How much does "who you know" affect college admissions?

[Gunslinger08]

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: joshsquall
Sounds like you're moderately intelligent from your SAT score, but you slack based on the GPA. You shouldn't expect to get in, unless your dad is really good "friends" with this guy.

I'm not going to lie; I didn't work to my full potential in high school, which is definitely part of the reason for my low GPA. However, keep in mind that throughout all of high school, I've taken honors classes, AP classes, and instead of taking easy elective classes which boost GPA's, I've taken two math classes per year.

Either way, it doesn't hurt to meet him and apply.

I did everything you have done, got significantly higher SAT scores, had a 4.0, was valedictorian, belonged to various clubs, and worked part-time starting the day I turned 16. I still probably would have had a difficult time getting in to an Ivy league school (not to mention paying for it). For the best schools, you have to be the absolute best you can be for your entire academic career leading up to college.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: SLCentral
my SAT's are average (2000/2600, 1350/1600)

You want to go to college and you don't even know what average means? :Q

Last I checked the average SAT score was in the range of 1000/1600. Did they dumb it down a lot?

I was referring to average for the college I'm looking at . For that school, I fit in the middle 50% for both math and verbal.

1. Virtually no schools use the writing portion of the SAT; they may report those scores, but they don't use them (simply, because they can't - there isn't enough data on them yet to be able to use them as a predictor. I believe this year's graduating class will be the first with the writing portion. After that, the analysis starts.) You can forget about the 2000. 1350 out of 1600 is what they'll go by. And, a lot of schools don't just look at the total, so much as what each is individually. (Of course, they'll quickly weed out the people with 1000 SAT's without considering the individual components.) If you had an 800 in math, but only a 550 for the verbal section, that's not nearly as good as a 675/675. Although, if it's Princeton you're looking at, the average SAT scores were 730/730.

Who you know also helps, Dubya got into college

Anyone else can go here for an idea of SAT scores considered.

However, I recently had a long candid discussion with the admissions counselor at my son's first choice school; not necessarily about my own son, but about what I should recommend my students (I'm a teacher) do in order to increase their odds of acceptance at the universities they want to attend. Yes, they probably have a profile of the high school you attended. They really don't care that much that you worked a part time job while in high school. If you're using that as an excuse for poorer academic success in high school, their question is going to be, "then why did you put more value on your part time job over your academic success?" What they're going to look at is how much you challenged yourself - did you take the easiest courses to pad your GPA in high school, or did you try to take as many of the most challenging courses possible.

Many schools also don't look at the specific GPA that you're thinking of as reported by the high school. They look at what your GPA is when you remove all the crap that's averaged in by your high school. i.e. if that 3.2 is as high as it is because you had a 100 average in phys ed for 3 years, you can count on them thinking a little less of you. They're also going to look at class rank - I don't know what your school's reputation is, but look at it this way: "Wow, he graduated from Harvard medical school?" "Yes, but he was ranked last in his class." "Hmmmm." Not all schools are treated equally in this consideration; it's based somewhat on the school's profile. i.e. someone in the 80th percentile at school A is considered on a par with someone at the 60th percentile at school B. Some schools are known to pad their grades, etc.

Also, at least the college where I had a long discussion, they use unweighted grades. Many schools weight grades from different courses differently.

Heck, I could go on and on with things I learned from the admissions counselor. Suffice to say, you better not have decided to make your senior year an easy year in high school, especially if you want to get into an Ivy League school. Also, every little thing you can put on your college application is important. As the counselor explained, if she asked a student to list their accomplishments, they'd be done in a couple minutes. If she asked that student's mother to list the student's accomplishments, she'd be going on for an hour or more. Stupid stuff that you wouldn't think matters, like, "First correct entry on the math challenge problem 4 weeks out of 16." Things like that help differentiate you as a student who really cares about everything academically related. (And, don't just limit it to academics.)

edit: For what it's worth, the admissions counselor is apparently a very good admissions counselor. My son's first choice school has the 2nd highest 4 year graduation rate. His 2nd choice school has the highest 4 year graduation rate. i.e. that counselor is VERY good at selecting students who WILL be successful.

