Admissions Preferences for Alumni Kids Foster 'Clueless Confidence'

The first time I ever heard the term “legacy preference” was, appropriately enough, at Harvard, when a student from Yale used it to rib a third-generation Harvard man in a debating competition. To a Canadian, coming from a land of ultra-affordable public universities, the idea that a parent’s degree could somehow help you get admitted to college was a revelation—as was the value of alumni donors. Teasing aside, the rewards of legacy admission are assumed: It values tradition, builds strong inter-generational networks, and, yes, encourages alumni giving.

It’s also invisible. For the most part, no one knows which are legacy students if they choose not to identify themselves. Unless you’re a Bush or a Gore, a Dimon or a Jobs, it’s pretty easy to avoid facing questions about whether you got in on your own merits, or on those of your parents.