What role do informal letters of recommendation or back-channel endorsements play in MBA admissions decisions? In this episode of The mbaMission Podcast, host Harold Simansky is joined by mbaMission Senior Consultant Melissa Blakeslee, a former MBA admissions director, to unpack a topic that generates a lot of curiosity and quite a bit of confusion. Drawing on her firsthand experience evaluating MBA applications, Melissa provides crucial insight into when an informal recommendation can help on the margins—and when a well-meaning but misguided endorsement can instead damage a candidate’s chances.
The reality is that top business school admissions committees view the application process through a lens of equity. Not every applicant has access to powerful executives, world leaders, or prominent donors, so MBA programs place a heavy premium on fairness. Attempting to finagle an additional letter from a high-profile figure who does not know you personally would actually be a strategic misstep. Rather than moving the needle in your favor, it would signal a lack of self-awareness and poor judgment.
The conversation highlights several essential strategies for informal recommendations:
- Prioritize Depth of Relationship over Title: An endorsement is only meaningful if the person writing it genuinely knows you and your work and can speak to your fit with the program. A brief note from a recent graduate who is a close colleague carries far more weight than a generic paragraph from a CEO you met once in the office lunchroom.
- Ensure a Legitimate Connection to the School: If a contact offers to reach out to a program on your behalf, they must have a deep, active relationship with that specific institution, such as being a heavily involved graduate or a major donor. A recommendation from someone with zero connection to the target school will simply be disregarded.
- Time the Outreach Strategically: If you choose to pursue an informal endorsement, you should strive to make sure that it is submitted before your application is locked. Otherwise, the best time to deploy this type of support is when you have been placed on a school’s waitlist or deferred for an interview. This gives the admissions committee a meaningful new piece of information that could help you move forward.
Melissa emphasizes that these additional recommendation letters are never a requirement for admission, noting, “Most people do not have them. It is rare to have one, and it is even more rare to have one that actually is meaningful or impactful.” When handled subtly and judiciously, however, a genuine endorsement can provide a helpful nudge.
Certain MBA programs actively invite this kind of external community input through formalized channels, such as Chicago Booth’s “Shape the Class” initiative. When these opportunities exist, applicants should absolutely take advantage of them, provided the relationship is genuine and the recommender can clearly articulate why you will be a successful classroom participant. Ultimately, admissions committees are interested in understanding who you are as an individual, not who you know.
New episodes of The mbaMission Podcast are released every Tuesday on all major streaming platforms, with full video episodes available on mbaMission’s YouTube channel.
If you are curious about how your story, experiences, and goals align with what top business schools are looking for, sign up for a free 30-minute consultation with Harold, Melissa, or another member of mbaMission’s admissions team.
