<p>I thought college admissions were one of the last places where kids had to earn acceptance and couldn't be helped along by connections. And yet, I know of a kid who was denied by a large prestigious state school only to later be admitted after a few strings were pulled by a friend with connections. Is this a common occurence?</p>
<p>What you did > who you know. Not even close.</p>
<p>What you report may happen on a very limited basis, but for the vast majority of accepted students it is more about what you did than who you know.</p>