PRESTIGE MBA ADMISSIONS:

A HOW-TO GUIDE FOR THE WRITERS OF

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION (L.O.R.)

SOME GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE RECOMMENDER

SUMMER 2014

TO THE RECOMMENDER

• WELCOME, FRIEND. YOU ARE A MENTOR, AND FROM THAT FLOW TWO

INFERENCES

• YOU HAVE AN INTEREST IN YOUR MENTEE’S PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & WELL-

BEING

• OTHERWISE YOU WOULDN’T BE HERE TO READ THIS BRIEF GUIDE

• MBA MORALIST ASSUMES YOU KNOW YOUR BUSINESS/INDUSTRY WELL – DITTO

FOR THE APPLICANT WHOM YOU’RE RECOMMENDING

• YOUR JUDGMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE FIRST AND INTIMACY WITH RESPECT TO THE

APPLICANT CAN COMBINE QUITE POWERFULLY

• THERE ARE, HOWEVER, SOME NON-OBVIOUS PITFALLS TO BE AVOIDED: THE PURPOSE

OF THIS GUIDE

TO THE RECOMMENDER [CONT’D]

• YOU MIGHT NOT BE AS FAMILIAR WITH THE CONTOURS OF PRESTIGE MBA

ADMISSIONS

• SOMETIMES COMMON SENSE (E.G. “SELL HARD”) IS COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE

• (SEE BELOW IN ‘CREDIBILITY’ SECTION)

• TO SEE WHY THIS MIGHT BE SO…

THINK STRATEGICALLY ABOUT THE READER

• SITUATION

• THEY WANT TO LEARN ABOUT THE APPLICANT (ABILITIES, EXPERIENCES, JUDGMENT,

WISDOM – AND POTENTIAL)

• IN A CONTEXT OF GLOBALIZED HYPER-COMPETITION FOR SOMETHING THAT IS

TRULY VALUABLE AND WORTH HAVING, SO….

THINK STRATEGICALLY ABOUT THE READER

• BECAUSE THEY HAVE SEEN IT ALL

• INCLUDING MANY TYPES OF EXAGGERATED DESPERATION

• IN RESPONSE THEY HAVE ADOPTED A STANCE OF BEING

• SKEPTICAL (IN THE EXTREME)

• BUT ALSO (NON-PARADOXICALLY) CURIOUS & PERSUADABLE

• WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR L.O.R. WRITERS?(& ALSO, OF COURSE, FOR

APPLICANTS?)

• YOU HAVE TO REACH THAT STANDARD AND, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY PERSUADE

HOW?BY BRIDGING THE COMMUNICATIONS CHASM

• CREDIBILITY IS KEY

• AND, IN YOUR RUSH TO PAINT A GLOWING PORTRAIT (BOTH LOR WRITER &

APPLICANT), TAKE CARE NOT TO UNDERMINE IT

• EXAGGERATIONS & ENTHUSIASMS DEBASE THE CURRENCY YOU’RE PINNING YOUR

CASE ON

• AIM TO CONVEY AN AURA OF DISCERNING JUDGMENT

• YOUR PERSONA SHOULD DEMONSTRATE IT

• IN PRACTICE THIS IS AS MUCH A MATTER OF TONE AS IT IS OF SPECIFIC CONTENT &

EVIDENCE

BELIEVABILITY:JUST BECAUSE IT’S IN A GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT SENTENCE DOESN’T MEAN THEY HAVE TO BELIEVE

