Would a letter of recommendation from a Cornell alum help me?

Applying to College
1

Hi! I’ve never used College Confidential before, so here goes:

I’m planning on applying early decision in the fall to my dream school, Cornell University. I intend to apply to the College of Arts and Sciences to study English. This summer, I’ve been working as an intern at a magazine in New York, and I just learned that my boss, who has gotten to know me really well over the last month, is a Cornell A&S alum. When I mentioned that to my sister, she suggested that I ask him for an additional letter of recommendation in the fall. I’m not sure that would be helpful, so I decided to ask here! I already have my two faculty recommendation letters planned, but would it help at all to have this extra letter of rec from my boss?

2

If your boss can truly attest to the quality of your work, then YES. The fact that he’s a Cornell alum or an alum from South Hampton Institute is irrelevant. It’s not WHO writes a letter, it’s about what’s in the letter about YOU. And his rec letter would be equally useful/non-useful to other colleges too, you know.

3

Since you’re applying ED, I recommend you ask him and ask that he tailor the letter to explain how you’re a good fit for Cornell. That would help more than the average rec from an alum. Then if you don’t get in ED, you have time to make sure the Cornell-specific LOR doesn’t get sent to any other colleges during the RD round.