<p>I was deferred by Brown Early Decision, but it’s still my top school. My brother currently attends (and my grandfathers both did, and my great-grandfather donated what is currently a dorm…but that didn’t seem to help me much haha). Anyway, I already sent my newly-won awards via email and the Admissions Office received them. </p>
<p>I’ve gotten many conflicting messages about whether it’s wise to send an additional recommendation or not. So, I suppose the first two questions would be 1. Should I send another (very different, obviously) recommendation? and 2. Is it too late for me to send another?</p>
<p>Then, I was thinking…during my alumni interview I told my interviewer just about how much of an impact my brother has been in my life. I live in a tiny Maine town and, let’s just say it, there are VERY FEW INTELLECTUALS. I feel corralled and confined to my own family if I wish to have a conversation with someone who actually cares about the words that are coming out of their mouth and the world around them. (Perhaps a little exaggerated, but not much - I chose the supplemental essay “Why are you going to college?” and focused on the apathy of my peers). SOOOO, continuing onward, I was thinking perhaps my brother could write a recommendation for me? He’s an amazing writer, currently a student at Brown, and I feel he knows me better than anyone else. I believe this would set me apart from other applicants, but at the same time, would a recommendation from a family member be frowned upon?</p>
<p>I clearly need some feedback, haha…
Helpful comments are welcome! Thanks (:</p>
<p>Not a good idea!
On the other hand if he is friendly with your regional admissions officer (rarely some students are if they volunteer there or have kept in touch) then he could put in a casual word re how much you want to attend. Otherwise, I think his intervention would backfire.
And your elitist attitude hopefully was not reflected in your essays, etc!</p>
<p>My brother worked in the admissions office the year before I applied so he wrote a letter of recommendation. The admission officer saw him and noted that his input was very appreciated and cleared up things in my application. I don’t think that it would hurt… I think the worst they could do is ignore the letter…</p>
<p>the worst would be they ignore it and wonder why you didn’t choose/couldn’t find a less obviously biased source for your letter</p>
<p>To BrownAlumParent: Thanks, I wouldn’t want it to backfire! I hate to think that it seems as if I have an elitist attitude and I’m sorry that my words were misconstrued, I simply added the little thing about my family history to inform readers (and just say that being a legacy at Brown won’t win you any brownie points), and the rest about the apathy of my peers is true - it’s really hard for me living in a place where hardly anyone cares about being well-read, trying on their SATs, or values their education (esp. over sports or the workforce). So few people in “Downeast Maine” are academically competitive or even concerned with their educations - sometimes growing up here has been hard because so little attention has been given to leading students towards post-secondary educational goals. Comparing my high school’s almost 20%-ish of students who continue on to 4-year universities with other schools in the country, it’s kind of exciting to think about going to a place where everyone is as driven and willing to learn as I am. I hope you might see a little bit more of what I meant?</p>
<p>To the others: I hope ignoring it would be the worst that could happen…I’m still not sure if I’ll even send one at all because the Brown website kind of implied that it’s not a good idea to send another - the text was along the lines of, “we already know what we need to know from your other recommendations and your existing application.”</p>
<p>…Still thinking. Thanks for your responses!</p>
<p>Is Brown your first choice?</p>
<p>I think it would be odd for a sibling to make a recco letter, except for what swim2 said. Just do that if you really want Brown.</p>
<p>I think you have a good shot. Good luck, you will love it.</p>
<p>BrownParent: Brown is my first choice! I’ll probably ask my brother if he honestly thinks it would be a good idea. Ahhh, either way, I really hope I do get in! Thank you for your comment (:</p>