<p>My mom is a pastor in inner city Baltimore, so she gets to meet alot of politicians. She got me a meeting with Paul Sarbanes (US Senator from Maryland and Princeton grad, newly on the board of trustees at Princeton), we talked for a while, and really hit it off.</p>
<p>Can he help me get in? I havn't known him for 10 years or anything, but we had a nice long meeting and I felt like we got along.</p>
<p>Will Princeton disregard his opinion because we havn't known eachother forever?</p>
<p>My friend's sister got into Stanford early action last year and she had a letter from the Dean of some department at Johns Hopkins. Apparently the sister had read about her online and wanted to meet her. The two hit it off, both were feminists, and the lady wrote her an amazing recommendation. However, the sister had crazy national/international science awards as well, including Siemens semifinalist. </p>
<p>I guess it depends on just how amazing the letter would be.</p>
<p>I personally would like Ludacris to write me one</p>
<p>"Sup Prynztun! I'z jus ritin dis letur fur mi homeboy (only correctly spelled thingie lol) R-dawg. </p>
<p>If yu fooz dun axcept hym den "Who the hoe?"</p>
<p>YOUZ DA HOE!"</p>
<p>lol.....</p>
<p>I emailed maddox and asked for one, he didn't respond though.</p>
<p>Based on the number of people who "know someone" who graduated from Princeton willing (although I have never met them) to write a rec for me -- I would say Princeton probably gets receives tons of these types of recs.</p>
<p>The best alum rec is probably the one written by your Princeton interviewer. However, I don't believe the other recs could hurt you, I just don't know how much they will help.</p>
<p>I know this parent who asked his father to ask another father to ask his son (who works in an admissions office) to give his child's applicant special consideration. I would imagine this goes on a lot. </p>
<p>You know that theory called, Six Degrees of Separation? Well, the admissions people know it too.</p>
<p>P.S. The rec from the Senator probably already confirms what they already know, that you are a great applicant!</p>