YOU

• ESTABLISH YOUR CREDIBILITY/RELIABILITY AS A NARRATOR THROUGH

• JUDICIOUS AND MEASURED ASSESSMENTS

• OF COURSE YOUR SUBJECT SHOULD COME OFF STRONG – YOU TWO HAVE A BOND OF

EXPERIENCE AND RESPECT

• BUT REMEMBER

• NO ONE IS EQUALLY GOOD AT EVERYTHING, SO LEAVE PERFECTION TO THE LIVES OF

THE SAINTS

• SOMEONE WHO IS PERFECT HAS NO NEED OF FURTHER EDUCATION – AND WE DON’T

WANT TO OPEN GAPS BETWEEN WHAT WE PROFESS AND THE ACTIONS WE ELECT TO

UNDERTAKE

CREDIBILITY:JUST BECAUSE IT’S IN A GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT SENTENCE DOESN’T MEAN THEY HAVE TO BELIEVE

YOU• PRAISE THE APPLICANT’S ANALYTICAL INTELLIGENCE, BUT OFFSET IT WITH

LEADERSHIP COMMENTS THAT SUGGEST BOTH STRONG PROMISE BUT EQUALLY

IMPORTANTLY

• ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT – ESPECIALLY AS LEADERSHIP (EXCLUDING SWAGGER) BENEFITS

FROM WISDOM & SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE WHICH ACCRUE WITH AGE & EXPERIENCE

• EXAMPLE

• “HIS ANALYTICAL SKILLS ARE EVERYTHING ONE COULD HOPE FOR AND SOMETHING THAT

WE RELY UPON GREATLY. THAT SAID, EARLIER IN HIS TENURE, THERE WERE A FEW TIMES

WHEN IN HIS “YOUNG TURK” EAGERNESS, CERTAIN OTHER PARTIES FELT A BIT

MARGINALIZED, OVER-POWERED. WHEN WE POINTED OUT THE DYNAMICS TO HIM, HE

SAW THE POINT AND THOSE TYPES OF INCIDENTS DROPPED OFF DRAMATICALLY.”

PROCESS TIPS: #1

• THE APPLICANT AND THE LOR WRITER

• SHOULD CONFER FOR 15-30 MINUTES

• IDEALLY “SOCIALLY,” AS IN OVER COFFEE

• REALISTICALLY CONCEDING TO THE L.O.R. WRITER’S SCHEDULE CONSTRAINTS – IN THE

LOR’S OFFICE

• DEVELOP A ROUGH TIMELINE

• INCLUDING EXPLICIT TOUCH-BASE DATES ABOUT THE LOR WRITER’S PROGRESS

• ALL PARTIES CONCERNED RECOGNIZE THAT YOU’RE DOING US A FAVOR, BUT AS WE HAVE

AN EXTERNALLY IMPOSED DEADLINE TO MEET, KINDLY EXTEND THE APPLICANT THE FAVOR

OF YOUR INDULGENCE WITH RESPECT TO MONITORING YOUR PROGRESS

PROCESS TIPS: #2

• DURING THE INITIAL CONFERENCE THE APPLICANT SHOULD USE THAT TIME TO

EXPLAIN HIS/HER

• CAREER VISION – AND HOW IT RELATES TO THE PROFESSIONAL HISTORY TO DATE THAT

BOTH KNOW

• EXPECTATIONS OF THE PROGRAM IN TERMS OF SKILLS & COURSEWORK

• I.E. HOW THE DEGREE WILL HELP WITH THE PIVOT/LAUNCH, ESPECIALLY IF THE APPLICANT IS

INTENT ON DEEPER EXPERTISE WITHIN YOUR INDUSTRY IN COMMON

• ASK THE LOR WRITER FOR AN HONEST ASSESSMENT OF WHERE S/HE STANDS IN THE LOR

WRITER’S HUMAN CAPITAL ESTIMATES

• BE HONEST. DEFINE CONTOURS OF RELATIVE STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES. NO ONE IS PERFECT.

LOGISTICAL CONSIDERATIONS: #1

• WE ALL RECOGNIZE THAT YOU’RE DOING THE APPLICANT A FAVOR

• PRUDENT APPLICANTS BUILD PLENTY OF LEAD TIME INTO THEIR REQUEST

• FURTHERMORE, THE DEADLINES ARE A TINY BIT FLEXIBLE FOR THIS, YOUR THIRD-PARTY CONTRIBUTION

TO AN APPLICATION

• PLEASE ALLOW THE APPLICANT TO MANAGE UP (TO YOU - YOU’RE LIKELY USED TO IT IN

ANY CASE!)

