<p>Ok, here is my story. any insight would be appreciated.</p>
<p>I have been working with an economics professor in Stanford for the past year. He is also the CEO of a big federation. So I have done all his paperwork, gave him insights, attended meetings with this guy. In general, he loves my work ethic and the things I have done for his company. </p>
<p>So, later in the year, when I apply for Stanford, since i know this economics professor, will I get in pretty much automatically? </p>
<p>If only it worked that way, heh. The academic faculty and the admissions office are two separate entities. While I suppose a professor could try and put a good word in for you, the admissions office makes all decisions regarding who gets admitted and who doesn't (same thing applies to athletics and why technically a lot of elite schools don't "recruit" athletes). There are a lot of factors that would go into your getting accepted to Stanford, not just whether you worked for a professor or not (regardless of the extent to which he got to know you). Nevertheless, working for a Stanford professor will ultimately look good on your application.</p>
<p>Good luck, though! Considering you got the job you did, hopefully your admissions profile will stand out and you'll have a Cardinal acceptance letter in the mail during the next admissions season :)</p>
<p>It's really annoying when kids use their connections to send in a billion different recommendations from people who supposedly could sway decisions, and then act suprised when they don't get in even though their stats are below average. So my advice would be to not count on this as anything other than a possible bonus.</p>
<p>Just something I caught at the admission's site: </p>
<p>"If there is one other person who knows you well and can contribute something new about you, you can ask that person to complete the Optional Recommendation Form. With this additional recommendation, the same important guideline still applies: we want to be impressed by what they say about you, not by who they are. A letter from a famous person or Stanford alumnus is not going to help us reach a decision if that person is unable to add new insights to your application. This is not required, and most applicants will not submit an optional recommendation."</p>
<p>It would definitely help, especially if he knows you well and is able to write a recommendation that is indepth. There are too many being sent in by students with merely generic lines bordering superficiality. And if what you say is true and he has worked hand in hand with you, then it could be a deciding factor. That is if you fit their standards to begin with. But would help more would be if you could get your professor to want you to go equally as much and send a special request to the admissions. My friend had been WL at UPENN and interned under a professor for the summer. And the professor requested for the student. That is worth more than a recommendation.</p>