Chance me for Haverford!

dla26
Tue, 11 Sep 2018 21:41:38 +0000

I’m the first to admit that I’m not an expert, but I disagree with the notion that you should mention your family ties but not the donor stuff. You should mention the donor stuff tactfully. Something like, “[Relative’s name] often tells me of stories about his/her days at Haverford and how they changed his/her life. S/he told me how important it was to pass that experience on to the next generation, and that s/he was fortunate to be in a position to pay it forward by funding some scholarships. I don’t know if I’ll ever be in the enviable position to have the financial resources to give back to Haverford in the same way, but I’m confident that I will be impacted by the Haverford experience in the same way.” (Obviously just off the top of my head. I think you get the idea.)

If it’s a really big donor, you won’t even have to mention it. Just list that person on your list of relatives who went to Haverford. They’ll know. And if it’s not on the scale of donating a library or something like that, your relative could probably place a phone call with his/her primary contact at the school and just let them know that you’re applying. They can even say not to give you special treatment, but just want to let them know they may have another from the family heading there soon. That should also be enough to get the message across.