Stories about your behaviors, impact, and personal qualities told by others play an essential role in our evaluation of your application.
Your letters of recommendation should provide specific examples and anecdotes that illustrate what you have done and how you have done it.
We require two letters of recommendation: one recommendation from your current direct supervisor (or next best alternative) at work and one recommendation from someone else who has supervised you. We do not allow letters of recommendation from family members and current or former direct reports.
Your recommenders must be the sole authors of your letters of recommendation. Drafting, writing, translating, or submitting (even if written by your recommender) your own recommendations, or having any outside party review or edit them (even if asked to do so by a recommender), is a violation of our application terms. Your recommenders may not submit their letters from your personal or work computer or laptop. You are responsible for informing your recommenders of this policy.
Choosing Your Recommenders
We are impressed by what a recommendation letter says, not by the title or background of the individual who wrote it or by the writing skills of the recommender. You should choose individuals who:
- Know you well through significant, direct involvement with you within the last three years
- Will provide detailed anecdotes and examples to support their assertions
- Are sufficiently enthused to spend time writing a thoughtful letter
Deferred Enrollment
If you are currently a full-time student, we encourage you to select recommenders who have supervised your extracurricular activities or work, such as internships, co-ops, or part-time jobs.
What We Ask Recommenders
Both of your recommenders will be asked to assess you on some character traits and competencies that contribute to successful leadership and to answer three questions.