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Stanford MBA Program

 

Letters of Reference

Qualitative accounts of your intellectual and professional abilities are essential to us. As we read your letters of reference, we hope to discover specific descriptions and examples illustrating your potential to make a difference in the world.

Choose individuals who know you well, and who will take the time to write thorough, detailed letters with specific anecdotes and examples. We are impressed by what the letter says and how it reads, not by the title of the person who writes it.

We Require 3 Letters of Reference

  • 2 Professional/Workplace References
    • You must obtain at least one recommendation from your current direct supervisor.
    • If you are unable to provide a letter from your current direct supervisor, include a brief note of explanation in the Additional Information section of the online application.
    • College seniors may use a direct supervisor from a summer, part-time, or internship experience. Alternatively, you may ask someone who oversaw you in an extracurricular, volunteer, or community activity.
    • Your second Professional/Workplace Letter of Reference must come from someone else in a position to evaluate your work—another supervisor, a previous supervisor, a client, etc.
  • 1 Peer Reference
    • An individual with whom you have worked on a team or on a project, in a position equal to your own, should complete this recommendation. This person should not be a supervisor or subordinate. You may choose this person from any of your team experiences: charitable, extracurricular, professional, or other.
    • The peer recommender cannot be your supervisor or subordinate.
  • Choose individuals who have had significant direct involvement with you within the last few years.
  • Encourage recommenders to write letters specifically for this application since outdated and/or general recommendations typically do not strengthen an application.
  • Strictly academic Letters of Reference generally are less helpful in our evaluation.
  • Your recommenders must submit their Letters of Reference via the online application.
  • We strongly suggest that your recommenders submit Letters of Reference at least one day prior to the application deadline.
  • You are responsible for ensuring that all three recommendations are submitted online before the application deadline.

Online Submission of Letters of Reference

  • Recommenders are required to submit Letters of Reference online.
  • We strongly recommend that Letters of Reference be submitted at least one day prior to the application deadline to ensure that your application is complete.
  • You are responsible for ensuring that all three recommendations are submitted online prior to the application deadline.
Step 1: Register Your Recommender
  • Go to the "Recommendations" tab on the Online Application Form.
  • Enter the recommender's personal information carefully on the registration page. It is extremely important to enter the email address correctly so that your recommender receives the instructions in a timely manner.
  • Read and mark one of the waiver statements on each Letter of Reference.
Step 2: Recommender Receives Email and Logs In
  • Your recommender receives an automated email with instructions to log in to the Online Recommendation.
Step 3: Recommender Completes and Submits Recommendation
  • After logging in, your recommender has access to an exact replica of the Letter of Reference Form and the ability to submit the recommendation directly to us.
  • If your recommender is experiencing technical difficulties, please ask the recommender to contact ApplyYourself Technical Support directly by clicking on the button labeled "Tech Support."
Step 4: You and Your Recommender Receive Confirmation
  • After your recommender submits the recommendation, both you and your recommender will receive an email confirmation.
Step 5: Submit Your Online Application
  • Please make sure that all of your recommenders have submitted the online Letters of Reference before the appropriate application deadline. You should expect that late Letters of Reference will not be included with your application file.
Step 6: Stanford Receives Your Application Form and Letter(s) of Reference
  • Please do not send a hard copy of an online Letter of Reference.
  • You may also track the status of your recommendations via the "Recommendations" tab on the online application form.