A strong recommendation letter can be a game-changer in your MBA application — but only if your recommender has the right context to write a compelling and specific endorsement.
The best approach is to equip them with your résumé, a summary of your career goals, and concrete examples of your work and impact. This helps them recall specific projects, quantify your contributions, and align their letter with the overall narrative of your application.
While authenticity is important, leaving recommenders without any guidance often results in generic, less impactful letters. Similarly, relying on a rigid template or focusing solely on soft skills limits their ability to showcase the full range of your strengths.
Your goal is not to script the letter but to provide raw material they can shape into a powerful, personal account of your abilities. By sharing both your big-picture aspirations and specific anecdotes, you make it easier for them to highlight qualities that admissions committees value most — leadership, collaboration, problem-solving, and potential for impact.
In short: well-prepared recommenders write stronger, more memorable letters — and that preparation starts with you.