If somebody does know some alums of these universities, how is it possible to use it as an advantage? Also, will a recommendation also help? (I’m an international student)
Anyone? Insights will be appreciated!
Knowing a grad student won’t help and unless you are seriously connected to a major donor, someone who would be very upset if you weren’t admitted, knowing an alumnus won’t help either.
Will a recommendation/etc. help?
Depends…are you doing some sort of research with them? If so, then yes, if its just someone you know then probably not.
If it’s just an acquaintance, it won’t help at all. If you’re a student or colleague of an important alum, you may have them write one of your letters of recommendation. (My niece just completed her PhD at Cornell, but that didn’t help my son get admitted there.)
Agree, unless you have done substantive work/research with the grad student it will not help. And unless the alumni knows you well and is a huge donor. on the Board of Trustees etc. it won’t really help your application either.
If you’re working with a grad student, realistically you should be getting an LOR from the professor the grad student works for.
As others have said, unless the person is a big donor or carries a lot of clout at the university (which means they bring in big money if they aren’t donating it themselves), it won’t matter.
I forget if those schools do alumni interviews, but if so, and you’d like practice, they would make good practice interviewers.