Recommendation from a Mentor?

[rontej0226]

Hi all,

This forum is great! I have a question about recommendations. I am applying to NYU Stern Langone Part-Time program and would like your opinion on selecting the right people to write my recommendation letters. I am currently a supervisor and my manager will be writing one of the letters, as required by Stern. His letter should be good because he's 2 for 2 with two previous supervisors who attended Stern.

However, I have several options for my second recommendation. My initial thought was to ask my leadership mentor who assisted me for 18 months in the company's leadership program. I can also ask a personal friend who has a high position in the company, but has never dealt with me directly. My last option is to pick another high level manager, who knows me well enough to write a good recommendation, but that I only worked under for 6 months.

What are your thoughts?

[mbaMissionJenK]

Hi there,

Sounds like you've got a good option for the first recommendation.

In general you want people WHO WILL WRITE THE BEST LETTERS, which are generally the people who know you best. That is more important than say rank in the company. I'd probably based on what you said lean towards the mentor you mentioned, with the friend you haven't worked with being last choice, but you know them best... aim for someone who really knows your strengths and experiences and what you'll bring to b-school. It's great if they use examples and stories in their letters (as opposed to say just a list of traits/adjectives!).

In a most ideal situation, you would meet with them and/or send info to let them know why you want to go to b-school, why the specific schools you are applying to, and what key experiences and traits you are striving to get across in the essay.

Good luck to you!