• TOGETHER, LOOK AT YOUR CALENDAR FOR BIG BANDWIDTH-SUCKS

• PLEASE BE HONEST & FORTHRIGHT IN CONVEYING YOUR PROGRESS OR LACK THEREOF

LOGISTICAL CONSIDERATIONS: #2

• THE OUTCOME TO BE AVOIDED IS

• A MICRO-PROJECT THAT STARTS WITH BONHOMIE

• BUT THEN LANGUISHES ONLY TO RESULT IN THE LOR AUTHOR ASKING THE

APPLICANT TO GHOST WRITE SOMETHING LAST MINUTE, WHICH WILL BE DUTIFULLY

SIGNED

• TAKE-AWAYS FOR THE TWO OF YOU

• MENTOR/LOR WRITER: PLEASE, IF YOUR MENTEE HAS GIVEN YOU MORE THAN A

MONTH’S NOTICE (IDEALLY CLOSER TO TWO), DON’T PUT THEM IN THAT

UNENVIABLE SITUATION

• APPLICANT: SPEAK UP FOR YOURSELF AND ASK ABOUT THE STATUS OF THIS

CRUCIAL FAVOR

FORMAL CONSIDERATIONS:IT’S A FORM

• IT’S NOT REALLY A LETTER

• IT’S A SERIES OF SCHOOL-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS (WITH OVERLAP AMONG

SCHOOLS, TO BE SURE) WITH SOME NUMERICAL RATING SCALES & FREE-FORM

TEXT INPUTS

• THE SCHOOL IS TRYING TO HAVE IT BOTH WAYS

• TO STANDARDIZE

• & YET NOT SACRIFICE THE INSIGHT FROM A VIVID ANECDOTE

INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE EMBLEMATIC EXAMPLE

HBS

• PREVIOUS SLIDE

• Q.E.D. (POINT PROVEN)

COACHING & COORDINATING VERSUS DICTATING

• IT’S A GIVEN THAT ETHICALLY MINDED PEOPLE DO NOT GHOST-WRITE

• THE FACT THAT WE ALL KNOW THIS OCCURS DOES NOT MAKE IT ANY BETTER

• YOU WOULDN’T BE LISTENING TO MBA MORALIST IF YOU DIDN’T AGREE

• RECOGNIZABLE RESEMBLANCE OF PORTRAITS (ONE IN LOR ONE IN PERSONAL

STATEMENTS):

