<p>I'm a HS sophomore and would like to know about how much recommendation letters are considered. One of my dream schools is Columbia. My French teacher, who I have a very good relationship with and will take AP french with, went to Columbia. A close family friend of ours who knows me well went to Columbia back in the day and still gives them a lot of money. Assuming my grades/test scores/EC's are Ivy League quality, would these recommendations give me an edge at Columbia? Would they be good recommendations when applying to other schools besides Columbia?</p>
<p>I bet they would, especially since one is a generous doner and the other can count as a teacher rec. So yes, you should send in both.</p>
<p>Being the family friend of a generous donor doesn’t mean anything. Being the kid of a generous donor does.</p>
<p>Your French teacher, however, sounds like a good choice regardless of his/her alma matter.</p>
<p>No, the letters as letters of rec would mean no more than any other letter to the admissions committee.</p>
<p>If you have a family friend that donates a lot of money, that person, if they choose to go to bat for you, would call the development office (any big donor has a contact in development). Development takes over fom there and tells the admissions office who they need to consider development candidates-close friends and family of big donors. Being considered development is huge. But realize, the alum has to be a MAJOR benefactor to get you this treatment and they can’t do it for everyone they know.</p>
<p>A big thanks to all of you for your insight, I really appreciate it.</p>