MBA Game Plan - Business School Admissions Advice

Dee Leopold, Harvard Business School's director of admissions, recently posted a message on the HBS blog giving applicants advice on who should write their letters of recommendation.

It's not surprising that she says this is the most common question she hears that information sessions. I say this because letters of recommendation represent the one part of the MBA application where you have the least control. You can perfect your essays, ace the GMAT, and present your job and extracurriculars in the best light, but what about that mystery letter that your recommendation writer hands to you in a sealed envelope?

So, what do you do? Who should write your letters of recommendation?

Note Dee's first comment in her answer to the question: The first thing she looks at is how well the recommender knows you. This is a critical point, and one that applicants ALWAYS underestimate. We cover this in detail in Your MBA Game Plan, but I'll say it again here: A letter of recommendation from someone who barely knows you is useless, no matter what that person's job title is. Make sure they can really write about you and your accomplishments in

(Interestingly, for the first time HBS is openly discouraging applicants from having current students submit informal recommendations on their behalf. I think this is a positive development, since it underscores their message that getting into HBS isn't about who you know, but rather who you are and what you've done.)

One other important point from Leopold that I'll call out here: Stop worrying. The admissions committee fully understands that not everyone can get a recommendation from an immediate supervisor. Just pull together the three people who can best answer the questions and deliver the messages you want the admissions committee to read. If your choices are unusual, the admissions committee won't dismiss your application out of hand -- instead they'll ask you. (They also may call your recommenders and ask them for clarifications as needed, so make sure your recommenders are well prepared.)

All in all, nothing too shocking here, but these are some critical messages that many applicants ignore, so it helps to have them come from someone with a good amount of influence in the MBA admissions community.

If you want more help with your admissions essays, take a look at these MBA essay samples.