CEIBS MBA Recommendation Questions
CEIBS online application is now live for the 2025-2026 admissions season, meaning that the CEIBS recommendation questions are now available for applicants and their recommenders. The application requires two referees who can authentically confirm the candidate’s management potential, character, and professional/academic accomplishments. An ideal referee should have supervised/worked closely with the candidate in a professional/academic environment within the organization. The reference letter must be submitted in either English or Chinese.
2025-2026 CEIBS Recommendation Questions
Referee’s Information
推荐人信息
- Referee’s Name 推荐人姓名
- Gender 推荐人性别
- Position/Title 职务/职称
- Employer 单位名称
- Contact Address 联系地址
- Telephone 电话
- Email 电子邮件
- How long have you known the applicant and in what capacity? 您认识申请人已有多长时间？您当时担任何种职务，与申请人是何种关系？
- In comparison with the applicant’s colleagues, what do you consider to be the applicant’s strengths? How do you think about the applicant’s leadership ability? 在您看来，申请人与他（她）的同级相比主要长处是什么？您如何看待他（她）的领导能力？
- In what areas do you think the applicant needs improvement or growth? To the best of your knowledge, what effort(s) has the applicant made to improve in the areas that you have mentioned? 请描述申请人的主要不足之处以及申请人如何对此进行了改进。
- Please comment on the applicant’s ability to work with colleagues, including his or her supervisors, peers, and subordinates. 请评述申请人与其他同事，包括他（她）的上级、同级和下级，合作共事的能力。
- Please provide any other comments or information that may help us assess the applicant for admission into the CEIBS MBA programme. 请提供其它您认为能帮助我院评价申请人的信息。
Please rate the applicant’s characteristics in comparison with his or her peers.
以申请人的同级为参照，请您就以下方面对申请人进行评估。
Referees are asked to rate skills using the following scale: Outstanding 优异 , Excellent 优 , Good 良 , Average 中 , Below Average 差 , Cannot Judge 无法判断
Skills:
- Intellectual Ability 智力
- Analytical Ability 分析能力
- Organisational Ability 组织能力
- Problem Solving Ability 解决问题能力
- Innovation Ability 创新能力
- Decisiveness 决断能力
- Leadership Ability 领导能力
- Teamwork Ability 团队合作能力
- Communication Skills 表达能力
- Integrity 正直
- Maturity 成熟
- Passion 工作热情
- Professionalism 专业态度
Please give your overall recommendation for the applicant’s admission to the CEIBS MBA programme. 请给出您对申请人的总体评价。
- Strongly recommend 极力推荐
- Recommend 推荐
- Recommend with some reservation 有保留的推荐
MBA Applywire
Profile Review: Banking/PE Experience for INSEAD GEMBA (May '27) / LBS EMBA (Jan '28) – Consulting Pivot?
Hi all, looking for a reality check on my profile for top-tier EMBAs with a goal of pivoting into Management Consulting (MBB).
Background:
\* Age: 33 at enrollment
\* Current Role: Associate Director in a major Nordic bank (Corporate Banking/PE/Risk focus).
\* Work Experience: \~7+ years.
\* Current: Lead on liquidity strategy, PE value creation, and covenant restructuring. I manage high-value client portfolios day-to-day, though formal people management/team lead is handled by a Director.
\* Previous: Senior Analyst in Tier-1 US Bulge Bracket and Senior Consultant (Big 4, fast-track promotion).
\* Education: MSc in Finance & Accounting (Top Nordic BS).
\* The GPA Weakness: My academic GPA is on the lower side. However, I have a CFA Level I and have won some industry business cases while at Uni. I’m hoping my professional track record offsets the academic record.
\* Extracurriculars: Board member experience (Mensa/Non-profits).
Goals:
\* Target Programs: INSEAD GEMBA (Flex, May 2027 intake) or LBS EMBA (Blended, Jan 2028 intake).
\* Why MBA: Pivot from finance into Strategy Consulting (MBB) or PE (whom I advise daily).
Questions:
1. How much will a lower GPA hurt me at INSEAD/LBS if my professional trajectory is strong?
2. Does not having formal direct reports (but managing high-stakes client portfolios) hurt my candidacy for these senior-level programs?
3. Is an EMBA actually "consulting-pivot friendly" for someone already at an Associate Director-level in finance?
Appreciate any insights or past experiences from similar paths, thank you!
I’ve been in the cybersecurity space for about 5 years starting at a global Fortune 100 insurance firm before moving to my current org in the critical infrastructure sector. Currently a senior in incident response, I started as an intern. While the role is technical, my focus is on the strategic orchestration of response. Think stakeholder engagement, legal/PR/C-suite coordination, regulatory reporting, compliance, risk.
Outside of work I’m on the board of a non profit(not cybersecurity based), serving as the director of strategy and program development. I also volunteer to do pro-bono cyber consulting for NGOs, focusing more on the governance, planning, and strategic posture but also on other aspects of cybersecurity.
My academic path was non trad: BS cybersecurity from competency based program (pass/fail) then MS cybersecurity from NYU (3.6) working full time through both. Have a number of cyber related certifications, technical and non technical. Became more interested in an MBA last year.
Post-MBA, I’d like to transition into digital strategy consulting(MBB) and eventually move into private equity portfolio operations (focusing on tech strategy and value creation rather than the investment side). Given my professional and academic background which programs should I look into? Selected a few but don’t want to get ahead of myself. I’m in test prep right now for the GRE, targeting 325+.
Domestic ORM Male
BA Econ (T10 Public) - 3.46 GPA
MS Info Systems (T10 Public) - 3.50 GPA
Passed CFA L1 (L2 in progress)
4 years in Financial Reporting at a large asset manager (A2A promotion)
1 year in Investor Relations at LMM PE firm (potential promo to Senior Associate by application time)
Working on joining a reputable nonprofit ASAP to start gaining volunteer experience + potentially gain a leadership position
Post-MBA goal: Investment Banking (preferably NYC but open to anywhere on east coast + Chicago + Texas)
MBA LiveWire
They called, I missed it. I called back AdCom interviewer confirmed I was accepted