<p>CMUGUY2014,</p>
<p>Not to be mean–but you sound like a spiteful little ■■■■■.</p>
<p>No, he sounds like a realist. You’re the spiteful little ■■■■■.</p>
<p>No, he sounds like a concerned dad. You’re the spiteful little ■■■■■.</p>
<p>Northwestern by far,and this is coming from the son of a CMU alum and Pittsburgh. Just wanted to let you know it sounds awesome when you say “My dad had a friend put in a word for me” some people like yourself may get cheezed out by it but I think it is the coolest thing ever.</p>
<p>I’m not a female, I’m a MALE!! Lol that’s funny 
Also, thanks to the people who aren’t arguing with me about the validity of the statement. Trust me I wouldn’t waste my time typing 500 words if the issue wasn’t valid. I don’t have that kind of time… actually I probably do, but I’m too lazy to do that :)</p>
<p>“And the fact that a family friend has donated big bucks, and NU wishes to show some gratitude, is the moral equivalent of the wealthy friend just paying all college costs outright. Nothing wrong with that.”</p>
<p>Please read the OP on his other threads. This wasn’t a “family friend who donated big bucks.” His father supposedly met someone at a conference who went to bat for him. It doesn’t make any sense.</p>
<p>Alright, so it is the closeness of the friendship with the donor that determines the ethicality of admission. I get it now.</p>
<p>Love how people here talk about rides. Full ride, half ride, quarter ride. Free ride. Guess what? There is no free ride. If you’re getting a single red cent from a private university, it comes from wealthy donors like the one described above. Not from unicorns. And guess what, if a kid meets some minimal admission requirements, such donors can choose to pay his tuition either directly or indirectly. </p>
<p>How many do you think get admitted to HYPS because of a single phone call? World does not run on pixie dust, kids. Nor would you want it to. Because if it did, you’d be ladened with a lot more debt when you graduated.</p>
<p>No, my dad does know him, but he only gets to see him at the conference (the guy lives farther away). I already made my decision so asking about the validity is unnecessary at this point. Thanks for the “help” anyway.</p>
<p>ConcernedDad, no one is disputing that sometimes, people get admitted because someone makes a phone call to someone else. However, THIS particular story did not ring true for a number of reasons. </p>
<p>Also, in situations where someone is going to make the phone call and go to bat for someone, they don’t do so unless the person is absolutely committed to going there. You don’t pull favors like that for someone unless you have assurance the person will follow through. And, you would CERTAINLY counsel the person to keep their mouth quiet about it and never breathe a word.</p>
<p>NU is the obvious choice; CMU is the easy choice. I personally think this is a truly fantastic opportunity, and you might be disappointed in yourself if you choice the close-to-home option just because you’re worried about spreading your wings.</p>