<p>I generally agree with Mikemac in post 14, I do not see anything fishy. Usually if something is fishy then the responsible individual is not as forthcoming as the professor in the article.</p>
<p>To me it just looks like he plants the seed early on and follows up. He writes the recommendations and puts in a lot of thought to put the application in the most positive light.</p>
<p>It certainly looks like these opportunities are open to other schools and programs. This professor and department just appear to be one of the more successful ones.</p>