Alumni

[MTY]

When filling out the secondary application, there is this usual question which asks you if you have any family member or knowing anyone who attended at that particular instituion. i was wondering the purpose for asking that question, and also if that might put you for any consideration in admission process.

does anyone know?

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[nicolette]

I think having an alumni legacy does give your application "special" status. If it didn't, I don't think they would ask it. If I remember correctly, almost every single secondary application I had asked the question. I don't know to what extent you're given special consideration, but I think the alumni relationship has to be pretty close (ie mother/father/brother/sister and not some distant cousin)for it to matter. Also, keep in mind that the applicant that would benefit by the alumni legacy is one whose applciation is borderline. If the applicant is not even in the ballpark, I don't think it would help very much.

Hope this helps.

 

[Snoopy]

At my school, all children of alumni and faculty are guaranteed an interview. As far as helping in admissions, it may give the borderline candidate an edge. I think the whole point is that they don't want to outright reject a candidate and upset people who are important to the school. It is much less of a headache for them to interview candidates and then waitlist them. It ruffles fewer feathers.

On a slightly different note, one school I interviewed at said up front they do not reject any candidates who interview. All applicants who make it to the interview stage are either accepted or waitlisted. The admissions officer came right out and said that they didn't want any angry phone calls from alums and physicians when people they knew were rejected.