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If you apply early decision to a school where a sibling is presently enrolled, do you have an advantage of getting in?

By Dave Berry on Thursday, April 25, 2002 - 10:50 am: Edit

Will, you're hoping for a kind of family or legacy influence with your sibling connection, a factor that varies wildly from college to college. Among the most competitive colleges (Ivy League and other "elites"), the legacy influence has diminished significantly over the past five or so years. (NOTE: The classical legacy connection is a parent who is an alum of the college to which you're applying.) The waitlist seems to have become the desert island where many legacy applicants are stranded these days. Cynical observers tend to view putting legacy applicants on the waitlist as a way for colleges to tip their caps in deference to the legacy connection, buffer possible damage to alumni giving, and avoid rendering the hammer blow of rejection.

What all my long-winded verbiage is trying to say is: Don't expect a whole lot of leverage from a sibling connection. If you're going ED, just be sure that you meet their ED-candidate profile and have a virtuoso application package. Good luck, Will.

By AFL on Thursday, April 25, 2002 - 03:55 pm: Edit

I agree with Dave, but I also think that the lower down the college food chain you go, the stronger you'll find sibling clout. As Dave says, having an enrolled (or alum) sib doesn't carry much weight at the Ivies (or their equivalents), but even slightly less competitive schools are more receptive to acknowledging the sibling "hook." Having a brother or sister at a top-choice college can also lend itself to a cute supplemental poem, essay, etc. (e.g.," Big Brother Brian's Top Ten Reasons to Choose Beloit.")

By Will Smith (Will) on Friday, April 26, 2002 - 12:44 pm: Edit

What about a school like the University of Miami? My brother goes there.

By AFL on Friday, April 26, 2002 - 01:38 pm: Edit

Here's a good idea. Send an e-mail to the Miami office of admission. Tell them how much you like the school and that your brother likes it, too, and then ask right out if his enrollment there will carry any weight in the admission process for YOU. Not only should they give you a straight (or pretty straight) answer, BUT ALSO, the print-out of your message will make a nice little addition to your folder at decision time.

By M.Julep on Friday, April 26, 2002 - 03:46 pm: Edit

Great idea, AFL! (There's real beauty in its simplicity, seriously!)

By Will Smith (Will) on Saturday, April 27, 2002 - 12:27 am: Edit

Do they really save the E-Mails?
Thanks for the idea!

By Dadster on Saturday, April 27, 2002 - 01:32 am: Edit

Most colleges do have a way of keeping track of contacts with applicants, even fairly trivial ones.