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Hello!

I've spent the past two years starting a business with my father, and he has been my only supervisor. Would you advise against having my father write a LOR, given his bias toward me? If so, what can I do, instead?

Thanks for any suggestions!

If your father has been your main supervisor then it is fine for him to write your LOR. However, he should be very specific about your achievements and provide examples. The letter will not be as effective if he merely says you will be a strong MBA candidate.

VP_MBA Expert,

Thanks for your thoughts. Below is another response I got to the same question. Does he have a point?

Thanks again for your insight!

Dear awilhelm,

Thanks for your post.

My thoughts are as follows:

1) You should not use your father as a reference. This will have no value in the admissions process and will show questionable judgment on your part. The adcom will not take his letter seriously at all.

2) Many entrepreneurs or family-business candidates are faced with a similar challenge when it comes to selecting recommenders. The key is to find objective outsiders who can comment on your skills. That could be your firm's lawyer or accountant, recent clients or venture partners, etc. You might also look to prior jobs you have held to get a letter - if you worked elsewhere prior to launching this venture with your father.

Best of luck,

Graham
_________________
Graham Richmond
Clear Admit, LLC
Admissions Blog: https://blog.clearadmit.com
School Guides: www.clearadmit.com/guides
[email protected]
215 568 2590

He has a point if you have other available options. However, you want a letter from someone who can speak at length about your accomplishments - the more specific, the better. Therefore, a generic LOR will not be very helpful. If you can find objective outsiders who are willing and able to provide detailed accounts of your accomplishments then by all means, pursue them.