<p>Before you have the Mayor send in a letter, please read: [Can</a> Uncle Ben’s golf pal write a recommendation? - CharlotteObserver.com](<a href=“http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/11/16/1841341/can-uncle-bens-golf-pal-write.html]Can”>http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/11/16/1841341/can-uncle-bens-golf-pal-write.html)</p>
<p>“Families who try to grease the wheels of admission by submitting multiple well-placed letters of recommendation frequently end up doing a disservice to the student.”</p>
<p>“It isn’t your father’s college admissions process any longer. In fact, when families insist that someone “important” contact the admissions office or write a letter on behalf of a student they don’t know, it is more likely to hurt than to help.”</p>
<p>“The name-dropping, “we’ve got connections” route is risky because you don’t know the personality of the first reader. This “gatekeeper” will frequently be a recent graduate in his or her first job and he or she will probably not look very kindly at that kind of pandering where people are trying to muscle their way into their college.”</p>
<p>Here’s a thought from a former admissions staff person: “I used to see so many political figures write letters of recommendation for kids they had never met. That told me that their parents had made a donation to their last campaign. I would rather have a letter from the manager at a supermarket who can tell me how dependable, honest and supportive a student might be.”</p>