In the spring of 1938, Ethan A. Dennison '37 sat his brother-in-law in front of one of Harvard's admission officers.

"He thinks he'd like to come here," said Dennison to the College official.

"Great," responded the admissions officer. "When can he start?"

So recounts Frances Isabel Smith '99, who is the granddaughter of Dennison.

My, how times have changed.

In years since then, college admissions have become increasingly secretive, competitive and impersonal.

Out of about 16 thousand applicants, only 12 percent are accepted, making it extremely difficult to gain acceptance to the College.

Nevertheless, having relatives who attended Harvard can still tip the scales in a candidate's favor.

According to Director of Admissions Marlyn M. Lewis '70, the official policy regarding legacies--applicants who are the children of Harvard-Radcliffe alums--is that if all else is equal between two candidates, preference will be given to the legacy.

However, Lewis goes on to say that what constitutes equality among candidates is "not formulaic" and is based on "intangible circumstances."

"It's not just test scores," Lewis says.

Regardless, according to Lewis, 40 percent of legacies who apply to the College gain admittance, a number far higher than the overall acceptance rate.

A Legacy of Legacies

The statistic does not necessarily indicate a bias in admissions, Lewis says. Being raised by well-educated parents definitely aids in a child's academic career.

Current undergraduate legacies concur with Lewis's theory.