MIT Sloan MBA Recommendation Questions
The online MBA application for the MIT Sloan School of Management requires a single recommendation, preferably from a professional contact and ideally a manager or supervisor who is qualified to speak about your results as a professional and your potential as a leader. Recommenders must submit online; MIT is only able to accept electronic recommendation letters.
The MIT MBA recommendation questions for the 2025-2026 admissions season are available below.
2025-2026 MIT Sloan Recommendation Questions
Section 1: Recommender Information
- Context of Relationship
- Nature of relationship
- Occasionally candidates would like to be considered for other MIT programs or partner schools and ask us to share their applications with these programs. Please indicate if you would like us to share your recommendation.
Section 2: Ratings
Please rate the applicant on the following criteria, in relation to other high-potential people you know.
- Truly Exceptional (best in 5 years)
- Outstanding (best in year)
- Above Average (top 25%)
- Average (top 50%)
- Below Average (bottom 50%)
- Unobserved
Each of the qualities/characteristics listed has a drop-down menu for the recommender to choose their rating:
- Leadership Potential
- Creativity
- Resourcefulness
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Energy and Initiative
- Ability to Work in a Team
- Oral Communication Skills in English Language
- Written Communication Skills in English Language
- Presence
- Analytical Thinking and Reasoning
Based on your professional experience, how do you rate this candidate compared to her/his peer group?
- Unable to assess
- Below average
- Average
- Very good (well above average)
- Excellent (top 10%)
- Outstanding (top 5%)
- The best encountered in my career
Overall,…
- I do not recommend
- Recommend this applicant, with reservations
- Recommend this applicant
- Enthusiastically recommend this applicant
Section 3: Recommendation Letter
Please upload a letter or one document that addresses the following questions and cites specific examples or observations about the candidate. Recommendations should be no longer than two pages.
1. How long and in what capacity have you known the applicant?
2. How does the applicant stand out from others in a similar capacity?
3. Please give an example of the applicant’s impact on a person, group, or organization.
4. Please give a representative example of how the applicant interacts with other people.
5. Please tell us anything else you think we should know about this applicant.
6. Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response.
Note: MBA applicants must provide contact information for two additional references. Similar to the role of a recommender, these additional reference contacts should be able to speak to the applicant’s professional and/or academic background. A member of the admissions committee may reach out to these references at any time during the evaluation process, should there be additional questions about the applicant’s background and/or experiences.
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
Received admission update early this morning indicating to check portal for decision letter. Still waiting on potential scholarship info
Interviewed in January. Received the call around 2 pm ET from the person who interviewed me.
Got an email that the decision was ready, says a more complete admissions package will be sent to me soon. Interviewed on 2/23