Hi all,
I am applying to several schools, two of which require one of the LORs come from an immediate supervisor. Unfortunately, my immediate supervisor is not the most skilled writer alive. Moreover, and more worryingly, she also does not seem to grasp what b-schools are looking for from a LOR, despite my best efforts to point her in the right direction (e.g. giving her examples, suggesting topics to focus on, etc.). For example, during a recent annual review, a couple executives I know well met with me separately and commended me for my high business acumen, for skillfully coaching my employees, and my dedication to seeing our organization excel by actively searching for areas for improvement and proactively problem solving. Yet, my direct supervisor said she was most impressed with my knowledge of technology (we are NOT an IT company, but a major non-profit in the blood products industry).
Note: for these schools, I do have strong LORs from executives in the company that know me quite well, but I am concerned about the weight a school's ad-com will place on my supervisor's LOR.
Both of these schools that require a LOR from a direct supervisor do have a caveat indicating we may find someone else, but must provide an explanation in a supplemental essay regarding the reasons it did not come from a current supervisor.
Is this perhaps a more viable option than risking a potentially (but inadvertently) damaging LOR from my supervisor? If I do forgo a LOR from my supervisor and choose to explain my reasons in a supplemental essay, how direct (but polite) should I be when I explain my reasoning?
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!
- Matthew
I am applying to several schools, two of which require one of the LORs come from an immediate supervisor. Unfortunately, my immediate supervisor is not the most skilled writer alive. Moreover, and more worryingly, she also does not seem to grasp what b-schools are looking for from a LOR, despite my best efforts to point her in the right direction (e.g. giving her examples, suggesting topics to focus on, etc.). For example, during a recent annual review, a couple executives I know well met with me separately and commended me for my high business acumen, for skillfully coaching my employees, and my dedication to seeing our organization excel by actively searching for areas for improvement and proactively problem solving. Yet, my direct supervisor said she was most impressed with my knowledge of technology (we are NOT an IT company, but a major non-profit in the blood products industry).
Note: for these schools, I do have strong LORs from executives in the company that know me quite well, but I am concerned about the weight a school's ad-com will place on my supervisor's LOR.
Both of these schools that require a LOR from a direct supervisor do have a caveat indicating we may find someone else, but must provide an explanation in a supplemental essay regarding the reasons it did not come from a current supervisor.
Is this perhaps a more viable option than risking a potentially (but inadvertently) damaging LOR from my supervisor? If I do forgo a LOR from my supervisor and choose to explain my reasons in a supplemental essay, how direct (but polite) should I be when I explain my reasoning?
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!
- Matthew