 

[clickynext]

Definitely helps. Even a reference letter can make a difference if it reaches the right person. It's not like the universities are mandated to only accept the students with the top marks, the admissions staff take all sorts of stuff into account, including personal connections.

 

[faenix]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: SLCentral
my SAT's are average (2000/2600, 1350/1600)

You want to go to college and you don't even know what average means? :Q

Last I checked the average SAT score was in the range of 1000/1600. Did they dumb it down a lot?

I was referring to average for the college I'm looking at . For that school, I fit in the middle 50% for both math and verbal.

1. Virtually no schools use the writing portion of the SAT; they may report those scores, but they don't use them (simply, because they can't - there isn't enough data on them yet to be able to use them as a predictor. I believe this year's graduating class will be the first with the writing portion. After that, the analysis starts.) You can forget about the 2000. 1350 out of 1600 is what they'll go by. And, a lot of schools don't just look at the total, so much as what each is individually. (Of course, they'll quickly weed out the people with 1000 SAT's without considering the individual components.) If you had an 800 in math, but only a 550 for the verbal section, that's not nearly as good as a 675/675. Although, if it's Princeton you're looking at, the average SAT scores were 730/730.

Who you know also helps, Dubya got into college

Anyone else can go here for an idea of SAT scores considered.

However, I recently had a long candid discussion with the admissions counselor at my son's first choice school; not necessarily about my own son, but about what I should recommend my students (I'm a teacher) do in order to increase their odds of acceptance at the universities they want to attend. Yes, they probably have a profile of the high school you attended. They really don't care that much that you worked a part time job while in high school. If you're using that as an excuse for poorer academic success in high school, their question is going to be, "then why did you put more value on your part time job over your academic success?" What they're going to look at is how much you challenged yourself - did you take the easiest courses to pad your GPA in high school, or did you try to take as many of the most challenging courses possible.

Many schools also don't look at the specific GPA that you're thinking of as reported by the high school. They look at what your GPA is when you remove all the crap that's averaged in by your high school. i.e. if that 3.2 is as high as it is because you had a 100 average in phys ed for 3 years, you can count on them thinking a little less of you. They're also going to look at class rank - I don't know what your school's reputation is, but look at it this way: "Wow, he graduated from Harvard medical school?" "Yes, but he was ranked last in his class." "Hmmmm." Not all schools are treated equally in this consideration; it's based somewhat on the school's profile. i.e. someone in the 80th percentile at school A is considered on a par with someone at the 60th percentile at school B. Some schools are known to pad their grades, etc.

Also, at least the college where I had a long discussion, they use unweighted grades. Many schools weight grades from different courses differently.

Heck, I could go on and on with things I learned from the admissions counselor. Suffice to say, you better not have decided to make your senior year an easy year in high school, especially if you want to get into an Ivy League school. Also, every little thing you can put on your college application is important. As the counselor explained, if she asked a student to list their accomplishments, they'd be done in a couple minutes. If she asked that student's mother to list the student's accomplishments, she'd be going on for an hour or more. Stupid stuff that you wouldn't think matters, like, "First correct entry on the math challenge problem 4 weeks out of 16." Things like that help differentiate you as a student who really cares about everything academically related. (And, don't just limit it to academics.)

edit: For what it's worth, the admissions counselor is apparently a very good admissions counselor. My son's first choice school has the 2nd highest 4 year graduation rate. His 2nd choice school has the highest 4 year graduation rate. i.e. that counselor is VERY good at selecting students who WILL be successful.

You've got some truth to that, and while I won't say that I know everything in admissions, I've got a very good idea considering I work at the admissions office in my school and was accepted into various schools like Columbia, Dartmouth, and Duke when I was choosing schools. (Chose to go on a full ride to WashU)

I disagree with your
Stupid stuff that you wouldn't think matters, like, "First correct entry on the math challenge problem 4 weeks out of 16." Things like that help differentiate you as a student who really cares about everything academically related. (And, don't just limit it to academics.)
statement,

The last thing you want on your application is to bog it down with inconsequential "bs" like that. You're talking about Princeton and other Ivy Leagues, they don't care that you got a math problem right. You're selecting kids from an amazing pool, you've got perfect academic kids here, bigshot parents' kids there, and everything in between. If you bog your application down with petty things like first correct entry on a math problem, that'll make it seem like you're trying to make yourself into someone who you're not and that will hurt you.

