<p>As Amazhon said…early is key. Does your Dad have any peers that would be willing to write a letter of rec? I know most will say that demonstrated interest isn’t a factor but with scores that are on the low end of their spectrum I’d encourage you to pull out all the stops. We travelled quite a distance to visit Pitt and CMU…to make the most of the trip, my son reached out to the dean of the department that he was interested in, introduced himself and asked if any member of the faculty would be available to meet with him. He replied very quickly and set up a time for a meeting. When app time came, my son emailed him again…saying how excited he was to apply, blah, blah. Who knows if it helped…He did get in, but I won’t go as far as to say that’s why. But who knows.</p>