Who Should Write Your MBA Letters of Recommendation

Sending an excellent letter of recommendation is critical to get into a top business school. Here's how you pick the right people. I'm Ellen and I share all the best kept secrets you need to get into a top mba. Schools want to see thoughtful letters that are full of details and are written by people who actually know you really, really well. Because of this, your direct boss is going to be your best choice for the first letter of recommendation. Even if they don't have a fancy title and even if they don't have an MBA themselves, they're still your best choice. Most schools also require a second letter of recommendation. So here's where you need to get strategic. You want to choose someone who can really complement the information that's in the first letter. This could be someone who's a little bit more senior in your company, who can show that you're able to deliver projects at the highest level and are well networked within your organization. Or this could be someone from a previous company, as long as it hasn't been more than about two years. This could also be someone who covers a different aspect of your performance at your company, like maybe someone you work on a volunteering initiative with. Just make sure that no matter who you pick, the person is more senior than you, isn't related to you, and can bring concrete examples that demonstrate your excellence. By doing so, you're perfectly positioned to beat up thousands of other competitors and earn a spot at a top mba. And that's a secret worth sharing.