With the class of 2011 newly admitted and roaming the Hill, the admissions game is by and large over for incoming freshman. For the next class, though, the process is just beginning. A recent study by two researchers from Princeton University has cast light on one side of admissions for prospective students: legacies. The study found that children of alumni benefit less than minorities and athletes while their applications are being considered, but suffer more academically once they get to school. In this installment of "By the Numbers," the Daily looks at the hard facts of college admissions, and how legacy status helps - and hurts - students as they apply.298 Number of schools using the Common Application, which asks about legacy status, as their recommended form47 Average number of "bonus SAT points" given to legacy students who benefited from their legacy status, according to a study of elite universities that included Tufts University108 Number of "bonus SAT points" for athletes108 Number of "bonus SAT points" for minority students
2004 Year that President George Bush said that he does not support policies that give legacies advantages, despite being a third-generation student at Yale
159 Number of students of the Class of 2010 invited to a Legacy Reception in August 20061,284 Number of students in the class of 201012.4 Percentage of legacies in the class of 2010
3 Number of relationships that count towards legacy status (applicants must have a parent, grandparent or sibling who attended Tufts).
70 Percent of athletes who benefited from their athlete status with SAT scores lower than their school's average77 Percent of black and Hispanic students who benefited from minority status with SAT scores lower than their school's average48 Percent of legacies who benefited from legacy status with SAT scores lower than their school's average3 Years since Texas A&M University stopped giving preference to legacy applicants
2 Number of times more likely it is for legacies to be admitted at Yale and Princeton as of 2004, according to Penda Hair of the Washington, D.C. Advancement Project in an NPR interview3 Number of times more likely it is for legacies to be admitted at UPenn as of 2004, according to Hair4 Number of times more likely it is for legacies to be admitted to Harvard as of 2004
2004 Year that Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy (D) proposed a bill that would require colleges to submit legacy admissions data to the federal government every year
-compiled by Arianne Baker from the journal "Social Problems," CNN.com, NPR, Tufts University Admissions, Commonapp.org and the Tufts University Alumnae Association
