Magic Recipe for BSchool Recommendations?
Hi all,
I'm looking for some input on the ideal business school recommendation formula, if one exists. Is the answer simply to go with two people you've worked with closely in the three years (or so) prior to your application? I'm in sort of a unique situation because I work for a Chinese company and a couple of people whom I might otherwise ask can't express themselves in English as well as I'd like.
Our former VP (he just left), is an American and agreed to write one for me. If i worked closely with him/on projects for him while he was here, could I make my other recommender more of a wildcard?
E.G. Long-time family friend in a position of power/influence whom I know very well as a person and for whom I interned previously (long time ago)
or not?
A lot of the questions asked of recommenders relate directly to the workplace and seem pretty limiting.
Your boss is the most effective reference, but not everyone wants to tell their boss "Uhh, I plan to leave in nine months," and business schools understand that.
So the best references tend to have two components:
1.) They know you and can write an A/A+ reference. (Most important) 2.) They are powerful people- ideally the kind of folks b-schools would be proud to have be alumni in 5+ years.
here's what Dee Leopold, head of HBS admissions says about recommendations choices on June 1, 2012, to a webinar audience (I transcribed it)
"We’d like to see one from your immediate supervisor, we’d like to see professional recommendations, but at the end of the day, this is a judgment call for you. I would say look at the question posed to the recommender, especially the one that asks, "What is a piece of constructive advice that you’ve given the candidate?" Use that as your guideline. Most people that you don’t know well don’t go around giving you constructive advice. If the person can pass that threshold, …. If the person and their investment in you has led to them being able to give you and you to receive constructive advice, then that’s probably a pretty good choice. There are choices that might be difficult for us to understand. ….“your piano teacher is probably not the right person” Remember, at the end of the day we are talking about a business school. Family friends who have simply watched you grow up, not so much. Not a good idea. And we are not a school that puts a premium or value on a recommender who is a peer. ..We’d like to have someone who is quite honestly at a different developmental stage than you are.
PM me for some very helpful recommendation strategy links, or I can post them here-- as long as people don't think I am spamming.
Post Them!
what if you are self employed?
Patrick just came out with some new rules on posting outside links:
I don't see anything in here that says you can't post a link to an article even if it happens to be on your website as long as it's largely an article and not an ad.
@Betsy, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that folks on WSO know you and trust your advice, which would translate very well for an ad campaign if that's something you budget for.
Edit: Betsy sent me a link to the article. The article, although on her website, does not contain self-promotion and it clearly seems to be a service to the forum members, so I don't think this violates the rules above. I am giving her the go-ahead to post the link, and it's my fault if it violates forum policy.
Hello all, after a little back-channel PM with IlliniProgrammer, I'm going to post the link a blog post I did on recommendations. This really is a collection of a best of the web on recommendations, including tips for not only what to say, but how to get your recommenders to do what you need them to do:
http://masteradmissions.com/wp/2011/09/13/wrangling-recommendations-for…
If you've got questions about these resources, can I ask you to go over to the WSO thread, B School Q&A with Betsy Massar? I always check that first, so you'll get answered faster.
Thanks Illini & Betsy. I'll take a look at the content linked and visit your thread if I have any questions.
BTW I enjoy the juxtaposition of Illini and That_Aston's avatars
wotingyu -- great observation ! SB for you
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