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Additional Letters

by Mike583 » Thu Oct 08, 2009 1:22 pm
I wanted to get your thoughts on "additional" letters of recommendation. It seems that there are a variety of opinions out there in terms of their effectiveness. Does having a well established alumni or school donor write an additional letter of recommendation help or hurt your chances for admission? Also, does this vary by school? Through the rumor mill, I have heard that this practice is frowned on at Stanford, but an accepted practice at HBS and Wharton.

Thanks a lot. I appreciate any help you may be able to provide.

Mike
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by Lisa Anderson » Thu Oct 08, 2009 4:07 pm
Dear Mike,

There is variance on whether letters from major donors or alumni will help or hurt you. Some schools have specific avenues for letters of support from current students, alumni, and friends of the school. Other schools will be explicit that they do not want these letters. You need to verify the policy of a school before you solicit any additional letters as you do not want to do anything to reflect negatively on your application. Likewise, you want to be careful with submitting additional letters. One is probably fine for schools that do accept them, but if a school receives 3+ additional letters, they will start to wonder why you need so many extra letters.

Good luck,
Lisa
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by Mike583 » Fri Oct 09, 2009 10:19 am
Thanks Lisa. That is very helpful. When you have a moment, can you also take a quick look at my profile below and let me know what you think.

I have heard from a lot of people that this year's applications of candidates with finance backgrounds will likely be very high -- similar to last year. In light of that, could you please evaluate my background below and let me know where you think I would stand with top programs including:

HBS
Stanford
Wharton
UCLA

- Graduated with a 3.4, Econ major from UCLA
- Played tennis in college
- GMAT 720 (48Q / 40V / 5.5)

- 3 years investment banking experience with a bulge bracket firm in NY
- 1+ years with a distressed private equity firm in NY
- Decent charity work, but only started in the last few months

Will the above put me in range for the top schools or is it just going to be ultra-competitive because of the recent flock of finance folks back to b-school?

Thank you very much.
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by Lisa Anderson » Sat Oct 10, 2009 1:53 pm
Dear Mike,

Your profile is competitive for your target schools, but you are right that the number of applicants with similar professional experience is expected to be high. Thus it is imperative you are able to distinguish yourself in a positive way from the competition. Perhaps write about more personal experiences in your essays? Or choose professional examples that were a little unusual for you at that point in your career? It is also important that you visit these campuses, either before or for your interview. Finally, you might add 1 safety school to your list as an insurance plan.

Best of luck,
Lisa
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