Guiding Your B-School Recommenders
As the majority of Round 2 deadlines are in early January, you should follow up with your recommenders now to ensure they are pacing themselves and wont be crunched for time once all of the year-end craziness hits.
These contacts are doing you a huge favor, and it would be a shame if they had to take time away from their families and friends over the holidays because you hadnt gently reminded them about their upcoming responsibility. While b-school applications might be consuming your life right now, theyre probably not top-of-mind for your recommenders.
When you do your check-in, theres a chance your recommenders may ask you to review what theyve written so far. Or they may just want to verbally confirm that theyre covering the right points in their letters.
This is your opportunity to remind them that the most critical thing they can do is include examples to back up any claims theyve made about your strengths or personality traits.
Many recommendersespecially those who arent familiar with the MBA application processthink that if they simply sing your praises and repeat how great you are in various different ways, that will be enough. Unfortunately, its not. The best way for your recommenders to help you stand out from thousands of other highly qualified applicants is by painting a clear picture of who you are both professionally and personally.
Sharing details of how you contributed to projects or giving specific examples of how you interact with others or went above and beyond (including funny anecdotes or quips that give insight into your personality)these are the things that make for a great recommendation letter.
Having said all that, if your recommenders dont intend to share what theyve written, dont worry! Chances are you asked them to do this very important task because you know theyre competent people who will try their best to set you apart from the pack. But if they do ask for any advice as the deadlines near, just be sure to drive home the importance of going heavy on the examples.
And when your recommenders letters are in, dont forget to do something nice to thank them!
Think of it this way:
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