Does it help if the person who writes the recommendation is an alumnus?
The first requirement for a recommender is to know the candidate well. If they’re also an alumnus of the school, that’s great. They have more insight into what the school’s about, how well this person would assimilate into this population and contribute to it. But if they don’t know the person well in the work environment, the recommendation won’t help a lot. Q: Not everyone applies to B-school with above-average GMAT scores. How does Columbia rely on the GMAT? A: Because our 80% GMAT spread [the range within which the middle 80% of admitted students score] is as strong as it is — 660 to 750 — a lot of applicants think that if they have a mediocre GMAT they shouldn’t bother applying. What they need to know about Columbia is that we look at the whole picture. We have taken students who scored in the low 500s. And obviously, we have taken them as high as 800. Q: How else will you evaluate a candidate’s quantitative skills? A: Their undergraduate performance, their undergraduate program
