<p>IMO, there are very few alumni who-- whether they are big donors or big volunteers-- have any real power to sway admissions. I am a big volunteer and not-quite-so-big donor. I have written special letters on behalf of applicants I knew personally 3 times in 25 years. I am 1 for 3. All were highly qualified applicants BTW. I suspect the results would be identical had I never written.</p>
<p>Perhaps a Trustee of the school, or a very respected professor who wants you in his/her department, could actually have this kind of power. I just doubt that alumni do. </p>
<p>What is more likely: provided it was handled right, the support of a particularly influential alumnus might cause your application to get a more careful read. It might make them 'want' to admit you and look for reasons to do so. Then again, a killer essay could make them 'want' to admit you too-- probably even more. </p>
<p>I agree with the above comment that it could potentially backfire or annoy the admission officers if an alum was heavy-handed or over-estimated his importance. I could imagine this being resented. Also, letters from alumni who clearly do not know the applicant very well or at all ("my law partner's nephew...") are certainly not helpful.</p>
<p>Someone I know had letters from a dean and the donor of a building at a Northwestern; decent record & scores within 25-75 range-- but no dice.</p>
<p>Just remember: It's not necessarily how you get in that matters in the long run. It's how you get THROUGH the 4 years to graduation. My D is in the same position. Has a shot at a top tier school, but it's probably 50/50. My brother can make a phone call to the president of the university wich will probably guarantee admission. If I did not think that my daughter would make a tremendous contrinution to the school during her time there, I would not have him make that call. The school is going to benefit as much as she will.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>those based on the relationship between the recommender and the decision maker. With these, the value of the connection is the quality of the information the recommender makes, coupled with the reputation of the recommender. P_ut it another way, information from someone you know and trust is far more important than from an unknown reference. These kinds of connections can make all the difference in the world, not just for school, but for jobs, internships etc. </p></li>
<li><p>those based on favors or pressure. You know these: "I'm a big donor. Please take a close look at my nephew's application". It was for people like this that waitlists were originally developed. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>The curious thing about connections is that successful connections handle things with great subtlety. Sometimes the beneficiary is not even aware of the boost, or finds out after the fact.</p>