kellios
Hello, I am planning to apply to about 4 MBA programs. I am also planning to use the same referees for each applications. As you know each b-schools have their own specialized recommendation forms to be filled and we can't just use a single recommendation letter from one referee to be used for each MBA programs. But I really don't want to bother my referees by asking them to prepare 4 different recommendation forms (in possibly 4 different times!) Just wondering if there is a way around this? Thanks a lot.
Based on my recommenders, most of the questions they were asked have similar questions for the applicant. While each school application will have its own unique set of questions, any work they have done in 1 school will likely have some transferable information, just like how during the interview, most would usually ask your short term & long term goals, Why MBA & Why [School]?
Although I may not be aware of your position, I would presume that most people would choose recommenders who are at least close acquaintances with the applicant AND has worked with him/her enough to articulate their workstyle & accomplishments. If you give your recommender ample time to work on it, they should be able to find a way to make room for it. I, myself, asked one of my recommenders to write for all the schools I applied (All of which for round 2) and gave him/her around 4-5 months to work on it. All of them submitted at least a day before the deadline.
Hope this helps. Good luck and cheers!