Is getting a letter of recommendation from a former provost of Stanford University when applying good? How much of a bump would this letter give a student in the application process?
For context: this provost knows me well in a professional setting and currently sits on the Board of Trustees of my organization.
Rather than who they are, what will they say? How do they know you and will define how you can add to the community. What would they say differently about you than your app already says?. I would think a phone call to whom they know might be more beneficial (maybe - although it may be a no no). But do I think choosing someone for a name will help - nope. Not one iota.
What Stanford says is this: you may submit one optional letter if there is another person who knows you well and can provide new insights about you.
Will this person provide new insights about you?
Listen - a letter from a third party will likely not make the difference on getting into a school that so few get into…you’ve got to get there on your own!! Your teacher recommendations will carry far more weight.
Good luck.
An LoR from a former Provost will probably be helpful. But it won’t get you in if everything else (stats, ECs, teacher/counselor LoR) doesn’t stand out.
All you can do is turn in your best app, you’ll likely never know why you did or didn’t get in. Even after a student reads their admissions file, one often can’t tell what moved the needle and resulted in a yes.
Are your other LORs, as well as the rest of your application strong? The letter from the former provost will probably guarantee the rest of your application be reviewed, but it won’t guarantee admission.
Also…did you just complete your junior year in high school…or what?
In the post below, you listed some rather time consuming ECs. Please don’t exaggerate what you did. We’re you really a “Deputy Campaign Director with a Presidential Campaign”, for example.
You wrote this in September 2021: