Stanford GSB Recommendation Letter Guide: What Admissions Look For

The Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) emphasizes a holistic review process for admissions, meaning all submitted materials, including letters of recommendation, are considered to understand an applicant's full profile. The goal is to comprehend who applicants are, what they have accomplished, how they achieved it, and the positive impact they've made in various aspects of their lives—personal, professional, extracurricular, and academic.

Stanford GSB Admissions Philosophy

Stanford GSB does not use formulas, equations, algorithms, benchmarks, minimums, cut-offs, or quotas in its admissions process. No single part of the application is more or less important than another. Contextual information, such as an applicant's industry or career level, helps the admissions committee understand typical impacts and achievements within those fields, allowing for a fair assessment across diverse backgrounds. The focus is on the individual and how they have utilized available resources throughout their academic, personal, and professional journeys.

What Stanford GSB Looks For

The admissions committee seeks to understand:

• How applicants think.
• How they lead.
• How they perceive the world.
• For applicants to the one-year Master of Science in Management (MSx) program (for mid- and experienced-career professionals), clarity of purpose and future vision are particularly important. MBA applicants are also encouraged to consider their future selves and potential pathways to achieve their goals.

Business school is viewed as a means to help applicants achieve their future visions. The broadness of these categories is intentional, allowing applicants and recommenders ample opportunity to demonstrate leadership and various competencies.

The Recommendation Process

Applicants are required to submit two letters of recommendation. They provide recommender contact information through their application platform. Recommenders will then receive an email containing:

• Information about the questions asked.
• Instructions on how to submit the recommendation.
• A link to the submission platform.
• Resources for technical or contextual support.

The submission platform includes:

• Short answer responses to understand the recommender's relationship with the applicant.
• Assessments of competency and character traits, which contribute to understanding leadership potential. There is no expectation for applicants to excel in every area; a realistic reflection of their current stage is preferred.
• An upload space for the letter of recommendation. Recommenders can prepare their letter separately and upload it when ready.

Important Note: Recommendations must be submitted directly by the recommender, not forwarded through the applicant.

Key Elements of an Effective Recommendation Letter

Effective letters of support provide evidence, examples, and anecdotes that substantiate the recommender's endorsement. The GSB encourages a behavioral-based approach, asking recommenders to "tell us about a time when..." to illustrate past behavior as an indicator of future success.

Specific questions asked include:

• How has this person performed relative to equally qualified peers? (Provide specific examples.)
• Tell us about a time when there was feedback. What were the circumstances? What was their response?
• Is there anything else we should know? (This is an open-ended question.)

Three categories of detail are particularly helpful:

1. Examples and Anecdotes: Insights, actions, behaviors, and outcomes that corroborate the recommender's support.
2. Context and Significance:
   • Norms and expectations within the recommender's organization that help situate the applicant's actions, impacts, and outcomes.
   • Information about shifts or changes in the industry or organization that provide context. Recommenders are encouraged to share details they are comfortable with, respecting proprietary or confidential information. Examples include changes in organizational structure, hiring processes, promotion freezes, or nuances in job titles (e.g., what constitutes an "early promotion").
3. Observations and Assessments: The recommender's understanding and reflections on working with the applicant, based on their interactions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Can someone else write the letter for me to sign? No, the responses should be entirely the recommender's own work.
• What format should the letter take? Effective letters can be traditional letters or direct responses to the questions (e.g., bullet points). The format that makes sense for the recommender is acceptable.
• What about using AI? Over-reliance on AI can flatten details and reduce the richness of information that is most helpful to the admissions committee. Recommenders should ensure the letter genuinely conveys the specific details they intend.
• Does the letter need to be addressed to Stanford? No. While welcome, it is not required. The questions are often open-ended and applicable to other institutions, allowing recommenders to adapt their submissions.
• Can I write the letter in a language other than English? Yes. If so, please submit both the original letter and a translation. The translator should not be the applicant.
• Can I use a personal email instead of a work email? Yes, if work privacy protocols prevent using a work email. Applicants will inform Stanford GSB of this in their application.
• What if I can no longer be a recommender? Life happens. Inform the applicant, and they can change their recommender in their application without negative implications for their admission chances.

The GSB expresses gratitude for the time and effort recommenders invest in supporting applicants, emphasizing that detailed examples, anecdotes, and contextual information are highly valued by admissions officers.