<p>Hey CCers!</p>
<p>I wanted to know how effective it would be for Harvard Undergraduate Admssisions (or any Ivy really) if I could get a letter of recommendation from Harvard's Dean from the Business Graduate School, Dr. Nitin Nohria? </p>
<p>Also, I'm going to be applying to Columbia. So, if my microbiology summer internship professor was an alumni at Columbia, would it be beneficial if I ask him for a letter of recommendation?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Colleges are looking for people who know you well. “Big name” people, if you don’t know them very well, will most likely write an impersonal rec letter that really won’t give the college an idea of who you are… A teacher or employer who’s known you for 2-3 years would definitely give you a better, more personal, rec letter than someone who you’ve only known for a summer.
That being said, it’s not about WHO writes the letter, but about WHAT’S in it. (But I mean, if you’ve known Dr. Nohria for a while, or really showed something spectacular during the summer of research with the Columbia grad, I’m sure that it would be an awesome letter.)
Just remember that a generic letter from a big-name person might even be detrimental to your app, since it’s a waste of a a rec letter submission and doesn’t give much insight about you as a person.</p>