<p>Will this prossibly help me get in?
Should I ask my mom to talk to him about letting me do some summer research with him or something so maybe I can get a recommendation?
He is in the medical field.</p>
<p>The fact that your mom works with the professor won't help get you in. But, if you do the research and get a recommendation, then that'll look great on your application.</p>
<p>Well yeah, I knew that the part of my mom working for him won't help me.
Ill talk to my mom.
Will that be considered a type of hook?</p>
<p>Only if your mother is also a Columbia employee.</p>
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Only if your mother is also a Columbia employee.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Run-of-the-mill Columbia employees don't get their kids in. Even prominent faculty don't have that much power to get their kids in (although there's a likely benefit). </p>
<p>
[quote]
The fact that your mom works with the professor won't help get you in. But, if you do the research and get a recommendation, then that'll look great on your application.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The first sentence is correct. The second sentence gives me concern -- if your mom works in the lab, and you're doing research in that lab, the adcoms might be skeptical of the professor's recommendation and ability to be fair and impartial. I'd advise that your mom use her connections (or the prof's connections) to try to set you up with a DIFFERENT professor so that this all becomes a non-issue.</p>