Letters of Recommendation

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Letters of Recommendation

by witwiyl » Sat Jun 14, 2008 1:22 pm
I'm having some slight concerns/questions about letters of rec for MBA programs.

1. From what I'm gathering, it seems like letters of rec for an MBA are most desired from your employer, opposed to college professors. Is that a fair assumption? I know it wouldn't hurt to get one from a professor, but for MBA programs, it seems to make more sense to get them from people you have worked for - so they can highlight your leadership skills in the work place, etc.

2. If my assumption above is correct.....here is my next question. Is it acceptable to get your 2 letters of rec (most programs seem to want 2....some want 3, but most seem to want 2), from the same company? I graduated college in 2006 and right after graduation, started working at a top fortune 500 company. I stayed there for 2 years (until 2008), when I recently started (in March) at my new job.

My new and current job doesn't know I'm applying to grad school (don't want them to find out, for fear of them letting me go if they know I'm not gonna be sticking around long), so it would be difficult to get a letter of rec from them. I COULD do it, and just lie to my manager, saying that I plan on deferring my admission (not true), but just so I hopefully wouldn't get fired. I would prefer not to go down that path though.....

So I guess here is my main question: will it not look as good if my letters of rec are from the same company? I would most likely get them from my district manager, and then my direct manager who worked on-one-on with me for the 2 years.

I also did an internship (for about 2 years) which ended my senior year of college when I graduated. It was completely un-business related (psychology) but I was really close with my supervisor there and worked in direct relation to her. Would this one be acceptable as a letter of rec, even though it is a bit older and in the psychology field?

What are your thoughts?
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by Lisa Anderson » Sun Jun 15, 2008 5:48 am
Dear witwiyl,

To answer your questions:

1. Yes, professional references are preferred to professors or other folks. Business school is a professional graduate program meaning you will enter the workforce versus academia upon graduation. As such, how you perform in the workforce is important to the admissions committee in its evaluation of you as a candidate for a Master of Business Administration.

2. It is fine to have both letters from the same company, especially in your case with only a couple of years experience. Some schools will want you to disclose why you do not have a recommendation from your current employer. In your situation, you do not want them to know (which is a legitimate, common reason) and you have not been there long enough for them to truly evaluate your candidacy. I do think the two you mention are preferable to someone from many years back from your internship. However, you need to pick the two people that will give you the best recommendation.

Good luck,
Lisa
Lisa Anderson
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Stacy Blackman Consulting

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