The Russian On-Line Media “Corporative Management” (Корпоративный менеджмент) has recently interviewed Ms. Sarah Kartalia and Dr. Christophe Bénaroya about the recommendation letters that MBA applicants need to present to admissions committees. Please find MBA admission (in Russian) the final article and just below, in English ;), the questions and the related full answers provided by :
- Sarah Kartalia, (Cара Карталия) Admissions Officer, Aerospace MBA, Toulouse Business School
- Dr. Christophe Bénaroya, (Кристоф Бенаройя) Director of the Aerospace MBA, Toulouse Business School
Article published in Russia about MBA admissions
– Do you think a recommendation letter is important element that can influence the decision of admission?
Absolutely. We request that the candidate’s recommendation letters come directly to us, e-mailed directly to our Admissions officer or in sealed envelopes directly from the referee. They do not go through the candidate, which is a crucial element in order to get an objective view. Written by a previous professor or by a person hierarchically above the candidate, these letters enable some “distance” and rational view of the candidate. Part of our template asks the referee to highlight improvement areas. We then follow up with a phone call to the referee to get more information & knowledge on the candidate. Therefore it’s an extremely important part of the admission decision.
– What recommendation letters are considered as good, what letters are considered as average/poor? Does the letter format change over time?
A good recommendation letter is an honest view of the candidate, highlighting all his/her strengths but also the areas of improvement. It would be considered “poor” by our standards if the referee described the candidate as being perfect, nothing to improve! The more the content is specific and accurate, the better it is to refine our appraisal of the application. Additionally, we much appreciate letters from different sources (academic & professional/business). Our template has of course evolved over time (to take into consideration various changes in the business & academic environments) and we are satisfied with our current questions.
– How to choose the right person (an employer, a supervisor etc) and the right company/organization to do this letter?
As mentioned above the referees must be managers or supervisors of the candidate. We also accept former professors. Best is to avoid the referees who are doing this in an “industrial and automatic” way without really paying attention to the very nature of the profile or the experience of the candidate. Recommendation letters written by friends or peers should be avoided at all cost because paradoxically it won’t help the candidate due to the obvious bias that would occur. The best option is to solicit persons for whom the candidate used to work or is currently working for.
– What advice can you give for an MBA applicant on preparation of this letter?
Our advice is to be honest with your manager or supervisor by asking him or her to fill in our template and ask them to do it as transparently as possible. We’re interested in a complete and honest view of our candidates so that we select the right people who will perform in the classroom and after graduation. A crucial part of our Aerospace MBA is peer learning. For this, we need to know your development areas that the manager can highlight. This way, we support your personal and leadership growth during the MBA journey.
