The Chronicle

Issue date: 9/9/08 Section: News
Last update: 9/9/08 at 6:34 AM EST

Duke is known to cull the top of applicant crops, but a recent study found that one group of students typically underperforms compared to its peers once they matriculate-legacy students.

Professor of Sociology Kenneth Spenner and graduate student Nathan Martin recently published a paper in August examining the academic profiles of Duke legacy students compared to those of students whose parents are also college-educated but not Duke alumni.

"A Social Portrait of Legacies at an Elite University" reported that legacies-defined as students with family members who graduated from Duke-collectively have lower-than-expected grades during freshman year, slightly lower SAT scores and typically do not choose to major in the natural sciences or engineering. According to self-reported academic skills, legacy students also had slightly lower levels of ability and confidence, although they normally close any academic gaps by the time they graduate.

Admissions preferences was not an emphasis of the study, Martin wrote in an e-mail. But he said both costs and benefits to the current admissions policy exist-for example, campus diversity could suffer, as legacies were more likely to be white, Protestant, U.S. citizens and private school-educated.

Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Christoph Guttentag said Duke's policy is to give special attention to children and stepchildren of Duke alumni during the admissions process, adding that qualifications between legacy applicants and the rest of the pool are "virtually indistinguishable."

"I don't think giving preference to well-qualified children of alumni is unusual," Guttentag said. "From our perspective, the Duke community extends for generations, and one of the ways that bond is maintained is by paying attention when children of alumni apply to Duke."

Sophomore Kirsten Moy, whose parents both attended Duke, said she thought being a legacy student did give applicants a greater chance of being accepted and noted that her father is currently employed by the University. But she disagreed with the assertion that legacy students don't work as hard, attributing any lack of effort to individual characteristics.

"I feel like I might not have performed nearly as well as my peers in high school," said Moy, who is a biology major. "But I think the stereotype is that rich kids don't work as hard as poor kids, and I don't necessarily think that's true."

Admission decisions ultimately came down to personal factors, not necessarily just numbers, Guttentag said.

"Within a particular range, 10 or 20 or 30 SAT points is just not a meaningful range in terms of an applicant's readiness for Duke," he said. "What we pay attention to is a willingness to engage in the community, a willingness to take advantage of all Duke has to offer and an interest in learning and being challenged.... Those tend to be the distinguishing factors."

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