alum recommendation

[shanshan]

Hey all,

So I'm freaking out and doubting myself and even though I haven't submitted a single application yet, i've all but lost hope and am nervous and sad at the idea of yet another year making coffee for strangers.

anyway, originally i had looked at wisconsin-madison, but ruled it out simply because i couldn't see myself in wisconsin. And at the time my list was easily 20 schools long.

it turns out my writing mentor as an undergrad got his phd there. i wasnt going to ask him for a letter, since i'm applying to study art history and this professor had helped me with my poetry major--and so only knows what a silly and often brilliant young poet i am : )

my question is, does his being an alum help me in at all?

does anyone know? and doesn't this seem like a sleezy question.

surly this is no way for a young scholar to behave.

[JerryLandis]

I think that having a recommendation from this person could definitely help you, but this would probably only be the case if he knew members of your department while he was there. However, I should warn you that I really have no idea what I'm talking about, just my unfounded opinion!

[thepoorstockinger]

I don't think it matters unless she/he was in the department you're applying to or know people in that department. Simply having attended the same school some decades ago in a different department will give him no additional credibility.

[shanshan]

I don't think it matters unless she/he was in the department you're applying to or know people in that department. Simply having attended the same school some decades ago in a different department will give him no additional credibility.

thanks you guys!

gosh what a mess this process is.

i'm at a more peaceful place today...like when you're about to crash your bike and you fight it and flop around foolishly, but then there is a calm moment of zen right before you scrape up your pretty face. because...you're just totally going to fall. and somehow there is peace in this.

(GRE is tomorrow morning. and somehow there is peace in this.)

hope you guys are finding some good ol fashioned PEACE out as well.