3rd Rec for HBS/GSB for an Entrepreneur

[mbaover30]

I'm looking to get an MBA to make a career change from full-time employee/part-time entrepreneur to full time entrepreneur within the same industry that I work in. When considering HBS and Stanford's 3rd essay, is it a smarter move to have that rec come from an actual client to show proven business results or a leader from a non-profit that I work with to bolster/validate my leadership skills? Would either/or be a smarter move depending on which school(i.e. Client @HBS & Non-prof @GSB)?

[Stacey Oyler]

Hi,

Thanks for your post. Just to clarify, you are referring to the third recommendation and not the third essay. Correct? Have you already identified your peer recommendation for Stanford? Remember that Stanford asks for a two professional recommendations (i.e. a direct supervisor) and one peer recommendation, while HBS asks for three professional recommendations. You likely won't be able to use the same person as your third recommender for both schools given the slight difference in their requests. However, I can tell you that using a client is a great idea and most entrepreneurs candidates find this to be a great choice.

Best,

Stacey

[mbaover30]

Hello Stacey,

I was referring to the 3rd recommender. My impression was that a former business client would count as a "professional recommendation", hence it could count as one of the professional recommendations for both Harvard and Stanford. It also seems to me like a peer recommended would also be considered a "professional" recommendation if it is from work (I'm speaking of my 9 to 5).

[Stacey Oyler]

Yes, you are correct a client is indeed considered a professional recommendation. The difference between Stanford and Harvard recommendations is that Stanford asks for one peer recommender (which would be a professional reference from someone at the same level), while Harvard asks for three professional recommendations (all from supervisors - no peers).

Best,

Stacey

[mbaover30]

Thanks for clearing that up Stacey. I was plan on using 1) Boss 2) Former Client 3) Peer @ all 3.

How about:

HBS: 1) Boss 2) Current indirect manager OR Old Manager from previous company(>3 years ago) 3) Peer

GSB 1) Boss 2) Former Client 3) Peer

[Stacey Oyler]

I really wouldn't advise using a peer for HBS. You are certainly welcome to use someone from an outside activity (volunteer work for instance), but not a peer. Here is the quote from HBS on recommendations:

https://www.hbs.edu/mba/faq/#app_recommendations

Who should recommendations come from?

The Admissions Board suggests that of the three recommendations, two come from professional references. Of these two, one recommendation should come from a current or recent supervisor. Recommenders should be individuals who know the candidate well and who can attest to the candidate's leadership ability.

[mbaover30]

Got it! Thanks so much for your advice.

[Stacey Oyler]

You are most welcome!

Stacey