In a recent post to her admissions blog, Harvard Business School (HBS) Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Dee Leopold provided advice to prospective applicants about whom to select to write letters of recommendation as part of their MBA applications. Though intended specifically for HBS applicants, several of Leopold’s suggestions may be useful for prospective applicants to a range of MBA programs.
“I stand by our general advice on recommendations: the most important thing is to choose people who know you well enough to answer the questions we are asking,” Leopold writes. “Many recommendations are well-written and enthusiastic in their praise but essentially full of adjectives and short on actual examples of how your wonderful qualities play out in real life,” she continued. What HBS is looking for – as, really, are most top programs – are for recommenders to show, not tell, what makes you great. “We are hoping for brief recounts of specific situations and how you performed,” Leopold says.
HBS asks for three letters of recommendation and is open to a number of combinations in terms of who provides them. All three can come from your current firm or organization, one can come from a former employer, one can even come from someone who has supervised you in a non-work situation, such as a community service or campus leadership role, Leopold writes.
Do note, though, that HBS is not seeking peer recommendations. “We find it most helpful if there is some developmental distance between you and the recommender,” Leopold writes. Exceptions to this policy will be made, however, if you have been involved in an entrepreneurial venture or project and the only person who can help explain your role is a partner or colleague.
Leopold advises against asking current HBS students to write to the admissions committee on a prospective applicant’s behalf outside of the formal recommendation process. “Candidates are not advantaged in the application process by either professional or personal associations with our students,” she says.
If you have any concerns about how HBS may interpret your choice of recommenders, feel free to provide a brief explanation in the “additional information” section of the application, Leopold suggests.
As parting advice, Leopold cautions prospective applicants to carefully consider how a current employer might respond to a request for a recommendation. “Especially in these unusual times, please don’t jeopardize your employment in order to secure a recommendation from a current employer,” she warns. “While we might wish that all bosses were enthusiastic and encouraging about business school for their emerging leaders, this is not a universal sentiment,” she adds. If, in fact, it doesn’t make sense to submit a recommendation from a current employer on these grounds, just explain your reasoning to HBS.
Read the full article: Harvard Business School Admissions Director Provides Advice on Recommendations