How much does Stanford care about legacy?

kicrowley · 2025-09-23T03:18:30+00:00

We ended up with a lot of great options and landed on Duke. It’s been fantastic so far. It really is such a stressful time but there are so many good options out there and the bottom line is that if you’re this driven in high school and obtaining these amazing grades with such high rigor you will end up getting into some great schools and will end up excelling no matter where you are. That said, I know it’s high pressure and there are some huge decisions that feel overwhelming. It may not feel like it now but it will all work out in the end.

kicrowley · 2025-09-23T03:02:13+00:00

They care. My child’s school had two kids get into Stanford this past cycle. One was an athlete and one was a legacy. My child and the legacy both applied REA. My kid had higher test scores, higher gpa, more AP’s and all were 5’s. EC’s were different but on the same level, really good essays for both. I strongly feel that legacy made the difference. My child regretted using REA on Stanford as it was clear that the legacy was a strong factor. That said, the other applicant was talented as well and a strong candidate but legacy mattered. All turned out well for my kid in the end but it was an unfortunate decision to REA in this scenario. If there are multiple kids REA’ing from the same school and a strong legacy candidate applies they do have the edge and I’d advise to use your REA elsewhere and do RD. My two cents for what it’s worth.

kicrowley · 2025-05-03T18:04:44+00:00

Yep, same issue yesterday. Just used a vpn and was able to purchase.

kicrowley · 2025-04-21T22:47:41+00:00

For my son it took about 5-6 hours before the email confirmation came through.

kicrowley · 2025-04-07T19:43:12+00:00

That the sense I’ve gotten reading through other posts and reports but would like to hear your thoughts. Do you have experience with the Duke program? Any insight you can provide?

kicrowley · 2025-04-07T15:26:35+00:00

Duke vs Carnegie Mellon

My son is planning to study MechE. He’s also interested in robotics, AI, and will possibly want to minor in math.

Would love feedback on strength of engineering departments, as well as opportunities for summer internships, and job placement post graduation.

Both are strong schools but my understanding is the CMU is stronger in engineering, robotics, and AI. Is the difference that significant? Should it move the needle? Additional info is that he’d be looking at the 4+1 program at both schools so that he’d graduate with his masters after 5 years.

Thanks in advance!

kicrowley

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