DrPizza you seem to know decently about the admissions process and yes you went to college also, but it is very different these days and coming from a person that has gone through the entire process and has experience with it from the other side around (hands on admissions) I will tell you that admissions is never a simple set in stone task.

Keep your application to the point and concise, the more facetious things you put, the higher the chance it'll hurt you.

 

[DrPizza]

Oh, one more thing. Apparently Princeton is *not* the Ivy League school you're talking about.

According to collegeboard.com the middle 50% of 1st year students scores on their SATs were: * Verbal: 680- 770 * Math: 690 - 790

Taking the lowest on each section, 680 + 690 = 1370. You scored a 1350. Thus, you are not in the middle 50% for both sections at Princeton. But, you're close, and there probably are students in Princeton with lower scores on the SAT than what you have.

Thus, it very well could come down to who you know. I'm going to guess though, that if your dad didn't know the admissions guy/dean/whoever, you'd have an awfully tough time getting in, based on your 3.2 in high school.

 

[eLiu]

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: mh47g

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
It might depend which Ivy, but i suppose it can't hurt. Probably won't help too much if they don't like you

I should mention that I'm extremely charismatic. Not trying to be cocky .

3.2 GPA? You'll be lucky if the dean lets you under his desk.

This is at one of the most difficult high schools in the country, and also one that is rated to be in the top 3 in New Jersey. If I were at an average American high school, I feel that my GPA would be significantly higher, which is something that colleges do consider.

It's *high school*. Unless you attend like T.J. or something, it isn't that hard. Actually, I take it back. I'm sure T.J. isn't that hard either; there are just lots of smart kids there. [ripping on Ivies] I was going to say that college woudl be much harder than HS, but with the amt of grade inflation at most ivies, that's probably not true! [/ripping] (That's only true of some places like Brown... other schools still get respect)

Anyway, 'who you know' in theory doesn't matter at all. However, if you aren't accepted through the standard process, I'm almost certain that your dad's friend will be able to get your application re-reviewed, especially since he's an admissions guy. Btw, this is a pathetic way to get into college.

Also, meeting with a dean isn't really a big deal. I visited Cornell, and I chatted with the admissions director/dean/whatever after the tour. We talked about my coursework/interests and he basically told me I shouldn't worry, lol. He wasn't kidding, but I ended up not going. So the meeting may or may not do sh1t for you... but the friends-ness means strings can probably be pulled.

If your father or mother went to this school, then that will give you a good boost. Ivies are big on the whole 'legacy' thing. Actually, a lot of big name schools in general are big on the legacy thing.


edit: What school is this anyway? Cornell? They're supposedly the easiest to get into (and the only one I cared about b/c of the engineering program.)

Also, GPA/SATs aren't everything. These days, colleges want "well-rounded" students. So if your academics aren't stellar, you can still get in if you have a lot of *meaningful* extra-curriculars under your belt. (Meaningful: you joined the school literary magazine in 9th grade and rose to chief editor later; the magazine won several awards. Not meaningful: you joined key-club and did just the bare minimum to stay in the club for 4 years.) I mean having uber-grades and going above/beyond what's offered at your HS, winning contests, etc will get you in on the grounds of being really smart. Most people don't have that, and they get in because they're well-rounded & the school things they will be a good addition to the student body.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Oh, one more thing. Apparently Princeton is *not* the Ivy League school you're talking about.

According to collegeboard.com the middle 50% of 1st year students scores on their SATs were: * Verbal: 680- 770 * Math: 690 - 790

Taking the lowest on each section, 680 + 690 = 1370. You scored a 1350. Thus, you are not in the middle 50% for both sections at Princeton. But, you're close, and there probably are students in Princeton with lower scores on the SAT than what you have.

Thus, it very well could come down to who you know. I'm going to guess though, that if your dad didn't know the admissions guy/dean/whoever, you'd have an awfully tough time getting in, based on your 3.2 in high school.

I assumed he was talking about Penn since it's pretty close to the OP and the Wharton School is a highly ranked business school.

