<p>I already have my teacher recs. in mind. I know who I want to write me recomendations for me. How would a letter of rec. from my states governor help my chances of admission? Would it be significant? I think it would be but I just want to know if that's just me. Thanks :)</p>
<p>If you know her personally–not just your family–and she can speak in depth about you, your work for him and your qualifications it might help-- HOWEVER–Ad Coms take a very jaundiced eye to any recommendation from a famous or powerful person. It will HURT your application (no kidding, and not a little) if it is either a form recommendation, or one that hints that you are either a family friend or a political supporter. So it is a high risk strategy. However, if you do know him or her very well and s/he can write in some detail about you then it can be helpful. I was on the committee for a national fellowship–this one applicant’s application was meh–but then there was a letter from the president of his university-- someone well known and respected who had been in office for almost 20 years. He wrote that this applicant was one of top three students he had ever known and spelled out why in some detail. It made a significant impression on me and the rest of the committee-- the applicant was selected for an interview based primarily on the strength of this letter-- Conversely I have read files of very strong candidates who have a letter from their senator in which it was clear that the senator knew the applicant’s parents but not her-- DING-- into the circular file…</p>
<p>Well, the thing is that I run a city wide non profit that has really taken off and so he asked to meet me. I don’t really know him. Should I forget the letter? Or maybe get it and read it myself to see if I like it?</p>
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<p>Yes. You should. They do not care who writes the letter as long as it’s stellar–I think the MIT head of admissions said that one of the best and most convincing LORs he’s ever seen came from the student’s high school janitor.</p>
<p>I agree with exultationsy.</p>
<p>I assume you will be writing about this city-wide non-profit somewhere in your application, right? Because it does sound like a significant accomplishment. </p>
<p>But in that event, the letter from your governor would add nothing. It would repeat information already in your application, and it would reveal that you thought adding a letter from a marginally famous person (I mean, honestly, how many of the 50 sitting governors can you name?) would get you into Harvard.</p>
<p>Get someone who has been helped by the non-profit, or someone with whom you have worked closely. Someone can write convincingly and passionately about YOU–because they know and care about you.</p>