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INSEAD: Word count and limit on Recommendation Letters

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LFP
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INSEAD: Word count and limit on Recommendation Letters [#permalink] New post   17 Apr 2024, 04:54
Dear all,

First off, huge thanks to all the ones here that are constantly sharing knowledge towards a common goal!

Let's jump into INSEAD's application. In 2024, recommendation letters DO NOT have an specified word limit. 
One recommender asked me how objective or broad should he be. He got me on that one.

1 - What are you thoughts on this?

2 - How many words should all the 6 questions have?

3 - is there any maximum limit per question NOT RECOMMENDED to exceed? (Aka 500 words)

 In general, I have seen somewhere around 1500 words in total; around300-400 per big question and 100-200 to the small ones.

INSEAD is my only choice, so I am hugely grateful to anyone willing to help :)

All the best to all of you

"­
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Re: INSEAD: Word count and limit on Recommendation Letters [#permalink] New post   17 Apr 2024, 06:53
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LFP wrote:
Dear all,

First off, huge thanks to all the ones here that are constantly sharing knowledge towards a common goal!

Let's jump into INSEAD's application. In 2024, recommendation letters DO NOT have an specified word limit. 
One recommender asked me how objective or broad should he be. He got me on that one.

1 - What are you thoughts on this?

2 - How many words should all the 6 questions have?

3 - is there any maximum limit per question NOT RECOMMENDED to exceed? (Aka 500 words)

 In general, I have seen somewhere around 1500 words in total; around300-400 per big question and 100-200 to the small ones.

INSEAD is my only choice, so I am hugely grateful to anyone willing to help :)

All the best to all of you

"­

­LFP

Hope my inputs are helpful. I shall keep the points numbered
  1. Never get completely blind recommendations. I have been doing a good bit of ding analysis of late and I am surprised at how so many applicants get absolutely blindsided when it comes to the LORs. I know there is a huge question around what is ethical vs what is not, so I am going to take some liberty to put my thoughts on this.
The business schools have allowed you to choose your recommenders. They want you to pick the people who you think would put in the best word for you. It is implied that they expect you will have a good conversation with the recommenders about this and even remind them of all the great things you have done during your tenure working together. I highly recommend that applicants should put in hard work to prepare a presentation or folders with clear content around the projects they did. These proofs would be used by the recommenders to exemplify any qualities that they would highlight.


  1. Regarding the word limit- I would put a strict cap of 500 words for every question in the recommendation form. But the length of the answer can vary from 200-500 words. The recommenders must focus on providing a good number of examples for when they liked your work or how you stood out from the rest of the team (basis whatever the question is). Ideally 3 examples for a long question and atleast 1 example for a short question.
Common Sense is not so common
I have seen cases where the length of the write-up in the "Areas of Improvement" question is more than other questions. Applicants should discuss this upfront with the recommenders that a strong recommendation letter means not having a laundry list of areas for improvement. Just 1 area for improvement is alright. Many applicants feel uncomfortable discussing this with their supervisors. If you have little control over the strength of the letter of recommendation, you should probably rethink your choice of recommender.

Examples are Very important- Generic sentences without examples have little value in an MBA recommendation letter. Many managers have never written B school recommendations, so the onus is on the applicant to inform and train the recommenders on how examples should be provided to highlight any qualities.



Best wishes
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alum, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
Founder, MBAGuideConsulting 
LinkedIn |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/| Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- mbaguideconsulting@gmail.com­
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Re: INSEAD: Word count and limit on Recommendation Letters [#permalink] New post   17 Apr 2024, 10:04
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LFP wrote:
Dear all,

First off, huge thanks to all the ones here that are constantly sharing knowledge towards a common goal!

Let's jump into INSEAD's application. In 2024, recommendation letters DO NOT have an specified word limit. 
One recommender asked me how objective or broad should he be. He got me on that one.

1 - What are you thoughts on this?

2 - How many words should all the 6 questions have?

3 - is there any maximum limit per question NOT RECOMMENDED to exceed? (Aka 500 words)

 In general, I have seen somewhere around 1500 words in total; around300-400 per big question and 100-200 to the small ones.

INSEAD is my only choice, so I am hugely grateful to anyone willing to help :)

All the best to all of you

"­

­HI LFP, 
I dont remember INSEAD's recommendation questions ever having a word limit. 
They ask a lot of questions in comparison to the Common LOR adopted by most US based business schools. So the recommendation does tend to get long.
So let me break it down per reco question for you. However, note these are only suggested figures, you can go over or lesser than these depending upon what your recommender wants to focus upon. That said, I advise my applicants to have one within 3 pages.

