<p>My aunt is a (well-liked) professor at one of the schools I'm planning to apply to. I know legacies can help in admissions, but would something like this help me, even a little, in admissions? Thanks!</p>
<p>Can the aunt adopt u? A legacy is a direct descendant.</p>
<p>@GMTplus7 I know this doesn’t count as a legacy. Sorry if I didn’t make that clear. What I meant was could this situation help me in admissions in a similar way a legacy can? Or if not, can it still help at all?</p>
<p>It might show that you have a reason to have an interest. Not much more than that.</p>
<p>It might be able to help a little bit, but not in the same way a legacy could. For example, no scholarships or anything like that. </p>
<p>Have you thought of asking your aunt? Going out on a limb, I’m guessing she is probably more familiar with the admission policies at her university then we are. Especially since we don’t even know the name of that university.</p>
<p>If it’s a small school, it could help a lot. It all depends on the school and how selective etc.</p>
<p>It could get you full tuition. I know a young woman who attends the New School and because her father has been a janitor there for a very long time, she was able to get full tuition </p>
<p>@mikemac I haven’t had the opportunity to ask her yet. I do plan to. That would be mighty silly if I didn’t…
Mikemac and @milkweed she works at Skidmore College, so it’s a small and selective school 
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<p>It can help a lot if she’s willing to pull some strings.</p>
<p>I’m going to be a bit of a contrarian here and suggest that not only may this not help you, it may keep you out of Skidmore. Why? Read on…</p>
<p>Preference in admission is a benefit colleges extend to the children of their administrators and profs. Parents want their kids to go to the college they know and love, and extending this courtesy helps strengthen the ties to their employee. But nothing is free in this world. When someone is hired for a job or admitted to a college, their subsequent actions reflect on the person who recommended them. Presumably parents know their kids well enough to judge whether they are a fit for the college where they work.</p>
<p>But that you’re asking on an internet forum makes me suspect that you aren’t applying to Skidmore because your dear aunt has steered you to do so, that she has asked you to let her know when your app goes in so she can send a little note to admissions. I’d be happy to be wrong, but I think its the case. So here’s the deal. If you get some leverage because your aunt is “a (well-liked) professor” then in effect she’s just become your backer, for better or for worse. That you are asking here suggests some distance between you and her, raising the question about whether she would want to be in that position. </p>
<p>I know a guy who worked for a well-known company and had a cousin he barely knew ask him to write a letter of rec. By family obligation he could not refuse, any more than your aunt can if you (or your parent who is the brother or sister) asks her to write a letter, or than your aunt can deny the relationship to you if asked by admissions because you mentioned it on your app. It turns out that he wrote that letter, but he also sent a separate letter (not copied to the cousin!) to HR saying he had written that letter due to family obligation, please ignore it. A bit crass perhaps, but he didn’t want his career besmirched in case the cousin ended up being a flop.</p>
<p>So if your aunt doesn’t know you very well, and again that you’re asking here makes me suspect you aren’t particularly close, it behooves you to spend a few minutes thinking about the bet your asking her to take with respect to her reputation and her career at the college when some relative she perhaps doesn’t know very well uses her name to claim some advantage in admissions. </p>
<p>@mikemac well this is awkward… I’m actually extremely close with my aunt and it happened to be a coincidence that my guidance counselor recommended I look at Skidmore. She had absolutely no idea my aunt worked there. I also loved Skidmore when I visited, and it had absolutely nothing to do with my aunt being there. She even reassured me that I didn’t need to like it just because she worked there, but it happens to be a perfect fit for me. The only reason I haven’t asked my aunt this question is because I sort of felt bad about asking. I felt like if I asked the question, she would assume I wanted her to pull some strings for me. Which I don’t. I’m not looking for her to write a letter to help me out or anything, and she’s the kind of person who might not feel comfortable doing it even if I asked. That’s why I’m asking here, so I don’t have to put her in an uncomfortable situation even though we are very close. I was wondering if her being a prof there would help me out at all even if she DIDN’T put in a good word for me. I’m not worried about if it doesn’t. I have the stats to get in. I was just merely curious if it would boost my chances of admission.</p>
