This is similar to people asking friends and neighbors to refer (or “put in a good word” for) their kid for a job. Happens all the time and in most cases, only amounts to the hiring manager reading the resume (which can certainly be a big deal if there are hundreds of applicants for a job). It doesn’t mean the kid gets in except on her/his own merit - and I certainly don’t know of any cases where it was held against the applicant. I imagine the situation is similar with such referrals for college admissions.
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