MBA Concentrations: How & Why To Make Your Choice

Here’s What Makes a Quality Recommendation Letter

A recommendation letter can make or break your MBA application. It’s one of many factors that, experts say, plays a critical role in MBA admissions.

“Getting that third-party perspective on [applicants] is really important to figure out their personality, their passions, and their goals,” says Natalie Lahiff, an MBA admissions consultant with Solomon Admissions and former admissions counselor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, says. “The recommendation will either boost that application—or it could go the opposite way.”

Stacy Blackman, founder of Stacy Blackman Consulting, recently offered a few tips on how applicants can land a killer MBA recommendation letter—including how to choose the right recommender and what a quality letter contains.

CHOOSING YOUR RECOMMENDER

When it comes to choosing your recommender, Blackman says it’s important to have a range of perspectives that will highlight both your personal and professional qualities. And choosing the right recommender doesn’t always mean choosing someone with a lofty job title.

“The truth is that a person with a fancy title who doesn’t know the applicant won’t be able to offer specific examples and anecdotes to support even the most generous platitudes,” Blackman says. “As with the client’s essays, without reasons to believe, the claims made in the reference letter, even when true, will be discounted or ignored.”

It’s important to note that some schools, such as Harvard Business School and the Wharton School, favor professional recommendations over personal ones.

“They typically prefer two direct supervisors and it can be a risk when you cannot provide one from your current supervisor,” a former HBS Admissions Officer on the Stacy Blackman Consulting team says. “This isn’t always realistic, but it’s the preference. The only exception to this is for the 2+2 program. Here, faculty, advisors, heads of extracurricular programs, etc. are expected for at least one of them.”

WHAT TO HIGHLIGHT IN YOUR LETTER

You’ll want to ensure your recommender has ample information about you to pull from when writing your letter. Blackman says a quality letter typically includes specific examples that demonstrate your capabilities.

“Sharing details of how you contributed to projects or giving specific examples of how you interacted with others or went above and beyond (including funny anecdotes or quips that give insight into your personality)—these are the things that make for a great MBA recommendation letter,” Blackman says.

One exercise Blackman suggests doing with your recommender is sitting down and highlighting key attributes that define you.

“Make sure you highlight the key attributes that the recommender should try to address,” Blackman says. “Possibilities: creative thinking, determination, focus, intelligence, charisma.  Come up with at least one concrete example that you feel illustrates each characteristic. Definitely drive home the importance of going heavy on the examples.”

Sources: Stacy Blackman Consulting, Fortune

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