<p>mikemac’s writing is very good. If you don’t ask your aunt to pull the strings, I’m not sure how you plan to approach it. Since I would imagine that kind of information is seldomly asked, for admission to know it, you will have to purposely disclose it which implies you are hoping for perferential treatment. That may in turn make the admission to contact your aunt and put her on the spot to back you or not.</p>
<p>I would say talk to your aunt before hand and see what she says. If she’s not comfortable being mentioned, it’s probably better to not disclose it at all. If she’s comfortable, then you can put that info there. Another thing to keep in mind is what if you disclose the info, get accepted and choose a different college. It will leave some unpleasant wake behind.</p>
<p>The common app for many schools asks if you have a family member who is an employee of the school. You need to answer honestly, so you cannot avoid disclosing this I believe. </p>
<p>My suggestion is if asked answer honestly and say your aunt is professor X. Then stop there and never say anything about her in your application and do not ask her to write anything for you. Chances are they would never talk to her and just review your application on its merits. That is probably the easiest way to avoid any sticky situations. </p>
<p>As for it boosting your chances - ever so slightly if she is a liked professor. That cannot help, but rub off on you just a little bit. </p>
<p>I imagine the OP was asking honestly if such a thing would give him a boost similar to a legacy or having a parent work there would. I didn’t get that the OP wanted his/her aunt to “pull some strings” at the college from the original post at all. And I agree with @awcntdb 's description of what to do in that case. It will be taken into consideration, but very minor compared to your qualifications. All the applications I have had for the school have asked this question, the purpose of it, I’m not so sure, but it couldn’t hurt you either if you put her on there.</p>
<p>So all in all, do the best on your application, be honest, and just let the rest fall behind you.</p>
<p>Well, my first reaction was: it didn’t help my kid at all, when she applied to the school I work for. But Skidmore? Maybe. (Of course, also maybe not.) It’s not unheard of for an insider with some sort of rank (not just that person over there) to contact an adcom and say something general and respectful, along the lines of, “My niece/nephew is interested in applying, any advice I can pass along?” If there is interest, a conversation could ensue. At the very least, this puts your name in their sights. Heck, DH did this for his best friend’s nephew. </p>
<p>OTOH, OP should be exquisitely qualified for Skidmore, not to embarrass the aunt or put the school on the spot. (That requires a great deal of info about the school, the right legwork.) And prepare the app/supp with great care (I mean, no superficial CC assumptions about what impresses.) </p>
<p>The best friend’s nephew did not get an admit, Was not really the right fit.</p>
<p>I would not actively mention it. If you have the same last name and someone asks if you are related, you can tell them why yes, she is your beloved aunt. If they ask in interview or application, “do you have anyone who went here” or similar, you can list her. </p>
<p>I would let your aunt know that you are applying and tell her what you love about the school, pick her brain about details regarding your areas of interest, etc. you will be a little ahead of other applicants by having a richer knowledge of the school. Also, your aunt will be in a position to put in a good word in the off chance that she gets asked by someone in the admissions office, or happens to sit next to an ad com member at a committee meeting or whatever.</p>
<p>If you have the stats and the school is a good fit for you, let your application stand on its own merit. This kind of connection would not get you in if you didn’t have the stats. Since you do, you don’t “need” it. But it is a nice bonus, especially if you end up attending, think of all the home cooked meals you can get invited to!</p>
<p>Someone should not have implied for you to name the exact college. You could say something more vague. Try to be a little discrete and incognito on the internet. College admissions do know about this forum. Although what you ask is a natural question to speculate about, I’m sure you wouldn’t like admissions or you aunt running across the conversation when you can be identified. I’m sure when you talk to your aunt about your interest in the college and that you are applying, she will offer if there is anything to be done about putting in a nice word for you. But being a well qualified student, as you are, is your best chance.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who answered! I spoke to my mom today and she had actually asked my aunt about this awhile back, and my aunt has no problem with me mentioning she works there when I apply. She actually encouraged me to </p>