<p>Just wondering, does it even help trying to have someone connected to ND speak for you or write a letter on your behalf? Let's say your stats are within range for accepted ND students but since they can't take everyone, you decide to take the above route to hopefully give your application a "push" </p>
<p>I know it can't hurt, but I'm just wondering if anyone out there can give some insight or firsthand knowledge. Who do you think has more "pull" - Alumni, profs, admissions? Is it worth the trouble? Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>My feeling on it is that it isn't worth the trouble. With how popular ND is, they would be in trouble if they started really giving advantages for who you know, you know? They try to be really forthright about admissions, with the director of admissions even rejecting his own son out of high school (he later transferred and graduated from ND). </p>
<p>Others may disagree with me but I just don't think it is worth the effort unless you know someone really high up, and even then I am not sure how much it would help just because in my experience admissions has been very fair and I really haven't seen instances where who someone is has influenced a decision, though I have seen many influential donors with children who were rejected. That is just my view though, someone on here may have a different perspective.</p>
<p>I think Irish is correct--and even being a legacy does not guarantee admission. I shared info last year about a friend's son who applied-both parents were ND grads and he currently has a brother that is a senior there. Also, I think his grandfather was a ND grad, even tho I don't think grandparents, aunts, and uncles count as legacy. Anyhow, he was rejected! He had pretty good stats, played baseball, attended the local Catholic HS. Own son, on the other hand, had no legacy connection, or any other ND connection and was admitted EA. His grades and stats were slightly higher, but he had not played any type of sport and attended a local private HS, not catholic. Go figure!</p>
<p>My personal feeling is it goes into that pile of it can't hurt but I doubt it helps much either. Who knows though...well, admissions knows, but I am not them :).</p>
<p>heres what i did. in my statement of interest essay, i did not say that i knew professors, but that i was very interested in taking courses tought by specific professors. that would do better for you in my opinion.</p>