 

[AmpedSilence]

I don't know. My former roommate got into medical school because of his interview. and the only way that he got the interview was because the Dean of Admissions was a Fraternity brother of ours. He was rejected from the other 20 schools that he applied to. So, in that case, who he knew did pay off. Unless your are a social reject, knowing people to score and interview can never be a bad thing.

 

[IAteYourMother]

Originally posted by: eLiu

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: mh47g

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
It might depend which Ivy, but i suppose it can't hurt. Probably won't help too much if they don't like you

I should mention that I'm extremely charismatic. Not trying to be cocky .

3.2 GPA? You'll be lucky if the dean lets you under his desk.

This is at one of the most difficult high schools in the country, and also one that is rated to be in the top 3 in New Jersey. If I were at an average American high school, I feel that my GPA would be significantly higher, which is something that colleges do consider.

It's *high school*. Unless you attend like T.J. or something, it isn't that hard. Actually, I take it back. I'm sure T.J. isn't that hard either; there are just lots of smart kids there. [ripping on Ivies] I was going to say that college woudl be much harder than HS, but with the amt of grade inflation at most ivies, that's probably not true! [/ripping] (That's only true of some places like Brown... other schools still get respect)

Anyway, 'who you know' in theory doesn't matter at all. However, if you aren't accepted through the standard process, I'm almost certain that your dad's friend will be able to get your application re-reviewed, especially since he's an admissions guy. Btw, this is a pathetic way to get into college.

Also, meeting with a dean isn't really a big deal. I visited Cornell, and I chatted with the admissions director/dean/whatever after the tour. We talked about my coursework/interests and he basically told me I shouldn't worry, lol. He wasn't kidding, but I ended up not going. So the meeting may or may not do sh1t for you... but the friends-ness means strings can probably be pulled.

If your father or mother went to this school, then that will give you a good boost. Ivies are big on the whole 'legacy' thing. Actually, a lot of big name schools in general are big on the legacy thing.


edit: What school is this anyway? Cornell? They're supposedly the easiest to get into (and the only one I cared about b/c of the engineering program.)

Also, GPA/SATs aren't everything. These days, colleges want "well-rounded" students. So if your academics aren't stellar, you can still get in if you have a lot of *meaningful* extra-curriculars under your belt. (Meaningful: you joined the school literary magazine in 9th grade and rose to chief editor later; the magazine won several awards. Not meaningful: you joined key-club and did just the bare minimum to stay in the club for 4 years.) I mean having uber-grades and going above/beyond what's offered at your HS, winning contests, etc will get you in on the grounds of being really smart. Most people don't have that, and they get in because they're well-rounded & the school things they will be a good addition to the student body.

what???!!! Harvard engineering held no sway for you?

 

[eLiu]

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother

what???!!! Harvard engineering held no sway for you?

Haha, what engineering! Going to Harvard would've been sacrilegous (sp) for me anyway, lol

 

[JS80]

"Who you know" only gives you an edge over other comparables (in terms of gpa/sat/extracurric). Your GPA is too low for non-legacy acceptance to Ivy league unless you are black, hispanic, or native american.

 

[eLiu]

Originally posted by: JS80
"Who you know" only gives you an edge over other comparables (in terms of gpa/sat/extracurric). Your GPA is too low for non-legacy acceptance to Ivy league unless you are black, hispanic, or native american.

You'd be surprised If he has some really outstanding extra-curriculars, it's still within the realm of possibility (I cured cancer type of awesomeness). Or if his HS is really as respected as he claims, that'd help (doubt it? NJ isn't exactly a paragon of academic might.)

 

[SLCentral]

Instead of replying to everyone individually, here's an answer to everyones questions in one post:

Other then my academics and my job, I've played piano for 8 years, and will continue to do so until graduating from college. Not sure how much this helps, since I play with a private tutor outside of school, and rarely enter any sort of competitions, but I imagine it helps. This year, I will be team captain of the "Consumer Bowl" team in my school. Link.. I was also editor and chief of SLCentral.com, a computer/technoogy site for my freshman/sophmore years of high school, but stopped my participation in it last year.