How long have you known the candidate? Define your relationship with the candidate and the circumstances whereby you met. - a 4-5 lines paragraph should suffice
Comment on the candidate’s career progress to date and his/her career focus.  about 200-250 words. 

What do you consider to be the candidate’s major strengths? Comment on the factors that distinguish the candidate from other individuals at his/her level.  400-500 words. Your recommender can mention 3-4 strengths and give examples to support these.
What do you consider to be the candidate’s major weaknesses?  250-300 words- your recommender can mention your weakness and how you may have worked upon it/improved it. 1-2 weaknesses are sufficient to mention, no more.

Comment on the candidate’s potential for senior management. Do you see him/her as a future leader? 200-250 words. Your recommnder can give a few examples to show what leadership capabilities you possess and how you may have demonstrated them in the past.

Describe the candidate as a person. Comment on his/her ability to establish and maintain relationships, sensitivity to others, self-confidence, attitude, etc. Specifically, comment on the candidate’s behavior or skills in a group setting/team environment. 250-300 words. Give relevant examples to demonstrate these abilities.


Namita Garg,
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Re: INSEAD: Word count and limit on Recommendation Letters [#permalink] New post   18 Apr 2024, 06:47
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1. Typically, it helps to have recommendations that are to the point.  But the level of detail depends on the question. (So when they want to know how the recommender knows you - get to the point quickly. If they ask for 3 strengths, just name 3 strengths.  On the other hand, if they want to know how you compare with other similar applicants - define the group the recommender is comparing you to, talk about where you excel compared to other members of the group, and give specific and clear examples that support this - keep such answers to about 400 - 600 words maximum.)

2. Simple questions - answer to the point. Questions that demand longer answers - about 400 - 600 words.

About 1200 - 1500 words total seems like a good target to have.

Best,
Karthik
LFP wrote:
Dear all,

First off, huge thanks to all the ones here that are constantly sharing knowledge towards a common goal!

Let's jump into INSEAD's application. In 2024, recommendation letters DO NOT have an specified word limit. 
One recommender asked me how objective or broad should he be. He got me on that one.

1 - What are you thoughts on this?

2 - How many words should all the 6 questions have?

3 - is there any maximum limit per question NOT RECOMMENDED to exceed? (Aka 500 words)

 In general, I have seen somewhere around 1500 words in total; around300-400 per big question and 100-200 to the small ones.

INSEAD is my only choice, so I am hugely grateful to anyone willing to help :)

All the best to all of you

"­

­
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Re: INSEAD: Word count and limit on Recommendation Letters [#permalink] New post   18 Apr 2024, 11:22
­That was a great explanation. My recommenders are indeed following that, with letters ranging somewhere from 1200-1500 words. Thank you a lot for your time :) 
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Re: INSEAD: Word count and limit on Recommendation Letters [#permalink] New post   22 Apr 2024, 00:03
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LFP wrote:
Dear all,

First off, huge thanks to all the ones here that are constantly sharing knowledge towards a common goal!

Let's jump into INSEAD's application. In 2024, recommendation letters DO NOT have an specified word limit. 
One recommender asked me how objective or broad should he be. He got me on that one.

1 - What are you thoughts on this?

2 - How many words should all the 6 questions have?

3 - is there any maximum limit per question NOT RECOMMENDED to exceed? (Aka 500 words)

 In general, I have seen somewhere around 1500 words in total; around300-400 per big question and 100-200 to the small ones.

INSEAD is my only choice, so I am hugely grateful to anyone willing to help :)

All the best to all of you

"­

LFP - some points, adding to the above:

1. INSEAD particularly values international experiences and leadership potential. A strong LoR provides concrete examples that illustrate these angles at the right places, giving depth and authenticity to the endorsement.

2. Make sure the anecdotes/ examples your recommenders provide e.g. strengths, weaknesses, character traits etc. are consistent with your application essays. For example, if you highlight in your Motivation Essays that analytical prowess is your key strength and your recommender flags it as an improvement area, that raises eyebrows.

3. Make sure to share your CV, career goals, and key pointers (e.g. highlight projects) with your recommenders, to make sure they're aligned. Think of the LoRs as a supplementary aspect of your application i.e. they don't have to say the same things as your essays (they shouldn't), they just have to rhyme. For example, if your recommenders provide different examples, from their vantage points, aligned to traits you've brought out in your essays, it makes the overall application stronger.

4. Regarding word counts, 250-500 words per question would be ideal. Remember, less is more.

Hope this helps a bit.

Regards,
Arvind
Founder, admitStreet | Schedule a free chat
W: https://admitstreet.com | LinkedIn | E: consultingteam@admitstreet.com­
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Re: INSEAD: Word count and limit on Recommendation Letters [#permalink]
22 Apr 2024, 00:03

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