No more than two letters of recommendation are required and are strongly preferred to be from current or former supervisors. Select individuals with whom you have had considerable professional interaction. Recommendations may be submitted online or through the mail using a PDF version. Recommenders who choose to write a letter rather than use the form should remember to address the Berkeley Haas recommendation questions directly rather than submit a generic recommendation. Letters sent via mail must have the letter writer’s signature across the seal of the envelope.
Haas MBA Recommendation Questions 2023-2024
Section 1: Recommender Information
If you are a Berkeley-Haas alum, please let us know from which program and year you graduated.
Section 2: Leadership Assessment Grid
In this section, you will find 12 competencies and character traits that contribute to successful leadership. The competencies and character traits are grouped into five categories:
Achievement
Influence
People
Personal Qualities
Cognitive Abilities
For each competency, please select the one button that corresponds to the behavior that you have seen the applicant most consistently exhibit. We acknowledge that all applicants have both areas of strength and areas of development. Your candid and honest appraisal will assist in evaluation of the applicant. Please assume that each level builds upon behaviors of the previous level.
Achievement
Initiative
Results Orientation
Influence
Communication, Professional Impression, Poise & Presence
Struggles to get point across; neglects to understand audience’s input or perspective; lacks confidence and gets flustered under pressure
Works to get point across; acknowledges feedback; reframes statements when necessary to make them clearer; speaks politely; remains composed in known circumstances
Present views clearly and logically structures content for a road audience; listens and responds to feedback; prepares in advance to appear confident; leaves a positive and professional impression; responds confidently in unfamiliar situations
Structures content for senior-level meetings; maintains composure when challenged; solicits opinions and concerns, discusses them openly and adjusts communication; when in strong conflict or crisis, remains cool under pressure; channels strong emotion into positive action
Influence and Collaboration
People
Respect for Others
Team Leadership
Developing Others
Personal Qualities
Trustworthiness/ Integrity
Adaptability/ Resilience
Self Awareness
Cognitive
Strategic Orientation
Problem Solving
(Optional) Is there anything about your competency ratings on which you’d like to comment?
Based on your professional experience, how do you rate this applicant compared to her/ his peer group?
Average
Outstanding (top 5%)
Overall, I…
Do not recommend this applicant
Recommend this applicant, with reservations
Recommend this applicant
Enthusiastically recommend this applicant
Section 3: Haas MBA Recommendation Questions
Please provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, the applicant’s role in your organization. (Up to 50 words)
How does the applicant’s performance compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Please provide specific examples. (e.g. what are the applicant’s principal strengths?) (Up to 500 words)
Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response. (Up to 500 words)
Post-MBA Target Industry:
Technology, Entrepreneurship, Non Profit/SI
GRE: 325
GPA: 3.6
Years of Work Experience: 6
Notes:
Stanford GSB is my dream MBA program for multiple reasons (entrepreneurship focus, location, size, social impact) to the point where I'm considering doing a 'Stanford or bust' approach to MBA applications. With that in mind, I want to think about how to bring my best application forward when I apply Round 1 in 2025 (for a 2026 intake) and/or if I should be rethinking my app strategy.
Age: 27
Nationality: American
Race: Mixed (Asian/Pacific Islander/White)
Gender: Female
Current Title:
Senior Program Manager at a B-Corp, public edtech company; trying to pivot to a Senior Product Marketing role right now
Also an educational content creator with ~200k followers on YouTube; will likely have at least 500k by the time of applying (I approach building this channel as a full business, and while I own the creative production and strategy, I also collaborate with others including freelance editors, brand teams, and a management team)
Undergrad: Top 10 Undergrad in US
GPA: 3.6 (majors were media & business - little to no quant background)
Extracurriculars:
- YouTube channel (a job and extracurricular, I guess)
- Volunteer admissions interviewer for my undergrad for past 4 years
- Volunteer alumni mentorship program
- Digital nomad - past 4 years I've spend 25% of the year traveling, mostly abroad, while working
- Hobbies include improv comedy, yoga, and tennis but not sure if any of those would be captured in an application?
GRE: 325 (Verbal 162; Quant 163) (I think I'm going to take these again to try and get those scores up)
Post-MBA Goals: Starting a larger media brand/company that would create digital education content; or working at a very early-stage startup in a marketing leadership role (ideally at a social-impact focused startup)
Misc:
- I started a video marketing company in undergrad that I ran for 3 years; had lots of large hospital clients
- I was a part-time professional voiceover artist for 2 years (side business I started during COVID when I was bored)
- My Youtube content has been featured/I've been interviewed on multiple national news sites
(PS. I actually submitted one of these entries back in 2020 when I was first thinking of doing an MBA! At the time you all told me that if I didn't get into my top programs that I should hold off for a future intake, and I'm glad I have! I think my career has grown a lot since then; I've gotten to work on really interesting projects at my company; I've grown a business outside of work; etc. and now I'm feeling like it might be close to making sense for an MBA)
Post-MBA Target Industry:
Consulting Companies:
Accenture
, AT Kearney
, Bain
, Booz Allen Hamilton
, BCG
, Deloitte
, McKinsey
, PWC
GMAT: 685
GPA: 8.04
Years of Work Experience: 4
Location: India
Notes:
I'm an Indian origin Chemical Engineering student from BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus. I have half a year thesis internship experience in Prague, in R&D work. However, post graduation, I have digressed to management consultancy after a brief stint in an Oil & Gas company and intend to pursue consultancy post MBA. I have a promotion due in some time so that could show progression in my career.
I have led a TEDx club during my time in college, and I have some volunteering experience as a freelancer where I have supported volunteer groups during the pandemic, and have conducted a tree plantation drive (plated 400 trees) to rehabilitate cyclone affected regions.
I am not sure how much it would impact my application, but I am also a French citizen. I am planning to take another try at my GMAT and apply for M7 colleges in R2, while focus on the other colleges in R1 to bolster my safe position.
Applying:
Berkeley / Haas,
Carnegie Mellon / Tepper,
Columbia,
Dartmouth / Tuck,
Duke / Fuqua,
Harvard Business School,
Indian School of Business,
INSEAD,
London Business School,
MIT Sloan,
Nanyang,
Northwestern / Kellogg,
NYU Stern
The interviewer kind of hinted I would be rejected or waitlist in the end of the meeting. Could feel the negativity from him in the when I received his email. He seems not to be grateful about or satisfied with his Ross experience. Don’t know why he volunteered to interview for the school. The result could be exactly the same if I was interviewed by someone else. But I have to say this alum showed me a poor image of Ross even if I was accepted. Well, that’s the way it is. Congratulations to all the folks who made it.
The interviewer kind of hinted I would be rejected or waitlist in the end of the meeting. Could feel the negativity from him in the beginning. He seems not to be grateful about or satisfied with his Ross experience. Don’t know why he volunteered to interview for the school. The result could be exactly the same if I was interviewed by someone else. But I have to say this alum shows me a poor image of Ross even if I was accepted. Well, that’s the way it is. Congratulations to all the folks who made it.
I submitted a letter of continued interest to state a refinement of my career goal, as well as a very detailed game plan of how to achieve the goals at CBS. I also had an additional rec letter from a CBS alum and attended a Class Visit.