<p>For example I know a Wake Forest Graduate/ US Senator and also a Duke Graduate and significant donor how much would their letter of recommendation really help at their respective schools?</p>
<p>Not much at all.</p>
<p>Like all recommendations, it depends what they say. If it adds something to your application, then it will help. If it just says you’re a good guy and little else, then it’s probably a waste of time.</p>
<p>As a whole, most letters of recommendation are very similar, and therefore aren’t really important. Letters that count the most are usually ones that are somehow very unique, or are centered on some significant project you have worked on (research, volunteering, etc). Most kids just get their teachers to send some generic letter about how they’re great students/leaders/people, and are a bore.</p>
<p>I agree with the above comments. Unless you get a terrible recommendation or an absolutely, incredibly outstanding one, they probably do not carry a whole lot of weight. Most recommendations are probably very similar, since students usually only ask the teachers that like them the best.</p>