My parents know a Yale law school alum who cofounded a Fortune 500 company. My question is, if he does not me well, would a letter of recommendation from him help my chances of admissions.
I think the relevant question is not if it would help you but if it would actually hurt you. Yale does not take kindly to unnecessary recommendations that do not shed any additional light about the applicant.
Do you actually think it would hurt my chances of getting in, or just would not help at all? Thanks
I think my view was pretty clear. Even Harvard might not hold it against you but Yale is pretty clear about keeping uneccessary paperwork to a minimum. What benefit do YOU think it affords you to have someone write a generic recommendation for you that doesn’t add any new insight about you? Kudos to the person for his/her accomplishments but Yale is not looking to accept them.
I’m not trying to argue. I just don’t really have anything to set me apart, so I was wondering if it would help me get in.
Why would it set you apart as particularly interesting, just because your parents happen to know someone who is very accomplished?
Sorry if my last comment sounded argumentative, I was just asking you to think about that question. If, at the end of the day, you decide that there is a benefit to having this person write the rec, then go ahead with it. No one but you knows all the details about the relationship and what they might be able to say about you. I was just pointing out that may not be a riskless strategy. Good luck with everything and getting into Yale!
**DO NOT have the Yale alum send in an additional letter of recommendation – to Yale or any other college. **
What can the alum possibly say besides “@conner10397 is a nice person. I’ve known him since he was an infant. He is a wonderful human being with a wicked sense of humor who comes from an upstanding family and you should accept him. Boola Boola.”
What does that tell Admissions besides you and your parent’s are well connected?
Does that kind of letter of recommendation speak to the kind of person Yale (or Harvard) is looking for? Does that letter attest to your scholastic abilities? Or your research abilities? Or your maturity in the workplace? Does that kind of letter tell an Admissions Director about your performance in the classroom? Or your writing abilities or perhaps cognitive skills? Does it tell Admissions that you are a leader of classroom discussions or that you are a shy person who needs to be called upon? Does it tell an Admissions Committee that you are respected by your teachers and peers? Does it tell an AO that you will be remembered for years to come because of your passion and love of learning?
IMHO, the fastest way for you to hit the reject pile is to submit an additional letter of recommendation from someone that doesn’t know you in the context of the classroom, the research lab or the workplace. Go ahead submit it. . . . and let the chips fall where they may!
FWIW: Think about this: Every student who is currently registered at HYPSM could, in theory, write an additional letter of recommendation on behalf of their sibling. After all, the sibling is from the same gene pool. The reason HYPSM don’t want LoR’s from currently enrolled sibling’s is the same reason they don’t want LoR’s from Presidents’ of countries or alums. That kind of letter does not attest to how the student compares to their peers on a day-to-day basis. End of discussion.
@Falcon1 Thanks for the advice. I got an ACT score that was higher than I expected, so I want to apply to some reach schools. However, I wasn’t planning on applying to schools like Yale, so I’m just looking for ways to help me get in. Again, I’m not exactly qualified, so I was hoping that it might help.
As previously stated, it absolutely won’t help and could torpedo your application. But, you do what you want. I know you will.
@conner10397 Thanks for shedding some light onto what you are thinking. Alas, if only things were that easy. Unfortunately, as @gibby pointed out, the letter will not help you and could torpedo you for seeming desperate. I don’t know what your ACT score was but even if it was a perfect score, if the rest of application is not strong, it’s not worth using your early card on a school like Yale. Best of luck!
Last year, another Ivy, Brown, rejected 76% of all perfect ACT scorers, btw. I would imagine most of them were also pretty well-qualified to boot.
@conner10397, you probably would not have been happy at a school for which you felt “not exactly qualified.” Fit counts for a lot, and we say so constantly here. Good luck wherever you apply.