<p>If my neighbor is a professor at Brown University, how strong is a solid recommendation from him? We are very close, however, we are both Asian, which can look like a connection. </p>
<p>How much will a strong recommendation from him help my chances?</p>
<p>Profs can barely get their own kids in! A letter fom a prof typically doesn’t mean much. If he’s a star prof and goes to the mat, maybe helpful.</p>
<p>As a neighbor and someone who knows you personally, not much. If you submit work in his field that he finds promising and will show it as such and “goes to the mat” for you, it can make a big difference. Waverly is right. I know a number of professors and people working for unis, sometimes even with admissions whose kids do not get accepted. My friend was in that situation, and her connections gained her a personal notification that her kid was turned down before the official word.</p>