Loyal legacies prized at Penn

College alumna Ellen Bortz was thrilled when her son Marc was accepted regular decision to the Wharton School after being deferred in December.

Bortz, who met her husband during her junior year of college, claims that she is “defined by her years at Penn.”

The Bortz home in Maryland is infused with Penn pride. From mugs and alumni magazines to antique needlepoint and jerseys, “probably every room of the house has something to do with Penn,” she said.

“I was excited, but my parents were ecstatic,” Wharton junior Marc Bortz recalls about receiving his acceptance. “I think my mom was jumping up and down.”

To ensure multi-generational relationships — like the Bortz family’s — children and grandchildren of an alumnus of any of Penn’s 12 schools will receive “some preference” in the application process, according to the Alumni Council on Admissions.

Penn acknowledges legacy status in admissions for a number of reasons. The two most prevalent, according to Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations John Zeller, are the preservation of tradition and alumni support.

The Bortz parents have been very involved in alumni activities and Penn giving in the mid-Atlantic region since they graduated. Marc’s father’s real estate firm even helped in the building of Sansom Common — the area between 36th and 37th streets on Walnut Street, which includes the Inn at Penn and the Penn Bookstore. Marc and his family wrote their names on the final pillar of the bookstore.

“Marc always knew his signature was on the top of the beam,” Ellen Bortz said. “He was on that campus forever, no matter what.”

Now at Penn, Bortz feels a “deep connection” with the University. “This not just the place where I get my education,” he said. As a legacy, “I really feel like I belong here.”

Coming from a different set of circumstances, College sophomore Christine Alix has a mother, father and grandfather who went to Penn, but “Penn was almost never mentioned in the house,” according to Alix.

Though she was met with support when she chose to matriculate at Penn, Alix said she is “not a stereotypical legacy,” and made the decision to enroll completely on her own.

“This was never expected of me,” she said. “It was because I did my own thing that I ended up here, and I don’t think I’m the only legacy like this.”

Still, Alix values the tradition of Penn in her family. “I definitely think it’s been a meaningful experience walking where my parents and grandpa have walked.”

Another reason that Penn values these alumni relationships is ongoing philanthropy — “an outcome, not a driver” of longstanding family connections, according to Zeller.

He emphasized that philanthropy is not limited to donations, and also includes volunteer efforts, regional participation and involvement in clubs and boards.

“There are many well-qualified children of alumni applying to these universities, but the legacies who get the biggest admissions advantage have parents who donate money and serve on committees,” Audrey Kahane, an admissions consultant and Penn alumna, wrote in an e-mail.

Zeller explained that tuition does not pay for the full cost of all students’ educations, and alumni donations help cover those expenses. However, the University does not engage in gift conversations with anyone who has a child in the admissions process.

“It would be naive to say that support isn’t critical for this institution,” Dean of Admissions Eric Furda said. “But it’s not about admitting student X to get donation Y.”

Furda’s assertion is backed by research, which has shown that donations of equally wealthy alumni are the same at universities with and without preferential legacy admissions policies.

Since alumni relationships are so integral to Penn, the University works to ease the application process for legacy applicants.

The Sweeten Alumni House, residence of the Alumni Council on Admissions, welcomes prospective legacy applicants for open advising sessions when they visit campus.

Though ACA Director Steve Hamilton denied that these sessions provide information that the Office of Admissions withholds, he explained that the legacy counseling session is more personal and “in depth” about the application and selection processes. Hamilton and his staff also have phone conversations with parents and students to help with academic planning — sometimes with students as young as seventh graders.

The ACA stopped providing on-campus alumni interviews after the 2008-09 admissions process. Now, “when they talk to me, they don’t feel like they’re under a microscope because we’re not making any final decisions,” Hamilton said.

For more relatable, campus-life information, prospective applicants can also connect with legacies already at Penn through Linking Legacies — an ACA program created in 2007.

“We match people up with similar interests,” College senior Christina Lomax said. As Linking Legacies’ matching director, Lomax pairs students for e-mail correspondence and classroom visits. “I definitely think it helps prospective students a lot and lets them know what to expect at Penn,” she said.

---