<p>My father is in the House of Representatives he says this will help me because the House controls the amount of money state universities get from the government. He also says a lot of important people from universities come to the Capital Building and he meets a lot of them. I know the meeting people can really help, but does anyone know if the House controlling the money can be beneficial. Not sure if I believe him.</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>The primary source of funding for state universities is state governments, not the federal government (afaik). If he knows people at the university you're applying to, it may help if they know who you are when you apply. (I'd be careful about name-dropping on your application; if I were an admissions officer, I'd be tempted to reject anyone who said "Oh, by the way, my dad is ...".)</p>
<p>Do any of his colleagues know you? If they were to write a rec letter, I think that might help a lot. Especially if you're going out of state and they're from the state where you're applying.</p>
<p>"He also says a lot of important people from universities come to the Capital Building and he meets a lot of them."
It might help if he "happened" to meet one of them and told them that you "happened" to be applying at their university.
Honestly, I wouldn't have one of his colleagues write you a letter of rec. It would be too impersonal and stale, and it would be very, very obvious that you were doing it to name drop, etc.</p>
<p>Kinda OT, but not too much...</p>
<p>Can anyone explain why the Collegeboard.com, Counselor-O-Matic (or is it Princeton Review?) college search engine asks "Are you related to anyone famous or important?" </p>
<p>Those aren't the exact words, but close.</p>
<p>I assume we are talking the Federal, not State House. And just as an aside, isn't it the Capitol, not Capital?</p>
<p>But as they say, it isn't what you know, it is who you know.</p>
<p>Classic case of corruption and abuse of an elected public office. An elected official should not be pulling strings for family members. If his constituents knew that he did that, while their own kids couldn't get in, would they approve. We both know that they would not. Help keep your father out of trouble. Tell him that you'd prefer to seek your fortune on our own merits.</p>
<p>Yeah, he can mention that you're applying and it might help your chances. It's more likely to help at a school that does interviews and things along those lines. It'd be "better" to get in on your own but all you asked is if it'd help, not if it was right.</p>
<p>edit: There's a line, ethically and probably legally, between your dad mentioning to a college rep that's visiting "Hey, my son is applying at 'your school'" and your dad seeking out the person and saying "So, I heard you were requesting additional funding... and by the way, my son is applying at your school.'" The former isn't bad and people who are going to come out harshly against you are being a bit unrealistic (put yourself in the dad's shoes, ANY parent who is talking to college rep at a school their child is going to apply to is going to mention it, just because it might somewhat effect admissions positively isn't a reason to have a gag order on your kid's life) but the second is pretty morally repulsive.</p>
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<p>I don't think this is a case of corruption and abuse. Honestly, having your father mention that you're applying to a university is no different that applying with legacy status. Mentioning it in the context that chuy speaks of, however, would be unethical.</p>
<p>yeah having a father in the House of Representatives would definitely help you, i'm sure he knows people in important positions</p>
<p>I would agree that this is a case of abuse. Your father is an 'elected official'! He's making really important choices for our country and he's willing to weild his status to get you in? I can understand why you would go along with this, but it makes me question your father's morals. If he can be tempted to do this, what else is he willing to discard or 'go along with' in Washington? This worries me because your father isn't just some alma matter of an ivy or whatnot- he's one of 400 VERY important people making decisions and he says he can 'get you in' on his importance...it's just sad to me. Another sign that Washington politics is increasingly devoid of corruption.</p>
<p>Scared, you shouldn't use words when you don't really know what they mean. It certainly doesn't make you look smarter, especially when you say things like
[quote]
Another sign that Washington politics is increasingly devoid of corruption.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>And Washington isn't one bit more corrupt now than it ever has been, and if anything is less so now that it has been historically. Unless that's what you really were trying to say. :)</p>
<p>^ LOL an excellent point chuy</p>
<p>If you're the child of a U.S. Representative, I think that would help you tremendously in gaining admission to any college in the state he represents, whether he pulls any strings for you or not. It might not overcome seriously subpar grades and scores, but any college will want to have you there if possible.</p>
<p>wow chuy just destroyed Scared4College lol</p>
<p>yeah and your father could most definitely mooch you into a good college if he really needed to pull strings</p>
<p>I'm sorry about the confusion. I type whatever my mind takes me- but that doesn't mean you should ridicule it or use it as your ammunition.</p>
<p>I still stick to what my words had intended. I just think it's horrible that an elected official has the effrontery to say that his position can get his son into the college of his choice. It's using his prestige and status to get his son into a spot that many others are competing for. I think of this differently than a legacy- although essentially they are along the same lines. This crosses the line because he's a political official- it just means a lot to me that this guy is making decisions for our country. It's not so much the nature of the action itself but more about his morals and his character. If he's willing to do this, what else is he willing to thwart? That's my largest concern. If he can get his son in with his connections, okay that's not that bad and I'm sorry if I made it like that was my issue. Plenty of people do that. But it's just the idea that his stature can get his son in...it just worries and sickens me personally. But this is my personal opinion and obviously, if you don't agree, you don't agree. But keep it civil and don't make fun of other people. That just shows your bad character.</p>
<p>Also, it's arguable that Washington is "less corrupt" now than it has been in history. McClennan would certainly disagree to an extent.</p>
<p>Scared4College, I see the situation from your perspective, but college admissions will never be completely fair and anyone who can will abuse connections, high stature in society, do anything to get their children the best education possible even if they do not come close to actually deserving it. Is it corrupt and immoral? Definitely, but it is part of the system and I as a waitlisted student with more deserving credentials than many people at my school that mooched admission at the University of Michigan whether through connections, alumni, money, race, pure luck, etc. have come to let go of my bitterness and accept it for what it is.</p>
<p>I do accept it for what it is and strangely enough and as contradictory as it may seem, I don't have a problem with legacies- I do, but I accept it. The thing that itches me is that this guy is a political official! I know those two areas often mesh as many legacies are sons and daughters of political officials, but this to me, personally, is just a bit more atrocious. He's making decisions, he's voting on bills and legislation for our country! And this is the mindset he has? Where else does it translate to?</p>
<p>Having a "famous" dad may well help you get into a targeted college, but not because he controls the $$ that the government can throw at the college. </p>
<p>A lot of reps are pretty nameless and faceless--there are a lot of them, after all.</p>
<p>I think having good grades and test scores will get you farther in the application process.</p>
<p>This is more a statement of my disillionment with politics rather than the guy's college choices. It just disheartens me.</p>