Mission Admission: Gathering “Intelligence” on Recommenders
June 8th, 2008 | Posted in Mission Admission, Blogroll
With significant time before the first round deadlines (many MBA programs have not even announced their deadlines), you have time to take some “extra” steps to make sure that you submit the strongest applications possible. One step that the “uber-prepared” take is doing some background work on their recommenders in order to ensure that their choices are indeed “safe.” After all, if you are playing by the strictest interpretation of the rules of recommendations, you won’t know what a recommender will be writing about you. So, by conducting some intelligence, you can help yourself understand whether you are making the right choice, before you commit to a certain individual.
By “intelligence,” we mean that, where possible, you should contact past colleagues in a discreet and diplomatic way to find out what their experiences were like with your potential recommender. For example, was he/she a generous advocate or was he/she a disinterested third party who had a tendency toward being harsh? Clearly, understanding your recommenders approach in advance can help you understand whether or not you should embrace him/her. Almost equal in importance, past colleagues can help inform you of how to manage your recommenders. Knowing upfront that your recommender is a procrastinator or appreciated a list of accomplishments in advance can help ensure that you get the best letter possible and that you don’t inadvertently antagonize him/her or delay the process.
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