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If you’ve ever watched “Gilmore Girls,” you’re likely familiar with Rory’s dream of attending an Ivy League school. She aspires to go to Harvard, but her grandparents insist she attend their alma mater, Yale. Though her mother didn’t make it to Yale, both her grandparents did, and so did their parents. I always thought legacy admissions were a plot device for rom-coms, not a real-life phenomenon. (Spoiler alert: I was mistaken). I assumed that the nation’s top colleges would admit students based solely on merit and qualifications, rather than family connections — a radical thought, right?
Unfortunately, legacy admissions are indeed a reality, with some prestigious institutions — ahem, Harvard — still adhering to these outdated practices. According to The Harvard Crimson, between 2014 and 2019, 33% of students admitted were legacies, despite a mere 6% overall acceptance rate. And before anyone gets upset, this isn’t an attack on legacy students; it’s important to note that many of them are certainly qualified. However, they’ve already benefited from various privileges that can give them a leg up.
Institutions like Amherst, Caltech, and MIT have begun reforming their admission processes by eliminating legacy status. Johns Hopkins University discontinued legacy admissions in 2014, and the results were as expected. The year prior, legacy students made up 8.5% of the new enrollment, while first-generation students were at 8.1%. Fast forward to 2021, and those numbers have shifted to just 3.7% legacy students, while first-generation students soared to 17.8%. So why are elite schools like Harvard still holding on? The answer, as always, boils down to money.
Legacy students often come from affluent backgrounds, which means they can afford top-tier tutors and extracurricular activities without the stress of part-time jobs. While it’s commendable that these students are well-educated, their legacy status shouldn’t amplify their chances of admission—education should be the primary consideration, not a family history of Ivy League attendance.
One justification from admissions offices is that parents of legacy students tend to be more generous with donations. Naturally, affluent families hope that their financial contributions will sway admissions decisions in their favor. While this isn’t illegal, it raises ethical questions. If the goal is to identify the brightest minds, we must acknowledge that not all of them come from wealthy backgrounds.
It is fundamentally unfair that privilege, which already provides significant benefits, is further compounded by legacy admissions. Harvard will always attract numerous applicants, so the argument that wealth correlates with educational success is tenuous at best. While there is some truth to the linkage between wealth and achievement, it is insufficient to justify such a system. A student from a low-income family can still be incredibly passionate about their education, just as a student born into affluence may lack the motivation to strive for success. Money can help, but it is not everything.
Ending Legacy Admissions: A Necessary Shift
The college application process is complex enough without adding the challenge of legacy admissions. Not everyone has the privilege to navigate this system easily. The application itself, possible essays, standardized tests like the ACT or SAT, and the intricacies of transferring AP credits can be overwhelming. For first-generation college students, the struggle is even more significant, as they lack the guidance that those with family experience can rely on.
It’s time to level the playing field and give all talented individuals a fair shot by abolishing legacy admissions. Privilege influences every aspect of our lives, and while we acknowledge its existence, dismantling it requires commitment. While eliminating legacy admissions won’t resolve every inequality in access to elite education, it’s a crucial step toward creating a fairer system.
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- How to apply for college as a first-generation student
- Benefits of ending legacy admissions
- Understanding college admissions processes
- Impact of privilege on education
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In conclusion, our education system must evolve to ensure that all students, regardless of background or financial status, have an equal opportunity to succeed.