One of the key pieces of an MBA application is the letter of recommendation. This letter, usually written by managers, gives the admissions committee an insightful perspective on the MBA candidate. However, since each program has their own unique form, and candidates are often hesitant to ask managers to fill out multiple recommendations, applicants often limit the number…
MBA Recommendation Letters: 10 Tips for Writing them Right
Well-crafted, impressive, and persuasive letters of recommendation are a core part of your MBA application. Whilst you can carefully select who writes them, what and how they write is somewhat out of your control. One thing you can do, however, is pass on these essential tips – the collective wisdom of our experienced admissions consultants…
How to Get Really Great Recommendations [Episode 235]
Joe Pavlisko is the founder of Referrio, a start-up that makes getting and writing recommendations easy. Joe graduated from the University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a concurrent master’s degree in finance. In addition to English, Joe speaks Spanish and German and taught English in rural Spain. After graduating from college…
Ingredients of a Great MBA Letter of Recommendation
“Ingredients of a Great MBA Letter of Recommendation” is excerpted from MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools, by Linda Abraham and Judy Gruen. You may view the job of gathering strong Letters of Recommendation (LORs) as an annoying chore, or even redundant. Haven’t you already proven in your essays…
MBA Letters of Recommendation: Who, What, Where, When & How
Selecting your recommenders requires a strategy. I like to begin with the basics: Who, What, Where, When, and How. I also like to suggest that you waive your right to access it. The waiver makes the recommendation more credible to the admissions committee. Who? Who are the best people to address the questions the schools…
Optimize Your Graduate School Application: Grades, Scores, Essays, Resume, Activity History, and More [Episode 247]
How Not to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation
Your recommenders are doing you a favor, so the least you can do is make their job easier by following proper letter of recommendation (LOR) etiquette. Breaking these important rules may result in your recommenders deciding not to dish out the most favorable review. Stay on their good side, help them stay organized, and most…
Introducing the Common Letter of Recommendation
In an effort to streamline and simplify the letter of recommendation writing process, a few top business schools with the cooperation of GMAC have released the new Common Letter of Recommendation. This is an initiative, according to the GMAC website, to “help reduce the burden of asking for – and submitting – letters of recommendation.”…
MBA Admissions: Selecting Your Recommenders
“MBA Admissions: Selecting Your Recommenders” is the latest post in our series, Navigate the MBA Maze. The best letters of recommendation come from people who have seen you perform. The weakest letters are of the “character reference” variety (from the clergy member who knows you only as a person who dozes during weekly services) or…
All You Need to Know About Recommenders & Recommendations
Some applicants have this idea that if they can just get their company CEO, whom they have never met, to write their business school recommendation, then the admissions committee will cower in awe and immediately accept them. But this is really not the case. There are two simple rules for choosing recommenders: a. You should choose…
Why Do I Need a Letter of Recommendation?
Letters of recommendation (LORs) may seem like one last nagging and even redundant part of your MBA application process. After all, haven’t you already devoted weeks, and possibly more, to writing and editing your essays? Haven’t you already proven beyond a doubt to the adcom your outstanding qualifications through your polished essays, impressive admissions resume…