• GOOD

• MESSAGING COORDINATION & TALKING POINTS

• BAD

THE APPLICANT IS THE UNIFYING PRINCIPLE

• THAT RELATES RESEMBLANCE BETWEEN

• THE PERSONAL STATEMENTS GENERATED IN RESPONSE TO THE SCHOOL’S PROMPTS &

• THE SUBJECT OF THE LOR THAT YOU’RE WRITING

• IT’S NOT OUR FAULT THAT ENGLISH HAS A RELATIVELY LIMITED NUMBER OF WAYS TO EXPRESS

CERTAIN NOTIONS & STRONG IDEAS

• BUT BECAUSE GHOST-WRITING IS A NO-NO, VERBOTEN IN THE STRONGEST TERMS AND

UNETHICAL…

• THE LANGUAGE SHOULD NOT BE OVERLY COORDINATED OR PROGRAMMED

• TIGHTLY ON-MESSAGE TALKING POINTS TEND TO SUGGEST A GREATER AMOUNT OF

COORDINATION THAN IS ETHICALLY PERMISSIBLE

DON’T UNDERCUT ALL THAT YOU’RE DOING

• BY USING LANGUAGE WHOSE TELL-TALE SIGNS REVEAL THE FINGERPRINTS OF

INAPPROPRIATE LEVELS OF APPLICANT-INVOLVEMENT

• WE READERS ARE SORT OF LOOKING FOR THAT AND TAKE AN ALMOST

UNSEEMLY GLEE WHEN WE FIND IT, FOR IT’S SO OBVIOUS, HEAVY-HANDED, AND

HAS MADE OUR DAY EASIER

LOR-WRITER:ANCHOR YOUR JUDGMENT &

DEMONSTRATE YOUR OWN INSIGHTS

• SHARE THE DEPTH OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN YOUR INDUSTRY

• AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS OF CAREER PATHS WITHIN – AND ALSO, IF APPROPRIATE,

PIVOTS TO ELSEWHERE

• COMPARE THE APPLICANT’S PROFILE OF STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES TO THE

INDUSTRY’S DRIVERS – AND BETTER STILL: CONTEXTUALIZE IT WITH RESPECT TO

THEIR PLANS FOR THE MBA

• THAT WAY YOU’RE SITUATING THE APPLICANT IN A JUDGMENT/CONSIDERATION

THAT THE READER SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO

LOR-WRITER:ANCHOR YOUR JUDGMENT &

DEMONSTRATE YOUR OWN INSIGHTS

• AVOID EXAGGERATIONS:

• TO CALL SOMEONE 99%ILE IS MERELY AN EXAGGERATED ENTHUSIASM COMING FROM

A

NON-PSCYHOMETRICIAN (WHICH YOU ARE NOT)

• THERE ARE MORE QUALITATIVE WAYS TO CONVEY YOUR ENTHUSIASM

• “SOMEONE WHO TOOK TO THIS FIELD LIKE SHE DID – COMES AROUND ONCE EVERY FEW

YEARS. YOUR MBA IS POLISHING OFF AN IMPRESSIVE FOUNDATIONAL BASE.”

PLAINSPOKEN & DIRECT.NO NEED TO BE FORMAL & DEFERENTIAL

• IF ANYONE SHOULD BE, IT’S THE APPLICANT, NOT YOU

• AND APPLICANTS NEED NOT CRINGINGLY BOW & SCRAPE

• RATHER, THEY SHOULD TALK ABOUT THEMSELVES WITH THE QUIET CONFIDENCE

BORNE OF

• INTROSPECTION

• SELF-UNDERSTANDING

• AND JUDICIOUS PLANNING

• AN ALMOST-INTOXICATING MIX FOR THE ADCOMM, STRONGLY SUGGESTING THAT

THE APPLICANT FIGURED OUT THE PROGRAM’S VALUE AND THE WHY NOW? /WHY

HERE? FOR THEMSELVES

WRITING THESE THINGS GETS EASIER WITH TIME

(FOR WHAT THAT’S WORTH)

• REMEMBER, THIS ISN’T ROCKET SCIENCE.

• RATHER, IT’S A FOCUSED VERSION OF WHAT WE ALL DO EACH AND EVERY DAY:

• FORM JUDGMENTS ABOUT PEOPLE WE ENCOUNTER IN VARIOUS SITUATIONS

• IF IT SOUNDS LIKE B.S., IT LIKELY IS.

WRITING THESE THINGS GET EASIER WITH TIME

(FOR WHAT THAT’S WORTH)

• GOOD LUCK!

• PLAN WELL!

• PARTNER WITH EACH OTHER

• ALWAYS BEARING IN MIND THAT

• EACH OF YOU (LOR WRITER, APPLICANT) INDIVIDUALLY HAS SOMETHING TO DO TO

SUPPORT THE OTHER THAT NO ON ELSE REALLY CAN DO FOR YOU -- NOR SHOULD

YOU WANT THEM TO

MORE INSIGHTS INTO PRESTIGE MBA ADMISSIONS AVAILABLE AT

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