<p>Does a letter of recommendation from a VERY BIG political figure (cant disclose who) weigh anything in your application?????????</p>
<p>It'd be very impressive, but you also have to take into account what they wrote about you. If your experience and relationship with them is impersonal, it won't do too much good.</p>
<p>It just looks like you're name dropping, unless said political figure can actually provide some insight into your character.</p>
<p>Unless this person actually knows you and can say something substantial about you, it can end up hurting (like CDN said, it looks like name dropping).</p>
<p>I've read of at least one case where such a rec got someone rejected.</p>
<p>well that person will comment on my character and work ethics etc...
to goldshadow: where did you hear that?? and trust me this is not just some member of parliament he is bigger than that and is very known throughout the country (sorry cant disclose position and name)</p>
<p>^ but in general, most recs say something positive about character, work ethic, and all that other good stuff. a difference-making rec should describe something unique and desirable. basically, it should speak about you in a way that really makes you stand out, so i doubt that the person who writes your rec matters much (unless it's someone with a bad reputation, in which case it would probably hurt your app.) but if you think the politician can write an insightful rec, go ahead and do it.</p>
<p>well its more of a hook anyways</p>
<p>As others have said, unless the politician really can say something substantial about you, the adcoms will likely be turned off by your "name-dropping". The logic is this: why should you be rewarded because of good fortune for having a friendship with someone else over someone who has genuinely shown attributes as a student to a teacher?</p>
<p>How do YOU feel when people name-drop in casual conversation? Are you awe-struck or struck by the person's shallowness?</p>
<p>I know someone who probably should not have gotten into UVA oos. George Bush, the first one, wrote him a rec and he got in. He was close friends with the kid's dad. Bush actually knew the kid well though, and refused to write the letter until he interviewed him formally.</p>
<p>you should search the forum for past threads about this too</p>
<p>If you feel it'll give you an advantage, why not?</p>
<p>
[quote]
If you feel it'll give you an advantage, why not?
[/quote]
Because it can actually work against him.</p>
<p>point noted</p>
<p>i fail to see how it would work against him, especially if you've convinced an apparently so-powerful man to devote some time to you</p>
<p>novalord: read my post above. It reeks of "old boy network" image that many colleges have worked hard to shed. Like I said: how do you feel when people peal about all the "important" people they know? Kinda think that person is smarmy? Yup.</p>
<p>Same thing here.</p>
<p>ok guys lets not argue!!!! my question has been answered thank you everyone:)</p>
<p>What about a big famous alumni of the university who is also a politician? I have worked very closely with one and I will likely be asking him to write me a recommendation. He's already been impressed by my accomplishments throughout the past 2 years I've worked with him and I will likely give him good things to say about me more since this summer we and some others will be traveling to DC to meet with several dozen US Congressmen/Senators. Would his rec. help a lot at the school I'd be looking at? He's a major benefactor of it as well. [It's actually not a very competitive school, my stats are like at the 90th percentile, but I want in on the Honors Program]</p>
<p>Infinite Truth:
The rule is: the letter will DEFINITELY help if you worked for this person for a long time. It is a standard letter of recommendation from a mentor, and you are just lucky that the college will know who the mentor is.
If the letter comes from a person, for whom you never worked and who just "happened to know you", the situation is more complicated. There are two ways to llok at the situation: 1) you are a wonderful kid who attracted attention of such a person - a big plus to you; 2) you are essentially cheating tghe system using family connections to get a letter from someone powerful - a big minus. And you never know what the reaction of the college will be. Everyone knows that family connections can get you such a letter from a person who knows your dad but saw you for 5 minutes only.</p>
<p>Ask yourself this question: will the person writing the rec be able to write positive things that he knows about you from his own direct experience? Or will he only write things that you or others have told him about, or his general positive experience with your family, etc.?
[Note: we are talking about whether such a recommendation will persuade adcoms that you should be admitted...there may be some bigwigs who have the power to directly influence the admissions decisions of certain schools by making a phone call. That's a different story.]</p>
<p>As you can tell it really depends on who, and why.</p>