Wed, June 21: Open Admission Chat with MBA Experts of Amerasia!

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How influential would you say letter of recommendations are in the app process?

Paul: Not that influential. Let me explain .... Most likely, the letters of rec of the last things that will be viewed in the evaluation process ( by the admissions committee). They are a "back of the envelope" check. So if you said that you have demonstrated X, Y, and Z characteristics through some leadership essay you wrote, they are going to be looking to affirm these characteristics in your letter of recommendation.

If you claim on your resume that you ran or managed some huge project, and that you were the ace in the place when it came to running this project, your boss should mention something about it on his or her recommendation of you. If there is no mention of it, it would seem a little weird. Especially if the claims you are making on your resume (about running or leading the project) seems to go above and beyond your pay grade or title.

Basically, the letter of recommendation is another bullshit detector. If the school offers you an option of adding another letter of recommendation, it will carry some weight. But it depends who you’re getting it from – let’s say you volunteer significantly on some Board of Directors for some nonprofit. I would get the third recommendation from that person, as it would add color and credence and perhaps a more extensive explanation to some of the activities that you are doing out of the office, as well as highlighting your impact on the organization. It offers a different dimension, so that’s why it could help move the needle. But if you just get another work recommendation, then the third recommendation would not really provide any additional insight. It would be a waste of the admissions committee’s time.


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