Kellogg and Wharton recommendations

Question

Hi guys,

I understand that most schools want to see recommendations from professional relationships, but I have a pretty strong relationship with a former Professor. In addition to taking class with him while in undergrad, I also did a semester long research paper with him and have stayed in close contact over the last few years. Lastly, as a former McKinsey consultant, he will attest to my ability to get into MBB, which (correct me if I'm wrong) is I think one of the most important factors a school evaluates a candidate on - how realistic his post MBA goal is.

My questions are:

1. Would it be recommended to have my former professor be the second recommendation for the reasons I listed above? 
2. If not, a current Kellogg MBA has suggested I could have him submit the letter directly to the Admissions Committee as the third recommendation. What do you guys think about this approach?
- he was also a guest lecturer for one semester at Kellogg, so I'm thinking strongly of at least doing this approach for Kellogg.

Thank you!
Eric

PersonalMBACoach · Answer

Eric,

Great questions.

1. Would it be recommended to have my former professor be the second recommendation for the reasons I listed above? 
 
I usually recommend letters come from professional references, and for me to vary from that recommendation, would require a case by case analysis. i.e. who could write the other two letters, how long have you worked with them, how strong would those letters be? I would then match that up against the professor letter. In most cases I still go with a professional reference over an academic.

2. If not, a current Kellogg MBA has suggested I could have him submit the letter directly to the Admissions Committee as the third recommendation. What do you guys think about this approach?
- he was also a guest lecturer for one semester at Kellogg, so I'm thinking strongly of at least doing this approach for Kellogg. 
Every school treats this differently. While Kellogg does not encourage additional letters, they also do not very strongly discourage it like some other programs. If the prof was a guest lecturer at Kellogg, sending a supplemental letter could be a good idea for you. For Wharton, I wouldn't recommend it. You should decide whether to have the prof write a letter or not, based on the quality you expect from the other professional letters. Its hard for an academic to make sense though when they only want two letters, especially if you haven't done something with him for a few years.

NYC471 · Answer

Thank you Scott. Although my 1st Professional reference will be quite strong, it sounds like I should still play it safe and have the second reference also be a professional one. I think I will have him send the third rec for Kellogg and not do it at all for Wharton. Appreciate your advice!

PersonalMBACoach · Answer

Eric,

You're welcome. I'm glad to help! Let me know if you have any other questions or if you would like help with your application. Feel free to read my advice on the Wharton essays below and send me a note if you want to chat further.

https://www.personalmbacoach.com/#!Whart ... 7a8e3eb415

Good luck!

Kellogg and Wharton recommendations

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