Quick question here:
I have gotten two letters of recommendation for my schools. One of my recommenders who was a past supervisor wrote very detailed recommendations that catered to each program, so I am not worried about this one. He detailed my strengths and weaknesses very well.
I also reported directly to the CEO of my company, and he wrote me a more general recommendation. While the recommendation is very strong and gives specific examples of my impact to the company, it doesn't mention any times he gave me constructive feedback, which some schools ask for.
Will schools hold this against me, since technically I have no control over what the recommender writes? Both were my direct supervisors, so I am hoping that the constructive feedback that my first recommender mentioned will be good enough for the admissions committee to get a feel for my strengths and weaknesses. I am kind of freaking out about it.
Thanks
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Recommendation Question
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MargaretStrother
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Frankly, my response here is based mostly on accumulated experience rather than solid fact, but I will try to help you view this in context: MBA applications are generally assessed holistically; each component is just one piece of the puzzle. Certain pieces, such as a totally non-competitive GMAT or an ethical violation, might be considered deal-breakers; a less than perfect recommendation answer most likely would not be.
Most of the top business schools got together this year to ask the same two key questions, and that "feedback" question really does disqualify a lot of recommenders that people might otherwise have chosen. So an admissions committee might question your judgment in choosing a recommender who didn't have the perspective to weigh in on this question. That said, if the CEO adds a lot of value elsewhere, and the other aspects of your application are strong, I doubt, as I said above, that this would be the deal-breaker.
Hope this helps,
Margaret Strother
Most of the top business schools got together this year to ask the same two key questions, and that "feedback" question really does disqualify a lot of recommenders that people might otherwise have chosen. So an admissions committee might question your judgment in choosing a recommender who didn't have the perspective to weigh in on this question. That said, if the CEO adds a lot of value elsewhere, and the other aspects of your application are strong, I doubt, as I said above, that this would be the deal-breaker.
Hope this helps,
Margaret Strother
