Perhaps this has been discussed somewhere on this site. I’m fairly new. My parent’s longtime doctor graduated from an Ivy League school and also went to Medical School there. He then became one of the people in our area that interviewed kids who applied. Would it be wise to ask him to put in a good word for my daughter when/if she applied to that school. Would his recommendation carry much weight ? We’re a year away from starting the college admission process so I wanted to get these types of things cleared up ahead of time. Thanks in advance.
Get recommendations from people who know your daughter well. They will be able describe and recommend your daughter the best. Interviewers usually have very little actual pull in who gets admitted. They do the interview and provide feedback to the college.
If this acquaintance happens to be assigned to interview your D, they are supposed to decline to avoid conflict of interest.
Recommendations should come from people who know your child well. They should NOT come from folks who are acquaintances and don’t know your child well.
Your family doctor really could write only a personal reference…not anything related to the student’s actual achievements. Would this carry much weight? Probably not… in and of itself.
If this is a very prominent alum, it might get the application looked at…but if your kid has what it takes to get accepted to one of these schools…hopefully the application will speak for itself.
If you are asking if an alum recommendation will sway an admissions decision…hmmm…I would guess not.
No, and at this early juncture,I would stop looking at ways your daughter can get ahead in this way, and help her, instead, apply on the basis of her own merits.
Side note. The most informative and credible letters are going to come from people who know the applicant well. In fact in my own case the college I ended up attending asked for a letter from the applicant’s parents! I don’t know whether Reed still does this. And maybe it’s unfair if the parent’s native language isn’t English or if the parents aren’t college educated. But I like the idea in principle. My mother wrote the letter (she had a high school education). She showed it to me afterwards. I wish I had a copy of that letter now.
This is the grandparents’ doctor! And yes, I think asking could cross some ethical line.
And Ivies want letters from people who know the applicant in a class setting. Not a “seems to be a nice kid.” When the time comes, OP, read what the colleges say.
Let’s reverse the scenario. If you were a complete stranger who had a life or death concern would you trust your son’s reccomendation of his/hers grandparents Doctor? Not exactly the same but not that far off.
LOR are intended to provide first hand observations of character, determination, work ethic, intellect or ability to name a few. Not indirect approval by association. You do harm when providing anything less because it is assumed that was the best you could do.
Be cautious trying to find shortcuts.
Got it. Thanks everyone