|
|
Ask people who know you well
Tempting as it may be to ask
the CEO of your company or an old family friend who happens to
be a prominent politician to write a recommendation for you,
this isn't necessarily your best choice. Unless that person knows
you very well, the generic recommendation they're bound to write
will make very little of an impression upon the admissions committee
members. Even if you tell that person about some of your accomplishments
that you'd like highlighted, the final letter will undoubtedly
sound overly scripted and bland. A good recommendation speaks
to the kind of person you are, either in the workplace or in
the context of your extracurricular activities. It captures your
personality, your drive, your leadership skills...or conversely,
how your quieter method of interacting with people has a positive
impact on their lives. You don't have to portray yourself as
a "master of the universe" to get into b-school; there's
room for the more introverted personalities as well. Whatever
type of personality you have, make sure that your recommender
can make that shine through.
But don't ask your friends
Yes, the person who knows
you best may be your oldest friend from grammar school, but that
doesn't mean he would be the best person to write a recommendation
for you. It's assumed that your friends would have only good
things to say about you; these letters are about as useful as
the ones from the distant CEO. However, that's not to say that
all your letters need to be career related. Have a piano teacher
who's known you since you were 6? Perfect. Or a hockey coach
or the head of the tutoring program you volunteer for? These
will work too. The person writing your letter should have some
sense of authority or objectivity coloring what he or she writes.
The committees want honesty, and so anyone who can talk about
obstacles you've overcome or accomplishments that have not come
easy is perfectly qualified to show that, while you may not be
perfect, you have what it takes to deal with the adversities
that you'll face in b-school and beyond. |
|