Demystifying MBA Admissions: Your LOR Questions Answered! : ISB

Hi everyone,

As the Round 1 deadline for the ISB PGP program fast approaches, MBA aspirants are in the final stretch of their application journey. One crucial aspect of the application that often leaves applicants in the dark is the Letter of Recommendation (LOR). The internet is scarce when it comes to addressing the commonly asked questions about LORs, but worry not, we've got you covered!

We have penned down a quick guide to tackle the key LOR queries and concerns. Do give it a read.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<Q> What does the LOR constitute and how important is it in my application?
<A>
The LOR has 3 sections:
1. Basic questions to understand the relationship between the recommender and the applicant
2. Set of 12 MCQs to understand the candidate’s personality traits and technical capabilities
3. Set of 4 descriptive questions broadly covering recommender's interaction with the candidate, his/her performance relative to peers and critical feedback for improvement

LOR is important. It’s the only part of your application that gives an outside-in perspective about you.

<Q> Who should I choose for writing my letter of recommendation?
<A>
Any person who you worked closely with in the recent past, anyone who knows your work ethic, working style, your contributions and the impact you created. Here is a list you can choose from:
1. Immediate boss
2. Client
3. Senior colleague
4. Ex-boss (If your last work interaction is within 6 months of application)
5. Investor/ partner (in case of start-up founders)
6. Professor/ project evaluator (in case of YLP candidates)

<Q> If I get a recommendation from my CEO, do I get extra points?
<A>
NO! The designation of your recommender does not matter. What matters more is how closely you worked with them and how well they know you.

<Q> Can I write my own LOR?
<A>
NO! It’s unethical and you should not do it. Please choose a recommender who understands your ISB dream and can take time out to fill in your LOR.

<Q> My recommender asked me to write the answers and send them back. What should I do?
<A>
Well, as we already said, find someone who can make time. But we’ll be honest, this happens quite often. So here are a few ways you can support your recommender:
1. Have an honest conversation with them. Ask them what your strengths and opportunities areas are.
a) For strengths, focus on both hard and soft skills. You can also talk about extra-curricular activities you were a part of
b) For opportunities, do talk about the steps taken and how you improved
2. Remind them your most significant contribution to the firm/ client

Pull out that last year’s performance review, it might help!

<Q> The word limit is 500 words for each question. I'm worried if my recommendor wouldn’t be able to write such long answers.
<A>
Don’t be compelled to fully utilize that 500-word limit. Most (real) recommenders write only about 200-250 words.

Infact, longer 500-word answers might not necessarily create a positive impact- it would kinda give an impression that you’ve written these answers yourself!

BONUS TIPS

1. Don’t wait for the completion of your essays to share the LOR with your recommender. Send it to your recommender well in advance.
This gives the recommender enough time to fill your LOR within the deadline. Deadline to submit the LOR is the same as the deadline for the application.

2. Your recommender can fill the form in multiple go-es. There is an option to save progress. But form once submitted can’t be edited.
Do remind them prior to the deadline to submit the form.

3. Talk to your recommender even if they don’t ask your help in anything.
No harm in influencing some nice thoughts about ourselves! Jokes aside, it’s always good to refresh their memories about our contributions.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We hope this is helpful to all the ISB MBA aspirants!

We are a bunch of ISB alums who help potential ISB candidates with profile positioning, essay reviews and interview mocks. Feel free to book a 15-minute free session for more discussion- https://calendly.com/reachusfly/15min

With warm regards,
Team Fly
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reachusfly/