<p>My dad's friend, former MD/CEO of a big company. That's who I'll be getting the LOR from.
We travelled to Germany on a business trip together and he knows me very well. I'm sure he can throw some new light and make it sound right.</p>
<p>God, I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier!!
Fr the ivies, stanford, duke, UMich - should I still consider sending this.for the fact, it'll take another 2 days to be drafted.
Do you guys think there's any point uploading it NOW, with only around 20 days for decisions?</p>
<p>Without his title involved at all: what can he say about you that would be of interest to a college? Not platitudes about “work ethic, solid character”. Colleges want meaningful comparisons with other students/employees, anecdotes of excellence and commitment. </p>
<p>This is the whole reason why most colleges beg applicants NOT to send in additional essays – redundancy or lack of usefulness. If you believe this traveling companion can add something profound – then “why not”. Otherwise, let it go.</p>
<p>Honestly, I don’t think it will help at all unless he has worked with you in some capacity- teacher, EC supervisor, employer, etc. It’s not about the timing as much as it is about the relevance, or lack of it.</p>
<p>He has recruited hundreds of people/ interviews and stuff.
I’m not bragging here, but sure he can throw new light!
My question is, is it too late?</p>
<p>How would we know? The timing of the application process differs a bit at each school, and probably somewhat each year. Exactly where the colleges are in their process is not really knowable.
It sounds like you believe his recommendation would say something very special about you. When you say “new light,” are you saying that this gentleman with whom you don’t really have an ongoing working relationship knows things about you that your teachers and EC supervisors don’t know?<br>
Let me just say that colleges are skeptical about big name recommendations who have little real relationship to the applicant. It’s obvious to them that sometimes parents throw their contacts around. </p>
<p>When my son applied to his very selective LAC, he had an offer from a colleague of my Dh’s, who knew my son superficially but had never actually worked with him, to write a recommendation. This fellow was on the Board of Trustees at the college, and had an entire wing named after him. Ds declined gracefully. It seemed too obvious that it would have been a matter of pulling strings, even if the fellow said some unusual and interesting things about Ds that hadn’t been mentioned by others. Honestly, I doubt that it would have helped - and may have hurt. He did get in. His extra rec was from his Scoutmaster who had known and mentored him since he was nine. </p>
<p>Go ahead an ask the man if you want to. You have no way of knowing if it’s too late. But don’t expect it to really make a difference.</p>