<p>The director of my school earned his master's degree at Columbia's Grad School. If he writes me a good letter of recommendation, will it help my application? thanks</p>
<p>ok, maybe i should provide a bit more information. The directors acknowledges that i'm one of top tenth of my class and that i'm a well-rounded student. What will he have to say in the letter of recommendation to increase my admission chances to columbia?</p>
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The directors acknowledges that i'm one of top tenth of my class and that i'm a well-rounded student.
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<p>They will already see this from your application and transcript, and the fact that he got a grad degree at Columbia adds nothing. The key is to get letters from people who really know you. If you do seek an extra letter, it would make more sense to get one from some other aspect of your life -- volunteer work, after school job -- who can write about something not obvious from your transcript or the classroom.</p>
<p>If the director of your school still has contacts at Columbia, perhaps he could speak to one or more of them on your behalf. I would definitely have him write a letter of recommendation discussing your academic/non-academic achievements. I wouldn't say that a letter from him would mean nothing -- especially if he personally knows someone who is connected with the admissions process.</p>
<p>I agree that it depends on: 1) if this guy knows anything about you and 2) if this guy has any bit of influence. There are tens of thousands of Columbia masters degree holders out there (you can get one online now!), so any applicant could find one to write a generic letter.</p>