Myth: Alumni can get their kids in if they pull the right strings.

Not really. Children, grandchildren, siblings, and spouses of UW-Madison alumni — called legacy students — are given only slight favor in the admissions process.

“Essentially, it’s a tiebreaker,” says admissions director Rob Seltzer. “If we’re trying to decide between admit and postpone and we see a legacy, we’ll take him or her. But if the kid is further down on the list, it’s not going to bump him up.”

Counselors add that it’s not necessary for parents or grandparents to call on behalf of their Badger offspring. The application includes a place to list alumni family members, and counselors take account of that UW heritage as part of their routine review.

Next myth » Being postponed is the same as being on a wait list.

• Introduction
• Myth: It’s a secretive process.
• Myth: A formula determines whether students are admitted or denied.
• Myth: UW-Madison has raised its admissions criteria in recent years.
• Myth: The UW turns away students with perfect GPAs.
• Myth: Some students get special treatment in the admissions process.
• Myth: It’s impossible for regular students to get in anymore.
• Myth: No one reads personal statements.
• Myth: It pays to apply early.
• Myth: Minority students get in with lower grades than some white students who are rejected.
• Myth: UW-Madison caps the number of students who can be admitted from one high school.
• Myth: Back in the day, UW-Madison let everybody in.
• Myth: Applicants from outside Wisconsin are taking up spots that could go to state residents.
• Myth: Connections with important people can get you in.
• Myth: Alumni can get their kids in if they pull the right strings.
• Myth: Being postponed is the same as being on a wait list.
• Myth: An A is always better than a B.
• Myth: One grumpy admissions counselor can doom an application.
• Myth: Admissions counselors like rejecting people.
• Myth: My son or daughter isn’t emotionally ready to be turned down by the university.
• Myth: It’s a perfect system.