Letter of Recommendation

We require one letter of recommendation. We prefer that your letter come from your current direct supervisor, a former supervisor, or other individuals who have overseen your work and with whom you have had significant professional interaction.

We understand that there may be situations that may prevent you from providing a letter from your direct supervisor such as if you are self-employed, work for a family business where a family member is a direct supervisor, or you have recently moved into a new position with a supervisor who does not know you well. In those situations use your best judgment in finding an alternative source - a previous supervisor, an indirect manager, a client, a member of your board of directors, or any other individual who supervises your work. We strongly discourage your letter of recommendation from co-workers, subordinates, business partners, professors, family, or friends.

Choose an individual who knows you well and who will take the time to write a thorough and thoughtful letter on your behalf. Their title or status is not important. What does matter is how closely they have worked with you and whether they can attest to your value as an employee, your professional accomplishments, and your personal qualities.

We find the most helpful letters provide specific and detailed examples to support their assertions and are more convincing than those with positive, but general statements. Consider sitting down with your recommender and reviewing your recent accomplishments - much as if you were preparing for a performance review. Let them know your goals and how the Berkeley Haas MBA will help you achieve them. Letters that are recent, relevant, and written specifically for the Berkeley Haas MBA application give us the best insight into who you are and will be as a leader.

We strongly encourage your recommender to submit their letter via the online recommendation form. As part of completing the online application, you will provide an email address for your recommender and indicate that they will be submitting their recommendation online. This will generate an email to them providing access to the online recommendation form. After a recommender submits a letter, both of you will receive email confirmation.

If you wish to give your recommender a hard copy form to print, complete, and mail, you may download the same recommendation form (PDF). Please review and complete the submission instructions at the top of the form prior to sending it to your recommender.

You are responsible for ensuring that your recommendation is submitted prior to the application deadline.