons and grand champion ribbons from your time spent in 4-H? Did you win special recognition at your high school for an academic achievement or snag a certificate for club involvement? Not every students wins an award, so don’t just let them sit there and collect dust, write it down! Make sure that college admissions knows about your past successes. After all, if you don’t tell them, who will?

Extracurricular Activities – Colleges are looking for activities where you were meaningfully involved, not a jam-packed, alphabetized list of random clubs and organizations you joined only to impress college admissions! In this case, think “quality” not quantity! So, pick and choose your high school extracurricular activities with care and do more with it than just sign up.

Pre-college Summer Programs – More school? In the summer? Yes and yes! Don’t just think of a pre-college summer program as school, think of it as a way to do a little traveling or community service or to dig into something you are interested in, as well as earning college credit in high school and standing out to college admissions! Anything that you can do to be proactive in your education (and pre-college summer programs certainly count!) is a step in the right college acceptance direction.

53 Legacy Student Scholarships or One More Reason to Consider Your Parents’ Alma Mater

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:30:28 +0000

There are a few perks to applying to the same college as your parents: you can break out their old college sweatshirt for that cool vintage look, you might have special consideration given to your college application, and you might even be able to qualify for a special legacy student scholarship!

TW Collins / T

The only “catch” is that you usually need to be a new incoming freshman and new student – but most colleges don’t seem to care if you are an in-state or out of state student as long as you fit their legacy student requirements. Legacy status could mean that your parent, step-parent, grandparent, great-great grandparent, or even your aunt or uncle graduated from your prospective college: each award is different!

Some, like the award at Purdue University, require a legacy student college hopeful to describe how their grandparent’s Purdue University experience influenced their decision to apply to Purdue while others just require you to put a “check” in the alumni box on your college application!

Many will take a look at your standardized test scores and also your community involvement. Of course, your GPA is usually a factor: some even weigh the number of family members that attended the school in relation to other applicants. In case it hasn’t sunk in quite yet: even legacy scholarships are competitive!

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: there really are scholarships to fit any student! From the more unusual college scholarships to academic merit scholarships to scholarships based on your interests or community involvement, your scholarship search can make for an affordable college experience after all no matter where you go — all you have to do is find them!

Legacy Student Status and College Admissions: Where Do You Fit In?

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:30:27 +0000

Does your family have a history of attending the same college? Maybe you’ve been wondering how this so-called “legacy status” affects your college admission status! Grandpa or grandma, mom or dad, bachelor’s degree or master’s degree, if members of your family graduated from your dream school, see what kind of impact (if any) that could make on helping you get “in!”

susansimon

What is a Legacy Student?
A legacy student is a college bound student with parents or even grandparents that are college alumni of the very same college where a prospective student submits an admissions application. Some colleges also have grants or scholarships just for legacy students!

College Admissions and Legacy Status
Some colleges may have different legacy student policies regarding the type of degree an alumnus earned, like if the degree is an undergraduate degree or a graduate degree. They may favor an undergraduate degree and not count a graduate degree towards legacy status.

Other colleges will count any children or grandchildren as legacy students if the degree was earned at their institution – no matter if it was earned as an undergraduate or a graduate. Depending on your family history, that could be very good news for you!

Resources for Legacy Students
You can often easily judge if legacy status has any weight based on information found on the college website. Many will let students know if legacy status is something that they even consider as a positive factor towards college admission. A simple search on the college website should provide the information you are looking for!

Some colleges possess more legacy resources than others. The University of Pennsylvania, for example, possesses Legacy Advising Sessions so legacy students and their parents can find out more about their selective status with regards to UPenn admissions procedures.

Another UPenn program, Linking Legacies, is something that prospective legacy students should take advantage of! Linking Legacies connects current legacy students with prospective legacy students so they can ask their questions and get actual legacy student responses via mail.

Saint Joseph’s College and Michigan State University have a legacy program for current, prospective, and past graduates to easily network and keep in touch. Bucknell University is another college that lets not only children and grandchildren of college alumni claim legacy status, but also stepchildren, great grandchildren, and even great grandchildren — with special programs for prospective legacy students and then some!

akrobat77

Some colleges prefer to make their take on legacy status a bit more secret. Yale University is one college thought to put a bit of emphasis on legacy status – and have often admitted more legacy students than not! Dartmouth College, on the other hand, openly shares its legacy admission rates.

If you discover a high rate of legacy students then it’s probably safe to assume that it might just have a bit to do with a student’s offer of college admission!

Final Thought
If your school puts particular emphasis on legacy status, it doesn’t mean that you should stop studying and start slacking! Legacy student or not, any college is still going to prefer a hard-working, valuable member of society to one that doesn’t even meet the standard admission requirements.

On the other hand, should you get accepted into your dream school, your legacy status should never make you feel as though you didn’t make it “in” because of your hard work! Your legacy status is only part of the (rather large) college admissions puzzle: your GPA, class rank, standardized test scores, community service, letters of recommendation, college interview, and then some, make up the remaining pieces.

It’s Your Mom’s College, But So What

admin — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:19:47 +0000

Dave Jay

It may be that you mom or dad wants you to go to the school where they went or it may be that you want to follow in their footsteps. Don’t be fooled into thinking that their alumni status paves the way for you to get accepted right away. Many prospective students see this as their way into the college they’re applying to.

Legacy Admission Policies

Each college or university has its own legacy admission policy, which is when a family member (usually a parent) has attended the college before you. This policy also dictates how much the legacy status weighs compared to other factors such as GPA and test scores. Many of you may be surprised to find out that the legacy status does not weigh as heavy as you think and at times it doesn’t weigh at all.

For example, Dartmouth states in so many words that even if your parent attended the university that you still have to meet its admission requirements.

This is why it’s important not to rely on the fact that your mom, dad or grandpa went to school to where you’re applying as your ticket to acceptance. You can find out how the college or university uses legacy status in the admission process (if at all) by contacting the admission office of the school where you’re applying.