My dad is a lifetime board of trustees member for a Top 25 school. He has written letters over the years and his number 1 requirement before he will do so is that the applicant absolutely, without any doubt, will attend the school if admitted. It makes him look really bad if he recommends someone and they end up not attending. He makes this very clear. He also is very particular about who he will write letters for- he doesn't want to write one more than every other year or less. Too many and they lose their significance. He will write a letter and also call the director of admissions to let them know in advance the letter is coming and to let him know if they need more information, etc. There are separate admissions officers for students with letters like this.

Anonymous wrote:I turned this offer down at my kid's first choice school.

It seemed very orchestrated because the VIP had never met my child. He offered to have coffee with her, which would be followed by a letter.

The whole thing felt slimy, so I thank him but never followed up.

(She wound up getting into the school on her own merits. That is how we roll.)

Good for you. But also nice the VIP offered a coffee as some letters are completely devoid of any sense of having had contact with the applicant. VIP was trying to be ethical also. "I met with candidate X and was impressed by..."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This happens all the time. I worked at Georgetown 25 years ago and we got layers of rec for admissions from dignitaries all the time. Like Desmond Tutu or senators.

The bigger question is, did the Georgetown AOs care?

What makes an applicant a better addition to campus simply by a parent having a social connection to a dignitary?

It depends on if the parent has a high profile job or not?

Probably hoping that the kid will be easily employable through connections, and if the parent has a high enough profile job will also be able to employ other recent graduates or help speak at prominent university events and things of that nature. Obviously along with donations.

It’s the whole pay it forward thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I turned this offer down at my kid's first choice school.

It seemed very orchestrated because the VIP had never met my child. He offered to have coffee with her, which would be followed by a letter.

The whole thing felt slimy, so I thank him but never followed up.

(She wound up getting into the school on her own merits. That is how we roll.)

Same here. One parent, for decades, worked with a person who later happened to be the chairman of the board of a T10 while kid was in high school. We didn't mention that kid was applying. Turned out that he retired from the board before kid applied, but regardless, it would have felt really weird and slimy talking to him about an admission matter. So glad we didn't. Kid was admitted ED.

*same meaning, that's how we roll. Not same in that we never even brought it up with the VIP.

Anonymous wrote:I turned this offer down at my kid's first choice school.

It seemed very orchestrated because the VIP had never met my child. He offered to have coffee with her, which would be followed by a letter.

The whole thing felt slimy, so I thank him but never followed up.

(She wound up getting into the school on her own merits. That is how we roll.)

Same here. One parent, for decades, worked with a person who later happened to be the chairman of the board of a T10 while kid was in high school. We didn't mention that kid was applying. Turned out that he retired from the board before kid applied, but regardless, it would have felt really weird and slimy talking to him about an admission matter. So glad we didn't. Kid was admitted ED.

Anonymous wrote:This happens all the time. I worked at Georgetown 25 years ago and we got layers of rec for admissions from dignitaries all the time. Like Desmond Tutu or senators.

The bigger question is, did the Georgetown AOs care?

What makes an applicant a better addition to campus simply by a parent having a social connection to a dignitary?

Lots of people do this for at least 1 school if they can (sometimes it’s just an influential donor or professor, if you don’t know board member). Usually just counts like another recommendation letter, ideally it’s a letter specific to kid and how that person knows kid, fit to school etc.

If you’re able to get a board letter, I’d highly highly highly recommend you do it. It absolutely makes a difference.

I turned this offer down at my kid's first choice school.

It seemed very orchestrated because the VIP had never met my child. He offered to have coffee with her, which would be followed by a letter.

The whole thing felt slimy, so I thank him but never followed up.

(She wound up getting into the school on her own merits. That is how we roll.)

oh no I can’t believe it’s not a meritocracy

Yes, this happens.

My sibling was waitlisted at med school and a nudge from a board member got him in.

I’m surprised a board member would do this but it would 100% make a difference, of course. I would assume a few members join college boards so there kids can later get in but surprised they’d do that for others kids.

This happens all the time. I worked at Georgetown 25 years ago and we got layers of rec for admissions from dignitaries all the time. Like Desmond Tutu or senators.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your kid needs a competitive application to begin with…after that, these things absolutely make a difference.

This. A daughter's friend who was extremely academically weak, no honors/AP classes, 1200 SAT after prep, etc. basically said she was going to go to Bates College because her uncle was a board member and major donor. That did not work out. I would assume that if she had been somewhere in the ballpark for that school in the first place she would have been admitted.

💯 agree with this.
Feel like these kinds of things give rich families the +1 rating that URM or 1G status gives to those applicants.

They are all on the border/cusp and are actually competitive applicants - in the 25-75% distro - but the special designation (URM; recruit; 1G; board letters) makes some sort of difference in the final scoring.

So is it all about that +1 rating? To make sure the kid’s application is read by the full admissions team, as someone on this board implied in another thread?

If so, you’d think CCO of private high schools would have told all their parents to do this and other shady things? Or is this the unspoken part?

A board member writing a student a letter of recommendation is not shady you weirdo. That’s what LOR are for. To recommend. At worst, to help your application get read by a higher ranking admissions faculty member. At best you get in because your app got that attention. 800 SAT, D averages aren’t getting admitted because a board member recommended them *and* the board member isn’t writing a letter for that kid anyway. They know their words carry weight and they aren’t going to throw that weight behind a student who can’t hack it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it too late to do this for this cycle?

My husband mentioned to a longtime business contact in a business meeting earlier this month that our kid applied to a certain school (T20) where he is a board member (husband didn’t know he was a board member - it came up in casual convo about kids, application season, how things are going) ….the business acquaintance asked about the application/area of study/offered to talk to kid about school (which we took up last week). It was a great meeting I think. He’s now offered to write a letter to the admissions office in support of our kid.

I think it’s too late.
My husband doesn’t this so.

Thoughts?

I’d do it if it was offered.

Same, this is a gift. You nor your DH went looking for this. It came up, he offered to meet with your kid and he liked your kid so much after the meeting he offered to write a letter. If he didn’t like your kid, he wouldn’t have made the offer.

Do it.

DP. Agree. It's a nice gesture, unsolicited and not too late. Do it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it too late to do this for this cycle?

My husband mentioned to a longtime business contact in a business meeting earlier this month that our kid applied to a certain school (T20) where he is a board member (husband didn’t know he was a board member - it came up in casual convo about kids, application season, how things are going) ….the business acquaintance asked about the application/area of study/offered to talk to kid about school (which we took up last week). It was a great meeting I think. He’s now offered to write a letter to the admissions office in support of our kid.

I think it’s too late.
My husband doesn’t this so.

Thoughts?

I’d do it if it was offered.

Same, this is a gift. You nor your DH went looking for this. It came up, he offered to meet with your kid and he liked your kid so much after the meeting he offered to write a letter. If he didn’t like your kid, he wouldn’t have made the offer.

Do it.