<p>How much does it help to have a note on your application from a Cornell grad who donates millions each year? This alum is friends with the provost, on the board of directors for engineering, and is in line to become a trustee for the university.</p>
<p>This "note" is not literal nor is it an official rec letter(sorry misleading title). The note does come from the donor through the provost though.</p>
<p>To those who may not know: the provost of a university is the senior academic administrator. They also act as the chief operations officer. They oversee all academic programs and units of the university.</p>
<p>Also, this donor and his family know me very well. To give an idea, I go on vacation with them almost monthly.</p>
<p>What do you mean by it not being ‘official?’ If the alumn friend of your family’s is just giving the provost a note saying “Hey, I give a bunch of money, give this kid a boost”, then no offence, but that sounds more then a bit shady and, from an ethical point of view, hopefully won’t help at all.</p>
<p>If, on the other hand, he’s actually writing about your academic abilities/character/etc, what makes it not ‘official’?</p>
<p>If this person isn’t a member of your family, then I don’t think this will help much. If he has something to say about you other than the fact that he knows your family, it might help (ie., if you’ve worked for him).</p>
<p>But think about it–are you close enough to him that your admissions results are likely to affect his giving one way or another?</p>
<p>I think it depends how much your friend is willing to stick his neck out. Would he be willing to say, “If you don’t get this kid in then my donation maybe be at jeopardy?” If not, then what Cornell may do is to put your application in a special consideration pile. They may even schedule a red carpet day for you - arrange for a private tour, interview with the admission/professors, sit in few classes. If you are a competitive applicant then this maybe a good tip - nothing off their back to admit a strong candidate and possibly get a lot of good well from a big donor. If you are below average then I am not sure how much this will help, and your friend maybe embarrassed to endorse you.</p>
<p>When it comes to college admission, what’s important is getting in, so many qualified applicants get turned down anyway. I am just not sure how helpful this friend would be.</p>