Nepotism or Networking, Is There a Difference?

Nepotism in the admissions process

Remember in high school, when your best friend got accepted to your first choice college because her parents went there, but you were denied? This preferential treatment, known as having "legacy," gives privilege to college applicants whose parents or siblings are alumni of that institution. The unfairness of this practice hasn't been overlooked -- a book recently published on the subject gained national media attention from The New York Times, The Washington Post and CBS, to name a few.

Yet despite legacy preferences having raised the eyebrows of skeptics, pretty much since the idea's inception, many colleges still use family-alumni status as a deciding factor when assessing applicants.