Parents ask us all the time about legacy admissions. Usually, they help… however that’s not always true. Some schools simply don’t consider legacy admissions. And if you are an MIT grad whose kid is hoping to go, legacy really isn’t going to help them. This can shock a lot of parents so we wanted to break down a bit about why this is and what it means for your student.
What does MIT say about Legacies?
MIT says it very plainly on their admissions website, “MIT doesn't consider legacy or alumni relations in our admissions process.” Now some people might be thinking, “well they just say that. They don’t actually mean it.” Well, we think that in the vast majority of cases they do mean it. That doesn’t mean your legacy student won’t get in, it just means that it won’t help them get in.
How many legacies are on MIT’s campus?
MIT doesn’t release data on legacies, mostly because it doesn’t seem like they track it. A lot of schools track the number of legacies on campus because it helps with alumni giving… however since MIT doesn’t do legacy admission preference, that statistic wouldn’t help them raise money.
However, generally, legacies across the board come from homes that value a college education. This means they are often encouraged from a young age to apply themselves in school etc. This means legacies are often good candidates outside of their status. While we don’t know how many legacies are on campus, we would bet that there are many on campus. They just didn’t get in that way.
Should my kid still tell MIT about their legacy status? Just in case?
The short answer is no. Chris Peterson, an admissions officer and Director of Special Projects at MIT Admissions + Student Financial Services, wrote in a blog post for MIT entitled Just To Be Clear: We Don’t Do Legacy, “We simply don’t care if your parents (or aunt, or grandfather, or third cousin) went to MIT. In fact, one of the things most likely to elicit a gigantic facepalm is when a student namedrops some incredibly attenuated connection because they think it is going to help them get into MIT.”
What this is saying is, don’t have your kid write about you going to MIT in their essay. Don’t have them bring it up randomly during an interview. However, in one place they do need to write it. MIT asks for information on parents and their highest level of education on their application. Students need to put their parents' information there and if that includes MIT, that is of course fine.
So will they get in?
MIT is all about merit. Are we saying we are sure that they don’t sometimes let someone in whose parent donates a stadium? We couldn’t say that for sure, but for (at least most) legacies, they have to be as good as their peers. MIT’s acceptance rate for the class of 2025 (during regular decision) was 3.4%. That is extremely competitive. If your student is serious about MIT, we advise thinking about applying early. Their early decision rate isn’t much better at 4.7%, but it is better.
More importantly, if your kid is dreaming of MIT, we suggest making sure their application is as strong as possible, whether they are a legacy or not. MIT has its own application outside of the Common App. Make sure to look over the application and start early. Your student will not only need great grades, scores, and extracurriculars, but they are also going to need to write great essays.
We work with our students every day to craft great applications. Having a great application is what makes students stand out at a place like MIT. Whether you chose to work with a college counselor or not, a stand-out application with amazing writing is important when trying to get in. MIT’s acceptance rate is so low, that it isn’t enough to just be a great student, their application needs to stand out in the pile. Great essays and thought-through applications can make a great student stand out in a difficult field. We work with students who hope to go to MIT all the time and trust us, your student has to be more than just a math wiz. Having a rockstar application is imperative with MIT’s extremely low acceptance rate.
Being a legacy isn’t going to help your student get into MIT. They need to do that with hard work and a great application. We can help them with that. If you are feeling lost or nervous, talking to a counselor about the ins and outs of the MIT application is a great place to start.
If you would like to talk to a counselor, our door is always open, here.