I know that I can't get into this school based on my GPA/SAT/extracurriculars alone. There are students out there that are much more qualified then I am, and I would not consider applying to this school if it wasn't for my interview with the Dean set up at the end of the month. As most of us know, who you know makes a huge deal in life, and really alters career paths, and as unfair as it may be to other students, if I can get myself into a Ivy League school through who I know, it's something I'm going to pursue.

I should mention that I'm Hispanic too, if that has any weight these days in college admissions.

 

[SLCentral]

In case anyone is interested, here is a scattergram of students from my school who applied to the university I'm talking about. The red X's are those who were denied, green square's are accepted, blue diamonds are wait-listed. The GPA's are weighted GPA's. While this is only data from my school, it's still pretty interesting. The low outliers are particularly interesting, but also take notice of those students with both high GPA's and SAT scores that were not admitted. I know Ivy's look for well-rounded students, but I wonder what those higher-scoring students didn't have that the low-scorer's did.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: faenix
DrPizza you seem to know decently about the admissions process and yes you went to college also, but it is very different these days and coming from a person that has gone through the entire process and has experience with it from the other side around (hands on admissions) I will tell you that admissions is never a simple set in stone task.

Keep your application to the point and concise, the more facetious things you put, the higher the chance it'll hurt you.

Most of my comments were based on discussions with admissions counselors, and in particular, the admissions counselor at the school my son wants to attend. At this point, I'm pretty sure he has absolutely nothing to worry about in terms of acceptance - but the deal breaker with that and 2 other schools will be the financial aid package/scholarships.

As a teacher, I'm constantly looking for things I should be prodding my kids to do, as well as other students. I'm not talking about facetious things, but rather accomplishments related to your success in school. If your school has some sort of academic contest, and you routinely win that contest, the way you phrase it on your application can show that you are more competitive academically than your transcript shows. Personally, I wouldn't have thought about sticking a lot of things on an application, however, that came straight from the mouth of the admissions counselor.

Also, we have admissions counselors who visit our school all year long, talking to prospective students and giving them information. I'll frequently start up a conversation with them if they're just sitting there with no students around (i.e. middle of my lunch break or prep periods.)

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: SLCentral
In case anyone is interested, (link deleted from my post) is a scattergram of students from my school who applied to the university I'm talking about. The red X's are those who were denied, green square's are accepted, blue diamonds are wait-listed. The GPA's are weighted GPA's. While this is only data from my school, it's still pretty interesting. The low outliers are particularly interesting, but also take notice of those students with both high GPA's and SAT scores that were not admitted. I know Ivy's look for well-rounded students, but I wonder what those higher-scoring students didn't have that the low-scorer's did.

Uhhhhh, your school uses a 0 to 6 scale?! Most places use a 0 to 4 scale. 3.2 is pretty respectable on a 0 to 4 scale. With a 1350, it seems that you'd be pretty knowledgeable. But a 3.2 on a 6.0 scale?? Wow.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: SLCentral
In case anyone is interested, here is a scattergram of students from my school who applied to the university I'm talking about. The red X's are those who were denied, green square's are accepted, blue diamonds are wait-listed. The GPA's are weighted GPA's. While this is only data from my school, it's still pretty interesting. The low outliers are particularly interesting, but also take notice of those students with both high GPA's and SAT scores that were not admitted. I know Ivy's look for well-rounded students, but I wonder what those higher-scoring students didn't have that the low-scorer's did.

You have an uphill battle. Good luck.

 

[darthsidious]

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother


what???!!! Harvard engineering held no sway for you?

Harvard Engineering???? *points at IAteYourMother and laughs* haha.

PS. As MIT students, me and eliu are honor bound to diss harvard's nonexistant engineeing programs

 

[Reel]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: SLCentral
In case anyone is interested, here is a scattergram of students from my school who applied to the university I'm talking about. The red X's are those who were denied, green square's are accepted, blue diamonds are wait-listed. The GPA's are weighted GPA's. While this is only data from my school, it's still pretty interesting. The low outliers are particularly interesting, but also take notice of those students with both high GPA's and SAT scores that were not admitted. I know Ivy's look for well-rounded students, but I wonder what those higher-scoring students didn't have that the low-scorer's did.

Uhhhhh, your school uses a 0 to 6 scale?! Most places use a 0 to 4 scale. 3.2 is pretty respectable on a 0 to 4 scale. With a 1350, it seems that you'd be pretty knowledgeable. But a 3.2 on a 6.0 scale?? Wow.

