<p>Issit true that professor and well-known PIs has considerable power on awarding graduate scholarships? So lets say you might not miss the criteria for the scholarship by a little, as a fact the graduate admission committee can easily reject your application just at once glance, but when you have a letter or personal recommendation by a well-known prof or PI who is ready to take you in as a PhD student, you are much likely to stand a higher chance than the others? I duno whether if its true.</p>