Does having family members who are professors at a college help you get in there?

Question

I have two close relatives who are heads of their departments at Johns Hopkins. My grades and extracurriculars are very good but I'm not sure I would get in on my own. Does having the family members there help?

P.S. The reason I dont ask them is because its kind of a dick move to ask someone if you can use them. Maybe not, but I know it would be shady if someone asked me.

Answer 1

ASK THEM. The reason those schools ask for letters of recommendations is because they want to know you beyond just a GPA and test score. Your extra currics and personal essay help this along too.

If your close relatives use their pull, that's to be expected. If they'll do it, that means they're fond of you. As heads of their departments, the admissions people can presume you're likeable enough and John Hopkins material. As long as you have acceptable stats, then there's no legitimate reason to deny you.

Asking them for help is the same as doing AP classes to boost your GPA, doing some extra curricular activity to pad your resume, etc.

You'd be stupid not to use that advantage. That would be like scoring a 700 on the SAT because of some error and not taking it again if your practice scores were in the 2200 range.

It'd be a dick move only if you had a 2.0 GPA and a horrible SAT score, thus using their influence to get in because that's all you've got (I'd still recommend asking, cuz they can turn you down legitimately). You say you've got good grades and stuff already. You have that advantage. Use it.

Answer 2

Having family members who work at a top-tier university like John Hopkins will most definitely influence your chances of being admitted. Having two close relatives who are heads of departments will nearly guarantee acceptance.

On college applications, selective universities typically ask you to list any family members, if any, who currently work at their university. When the admissions committee sees on your application that two of your relatives have such prominent positions at Johns Hopkins, I honestly don't see how they could send you a "rejected" letter. If you have good grades and extracurriculars to supplement your application, I would say that unless you commit a misdemeanor of some sort of write a truly horrendous admissions essay, you will be accepted to Johns Hopkins.

Having connections to a university, whether it be through a parental legacy or an employed relative, is often a helpful factor in the admissions process. Though not necessarily fair, it's the truth.

Best of luck!

Answer 3

Having family members that ATTENDED the college helps for sure, but I'm not sure about family working there. Why don't you ask THEM?

Answer 4

If they're parents or grandparents, yes. Colleges usually don't count aunts and uncles, unless they can personally go in and speak to admissions. Get recommendations from them.