{"id":51286,"date":"2021-03-12T05:32:34","date_gmt":"2021-03-12T12:32:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/mba-letters-of-recommendation-strategy-for-stanford-gsb-hbs\/"},"modified":"2021-03-12T05:32:34","modified_gmt":"2021-03-12T12:32:34","slug":"mba-letters-of-recommendation-strategy-for-stanford-gsb-hbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/mba-letters-of-recommendation-strategy-for-stanford-gsb-hbs\/","title":{"rendered":"MBA Letters of Recommendation: Strategy for Stanford GSB & HBS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stanford GSB Admissions Director Kirsten Moss put a fine point on having a strategic approach to securing MBA letters of recommendation during a\u00a0panel discussion of Admissions Directors<\/a>\u00a0at the CentreCourt MBA Festival:<\/h2>\n

\u201cRecommendations are particularly important \u2013 it\u2019s one time we can get someone\u2019s outside opinion looking in, other than your own, of what you\u2019ve actually accomplished,\u201d says Moss (who also happens to have been Managing Director of MBA Admissions for Harvard Business School<\/a>). \u201cI am looking for those fine details about \u2018what did this person do, how are they distinctive?\u2019 There are 50 different ways to be a leader but tell me a couple of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

To echo Moss, it\u2019s all in the details \u2013 which is essentially evidence. Since your letters of recommendation are the only part of your MBA application\u00a0not<\/i>\u00a0written by you, they can tip the balance in your candidacy. And if you’ve set your sights on Stanford GSB and HBS, you’ll want to maximize every possible advantage. They are indisputably the two most exclusive business schools in the world; the HBS admit rate is 12% and the admit rate for Stanford GSB is an estimated 7.2% in 2020,\u00a0according to Poets&Quants<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why a key element of your strategic positioning must be your recommenders. MBA Admissions committees are looking for a recommender\u2019s honest reflection backed up by objective, concrete insights about your development and potential. They look to recommenders because they should possess specific knowledge about you that few other will have \u2013 not just what you\u2019ve done, but how you\u2019ve done it in terms of your impact on others and your organization. A great letter of recommendation illuminates how you\u2019re perceived by others and brings your credentials to life.<\/p>\n

So, who do you ask to write your MBA letters of recommendation?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cChoose wisely,\u201d says Moss of recommenders. \u201cMake sure that they\u2019re committed to spending that time and that they\u2019ll be able to actually give us those details and not just give a couple paragraphs, which won\u2019t be helpful.\u201d In other words, no matter how impressive a recommender\u2019s title might be, their endorsement will fall flat if it\u2019s peppered with platitudes or adjectives that might be applicable to any number of rock star candidates. Vague or generic reviews of you and your performance will hurt more than help.<\/p>\n

This is why it\u2019s less important to get someone who\u2019s extremely senior and has a fancy title than someone who\u2019s actually witnessed your development and growth firsthand. Someone who has been responsible for that development and growth and can comment in detail as well as enthusiasm is by far your best bet. If they can\u2019t speak about you with both substance and specificity, they aren\u2019t the right person for your recommendation.<\/p>\n

The best letters are from a\u00a0current or recent supervisor.\u00a0<\/strong>HBS, for example, strongly prefers direct supervisors. The ideal scenario is whoever is closest to you, but they should be senior to you, and preferably your direct supervisor or your boss\u2019s boss. This isn\u2019t always realistic, but it\u2019s nonetheless ideal. If you cannot provide a recommendation letter from your current supervisor, you should explain why. Of course, there are situations in which applicants feel they can\u2019t get a direct supervisor recommendation without putting their job at risk. In those cases, you\u2019ll have to go back to previous companies, and previous supervisors and can work well. But again, if that\u2019s your scenario, for schools like HBS or Stanford GSB, you\u2019ll want to offer an explanation about why in your application.<\/p>\n

This is where it\u2019s important to know about each program\u2019s expectations.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Moss\u2019s recent advice reflects Stanford GSB\u2019s values about the kind of perspective the admissions committee is hoping to gain from your recommenders, and implies some latitude. \u201cI always say to candidates, think about the stories that you\u2019re most proud of, the things that you\u2019ve done \u2013 and it can be six-eight years [ago], go back through college \u2013 and when you think about those stories, where you\u2019ve accomplished something, who do you know who could tell us about that story from a different lens?\u2026 Who\u2019s actually seen me do it? Who\u2019s been in the trenches?\u201d says Moss. \u201cFor us it doesn\u2019t matter what their title is, whether they\u2019re an alum or not. It really is, who can tell us, and show us, the scope and scale of those accomplishments?\u201d<\/p>\n

A piece of advice I often give applicants when approaching recommenders about the process is to not just ask about a letter of recommendation like, \u2018can you do this for me?\u2019 but instead, \u2018can you offer me a strong letter of recommendation?\u2019 Inserting \u201cstrong\u201d into your ask, then gauging their reaction, will tell you a lot.<\/p>\n

Finally, it\u2019s vital to equip your chosen recommenders to be your outspoken champions.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

They may be well acquainted with the process, but then again, don\u2019t assume they\u2019ll know what they\u2019re doing. I\u2019ve seen too many great applicants let down by lackluster recommendations, probably unintentionally, because the person didn\u2019t know what was expected. They\u2019re busy people and they\u2019re doing you a big favor, so you\u2019ll want to be thoughtful about how to prepare them and keep them on track (without hovering too much, of course).<\/p>\n

This is where the coffee date comes in: Sit down with them, make a list, refresh their memories on your achievements and the ways you\u2019ve demonstrated excellence. Make sure they understand your MBA goals and aspirations, and talk through the different examples and get buy-in on ways they might convey your best qualities. They may see things that you haven\u2019t seen, so you want that to be a conversation. This is about facilitating a process, not spoon-feeding them the material that they\u2019re going to write (that would undermine the letter\u2019s authenticity).<\/p>\n

A vital ingredient to your future success will be the relationships you cultivate along the way, so take the time to let your recommenders know that you sincerely appreciated their efforts on your behalf.<\/p>\n

\u201cCircle back with your recommender with a timely and sincere appreciation for their support \u2013 no matter the outcome,\u201d writes my Fortuna colleague Jessica Chung in her article on\u00a0five tips for securing the best letters of recommendation<\/a>. \u201cIf you\u2019re accepted, they\u2019ll want to celebrate with you, and if not, you\u2019ll want to affirm their continued support if you elect to reapply.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

For more advice on a recommender strategy for HBS, view my\u00a010-minutes video session, or view my latest article,\u00a0HBS Essay: 5 Key Tips on What Harvard Really Wants<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Fortuna Admissions Expert Coach Karla Cohen<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is\u00a0former Harvard Business School associate director of doctoral programs and an MBA interview board member. She was also a manager of the PhD program at INSEAD.\u00a0For a candid assessment of your chances of admission success at a top MBA program, sign up for a\u00a0free consultation<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post MBA Letters of Recommendation: Strategy for Stanford GSB & HBS<\/a> first appeared on Fortuna<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stanford GSB Admissions Director Kirsten Moss put a fine point on having a strategic approach to securing MBA letters of recommendation during a\u00a0panel discussion of Admissions Directors\u00a0at the CentreCourt MBA…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"1","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1831,775,243],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-fortuna-admissions","category-admission-consultants","category-blog","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/160"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51286\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}