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zonk
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When should you start panicking....... 02 Oct 2008, 15:42
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Ntang
If I were asking them to do something really out of their way to accommodate me, then maybe I would be stupid. But look - the online app system of getting your referees to send their LORs directly through the school's proprietary system, as opposed to accepting them in other ways, is just a way to shove off more of the adcom's work on their applicants. (Maybe they feel like right-clicking on a PDF file sent to them via email and putting it in the right network folder is just too much to ask or something.) I've seen almost no examples of a school requesting truly unique information about the applicant on its rec form - they all ask for the same stuff with different wording.

I'll let you know how it works out. But I think that declining to jump through all the hoops here is a perfectly reasonable preference - they can't expect everyone's boss to have the time or inclination to care about Kellogg or Harvard or whomever's special form. If I'm paying $250 to apply to their horse and pony show, and my actual qualifications are good enough to have a decent shot, then they should be able to overlook my disinclination to worry about their unreasonable requests. And incidentally, the feedback I've gotten from Admissions offices I've asked about this have told me that, though they don't like it, it won't have an "evaluative impact" on my dossier.

Bottom line - if centralized, generalized applications are good enough for law and medical school, then B-schools should shut up and get on the train.
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On the flip side, you are asking for admittance into their institution. They owe you nothing...
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jb32
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When should you start panicking....... 02 Oct 2008, 20:14
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Both recommenders have submitted!!
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terp26
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When should you start panicking....... 03 Oct 2008, 08:09
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If none of mine are in by Monday, it will be time to get forceful.
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agold
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When should you start panicking....... 06 Oct 2008, 15:56
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I'm getting terribly worried, as well. The senior level people in my company are extremely polished and I know they will come through with solid LORs. However, my direct supervisor has poor grammar and writing style, and he has explicitly told me that he plans to "take care of them quickly and turn them around fast", which most likely means he won't spend more than 15-30 minutes on the LOR.

Anyone else in such a predicament? If I were to not use my direct supervisor, it would set off red flags and I would have to explain it. If I use him (which is the choice that I have decided on), I may end up with 1 mediocare at best recommendation and 1 glowing one from a senior guy. They will likely provide a pretty stark contrast as far as content (one being "realistic" and one "overly optimistic) and writing style (one messy and one polished). I have no idea how this is received, but I would hope that it would reflect more on the recommender than the applicant.

I really hope that these don't count for much. I have never heard of anyone being told in a feedback session that their LORs are why they got dinged, and most books on the admission process seem to rank the importance of LORs fairly low. It is truly not my fault if someone can't write and/or if they are a negative person.
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When should you start panicking....... 06 Oct 2008, 16:50
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So one of my recommenders is kind of a dufus, and I made sure to have his boss review the letter. However, he checked top 2% on every box on the list of traits. I'm not sure how this will impact my rec. Any ideas? Is this terrible?
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When should you start panicking....... 06 Oct 2008, 18:11
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jb32
So one of my recommenders is kind of a dufus, and I made sure to have his boss review the letter. However, he checked top 2% on every box on the list of traits. I'm not sure how this will impact my rec. Any ideas? Is this terrible?
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It could be a lot, lot, worse than this. I need to take my own advice in this regard, but recommendations are just unnecessary stress. My plan from now on is to just provide the material to my recommenders and then get out of the way and not think about it again. Recommendations are completely out of your control.
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When should you start panicking....... 06 Oct 2008, 19:09
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terp06
Anyone else in such a predicament? If I were to not use my direct supervisor, it would set off red flags and I would have to explain it. If I use him (which is the choice that I have decided on), I may end up with 1 mediocare at best recommendation and 1 glowing one from a senior guy. They will likely provide a pretty stark contrast as far as content (one being "realistic" and one "overly optimistic) and writing style (one messy and one polished). I have no idea how this is received, but I would hope that it would reflect more on the recommender than the applicant.
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One of my LORs was similar, but the person (actually, both of them) allowed me to look at the rec and give suggestions for grammatical and structural improvements, so I was saved there. If you can get your supervisor to let you provide some feedback OR ask someone he trusts (like a peer or his boss) to look it over, you should be fine.

I probably wouldn't worry *too* much, but if it's that bad, then I would try to influence the supervisor somehow. LORs are not an important part of the app (unless it's negative), but a very poorly written one will cause some frustration on the adcom's part, and you DON'T want them to remember you for that. :P
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When should you start panicking....... 06 Oct 2008, 19:15
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terp06
Anyone else in such a predicament? If I were to not use my direct supervisor, it would set off red flags and I would have to explain it. If I use him (which is the choice that I have decided on), I may end up with 1 mediocare at best recommendation and 1 glowing one from a senior guy. They will likely provide a pretty stark contrast as far as content (one being "realistic" and one "overly optimistic) and writing style (one messy and one polished). I have no idea how this is received, but I would hope that it would reflect more on the recommender than the applicant.

One of my LORs was similar, but the person (actually, both of them) allowed me to look at the rec and give suggestions for grammatical and structural improvements, so I was saved there. If you can get your supervisor to let you provide some feedback OR ask someone he trusts (like a peer or his boss) to look it over, you should be fine.

I probably wouldn't worry *too* much, but if it's that bad, then I would try to influence the supervisor somehow. LORs are not an important part of the app (unless it's negative), but a very poorly written one will cause some frustration on the adcom's part, and you DON'T want them to remember you for that. :P
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I asked him if I could look it over before he submitted today. He declined and told me he will just plan to submit it. He occasionally cracks jokes about his writing, but most people at the company don't find it so funny. His e-mails make him look like a high school dropout.

His boss is the CEO, who likely can't be bothered with doing this. My peers don't know I'm going to business school.

Sticky and tough situation. For my sanity, I'm just going to forget about it and hope the adcom realizes that it is out of my control. After all, there is a reason I am leaving the company and going to business school. If my boss was a true mentor and someone I respected, I would probably continue to work for him.
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When should you start panicking....... 07 Oct 2008, 17:16
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One recommendation done. One more to go !
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sonibubu
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When should you start panicking....... 07 Oct 2008, 17:46
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Just when I was starting to lose hope, both recommenders come through in the clutch today and submitted my Wharton recs and both promise to submit Chicago recs by the weekend. I am one happy camper now.
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Paradosso
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When should you start panicking....... 13 Oct 2008, 13:35
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One of my HBS recommenders (an alum) phoned me this morning to tell me that he will only be able to post his reco this upcoming weekend (the deadline is Wednesday).

Does anyone know if Harvard has a bit of flex in accepting recos after the deadline? Should I be worried?

P.
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MBAbot
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When should you start panicking....... 28 Feb 2015, 01:49
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