0 to 4 weighted can go over 4 depending on the algorithm used to determine weighting. It did back in my county. Kids would max out around 7.0 on a weighted 4.0 scale. We don't know if his 3.2 is weighted or unweighted though I believe.

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: SLCentral
Instead of replying to everyone individually, here's an answer to everyones questions in one post:

Other then my academics and my job, I've played piano for 8 years, and will continue to do so until graduating from college. Not sure how much this helps, since I play with a private tutor outside of school, and rarely enter any sort of competitions, but I imagine it helps. This year, I will be team captain of the "Consumer Bowl" team in my school. Link.. I was also editor and chief of SLCentral.com, a computer/technoogy site for my freshman/sophmore years of high school, but stopped my participation in it last year.

I know that I can't get into this school based on my GPA/SAT/extracurriculars alone. There are students out there that are much more qualified then I am, and I would not consider applying to this school if it wasn't for my interview with the Dean set up at the end of the month. As most of us know, who you know makes a huge deal in life, and really alters career paths, and as unfair as it may be to other students, if I can get myself into a Ivy League school through who I know, it's something I'm going to pursue.

I should mention that I'm Hispanic too, if that has any weight these days in college admissions.

Play the hispanic card in your personal essay and you will score a lot of points.

I was class of 2000, I had a 4.2 gpa, 1400 SAT, 700+ on all SAT 2s, basketball and volleyball teams, piano for 12 years, saxophone for 5 years, many hours of community service, academic decathlon, blue ribbon high school, and I got rejected to Columbia and Duke. I went to UCLA and my stats are the average at that school.

The two guys who got into Harvard? Straight As, Perfect SAT 1+2, sports, music, community service, and acadeca.

You can have the best grades/test scores/extra curric, but so does every other joe that applies to Ivys. You have to have an "edge"...your "edge" is your qualifying minority status (aka non-asian minority) so milk it all you can so the rest of us can continue to hate you.

 

[eLiu]

lol, I pray that it's 3.2/4.0. If that's 3.2/6.0, then that's pretty horrible. My school was on a 6.0 scale: 6 for AP, 5 for honors, 4 for regular. A 3.2 would be like Cs/Ds in AP classes, B/C in honors, or A/B in regular. And honestly if you can't get As in regular HS classes... well there's no hope for any high tiered college.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: darthsidious

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother


what???!!! Harvard engineering held no sway for you?

Harvard Engineering???? *points at IAteYourMother and laughs* haha.

PS. As MIT students, me and eliu are honor bound to diss harvard's nonexistant engineeing programs

Yeah, the Ivy's aren't really known for engineering programs. Last time I checked, none of the top 10 eng. schools (maybe even top 20?) were ivy leagues.

 

[eLiu]

Princeton & Cornell have strong engineering programs. Princeton's is much smaller but they have some well-known profs there. Cornell has a pretty sizeable engineering program that's well-respected. The others... have nothing, lol.

 

[IAteYourMother]

Originally posted by: darthsidious

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother


what???!!! Harvard engineering held no sway for you?

Harvard Engineering???? *points at IAteYourMother and laughs* haha.

PS. As MIT students, me and eliu are honor bound to diss harvard's nonexistant engineeing programs

haha, yeah i know. I was kidding.

 

[OMoT]

Not to burst your bubble but I wouldn't even consider applying to any Ivy school unless you want to throw out $50-100 for every application. Next year (the class of 2008) is going to be the year in which more kids will be going to college than any other year in history. From personal experience, schools such as Boston College, Colgate, and any other top notch school that isn't Ivy league won't even look at your application if your GPA isn't at least a 4.1 on a 0-4 scale. Ivy league you'll probably need a 4.5 or higher to be considered for admission unless your a recruited athlete.

If I were you I would be applying to a lot of schools that aren't a huge stretch for you, because with so many students, knowing someone in admissions who isn't in your immediate family can't do you a lot of good, especially if you haven't already visited during the summer. Especially at Ivy league schools who will probably have an admissions rate of around 8% next year, the chances of anyone getting in to those schools is extremely slim, even if you have excellent grades and test scores.