Cornell SC Johnson MBA Recommendation Questions

At the heart of Cornell SC Johnson is a deep commitment to community and engagement. Students are encouraged to support one another, exchange diverse perspectives, and grow together through shared experiences that extend far beyond the classroom.

Cornell looks for students who share five key values: excellence, inclusion, engagement, community, and impact. So while the school values academic and professional excellence, it also requires its students to demonstrate a genuine commitment to fostering a collaborative, ethical, and socially responsible environment. Whether through essays or recommendations, individuals who engage with others authentically are ideal candidates. So when you guide your recommender to write your recommendation answers, keep these values in mind.

How Many Letters of Recommendation Does Cornell SC Johnson MBA Require?

Cornell requires one letter of recommendations in your MBA application, but you can submit two, if you feel like your candidacy and values would be better represented by it. Ideally, your first first preference recommender is a current supervisor or manager. They should be able to have assessed your work performance and leadership skills closely. If you’re unable to get one from a current manager, the second best option is a former supervisor or manager, a client, or a previous employer. According to Cornell, the recommender should specifically comment on your strengths and outstanding qualities, how you get along with others, your oral and written communication skills, English language ability (if English is not your native language), areas of improvement, any other relevant information about you.

Cornell uses the GMAC Common letter of Recommendation questions to frame its letter of recommendation questions.

Cornell MBA Recommendation Questions 2024 - 2025

Recommender Information

Context of Relationship

• None

• Current Employer

• Previous Employer

• University/Academic

• Extra Curricular/Community

• Other

Nature of Relationship

• None

• Direct Supervisor

• Other Supervisor

• Advisor/Mentor

• Colleague/Peer

• Direct Report

• Indirect Report

• Client/Customer

• Business Partner/Investor

• Vendor

• Professor/Instructor

• Other

How long have you known the applicant?

Most frequent contact from/to date:

If you are affiliated with the Johnson School or Cornell University, please select the option that most closely matches.

• Faculty

• Johnson Graduate

• Cornell Graduate

• Staff

• Other

• Not affiliated

If you are a Johnson School graduate, Degree Awarded:

• One-Year Ithaca MBA

• Two-Year Ithaca MBA

• Johnson Cornell Tech MBA

• Cornell Executive MBA Americas

• Cornell Executive MBA (Metro NY)

• Cornell Tsinghua MBA/FMBA

• Doctoral Program (PhD)

If you are a Cornell University graduate, Degree Awarded:

• Baccalaureate

• Master

• PhD

May we contact you regarding this applicant?

If the applicant receives an offer of admission from Johnson, you may be contacted by a third party company to verify the information you provide. Please let us know how you would prefer to be contacted.

Do you use a translator?

If so, name and language of translator:

Assessment Grid

For each competency, please mark the one button corresponding to the behavior that you have seen the applicant most consistently exhibit. We acknowledge that all applicants have both areas of strength and areas of development. Your candid, honest appraisal will assist in evaluation of the applicant. Please assume that each level builds upon behaviors of the previous level.

Initiative

Acts ahead of need/anticipates problems

• No basis for judgment

• Reluctant to take on new tasks; waits to be told what to do; defers to others

• Willing to step in and take action when required to do so

• Takes charge spontaneously when problem needs attention

• Volunteers for new work challenges; proactively puts in extra effort to accomplish critical or difficult tasks

• Proactively seeks high-impact projects; steps up to challenges even when things are not going well

Results Orientation

Focuses on and drives toward delivering on goals, objectives, and performance improvement

• No basis for judgment

• Focuses on fulfilling activities at hand; unsure how work relates to goals

• Takes actions to overcome obstacles to achieve goals

• Independently acts to exceed goals and plans for contingencies

• Documents activities and outcomes to learn from past; introduces incremental improvements to raise the effectiveness of team

• Invents new approaches with measurably better results; works to deliver best-in-class performance improvements

Communication, Prof Impression & Poise

Delivers messages and ideas in a way that engages an audience and achieves buy-in; uses listening and other attending behaviors to reach shared understanding; remains calm and measured even in time of crisis or conflict

• No basis for judgment

• Struggles to get point across; neglects to understand audience’s input or perspective; lacks confidence and gets flustered under pressure

• Works to get point across; acknowledges feedback; reframes statements when necessary to make them clearer; speaks politely; remains composed in known circumstances

• Present views clearly and logically structures content for a broad audience; listens and responds to feedback; prepares in advance to appear confident; leaves a positive and professional impression; responds confidently in unfamiliar situations

• Uses tailored language that appeals to specific groups; restates what others have said to check for understanding; comes across as confident; responds rapidly and strongly to crisis; looked to for advice and guidance

• Structures content for senior-level meetings; maintains composure when challenged; solicits opinions and concerns, discusses them openly and adjusts communication; when in strong conflict or crisis, remains cool under pressure; channels strong emotion into positive action

Influence and Collaboration

Engages and works with people outside of one’s direct control

• No basis for judgment

• Does not seek input and perspective of others

• Accepts input from others and engages them in problem solving

• Seeks first to understand perspectives of others; takes actions to gain their support for ideas and initiatives

• Uses tailored approaches to connect with others, influence, and achieve results

• Uses tailored influence approaches to create and leverage a network of strategically chosen individuals to improve collective outcomes

Respect For Others

Acknowledges the value of others’ views and actions

• No basis for judgment

• Unwilling to acknowledge others’ points of view

• Open to considering others’ views when confronted or offered

• Invites input from others because of expressed respect for them and their views

• Praises people publicly for their good actions; ensures that others’ opinions are heard before their own

• Uses empathy and personal experience to resolve conflicts and foster mutual respect; reinforces respect with public praise when individuals solicit and use input from others

Team Leadership

Manages and empowers a team of direct reports or peers on project based teams (includes virtual teams)

• No basis for judgment

• Struggles to delegate effectively (e.g. micromanages); does not organize activities or provide appropriate information to complete tasks

• Assigns tasks and tells people what to do; checks when they are done

• Solicits ideas and perspectives from the team; structures activities; holds members accountable

• Actively engages the team to develop plans and resolve issues through collaboration; shows the impact of individual/team contributions

• Recruits others into duties or roles based on insight into individual abilities; rewards those who exceed expectations; provides strong organizational support

Developing Others

Helps people develop their performance and ability over time

• No basis for judgment

• Focuses only on one’s own growth; critical of others’ efforts to develop

• Encourages people to develop; points out mistakes to help people develop and praises them for improvements

• Gives specific positive and negative behavioral feedback to support the development of others

• Provides overarching practical guiding principles and recommendations that are applicable in multiple situations to direct or focus efforts on specific areas of development

• Identifies potential in others; inspires others to develop by providing feedback, mentoring/coaching, and identifying new growth opportunities as well as supporting their effort to change

Trustworthiness/Integrity

Acts consistently in line with or follows explicit values, beliefs or intentions

• No basis for judgment

• Follows the crowd; takes path of least resistance; gives in under pressure

• Acts consistently with stated intentions, values, or beliefs when it is easy to do so

• Acts spontaneously and consistently with stated intentions, values, or beliefs despite opposition

• Initiates actions based on values or beliefs even though the actions may come with reputational risk; demonstrates the values of the team or organization publicly

• Demonstrates high personal integrity even at personal cost; holds people accountable to the team or organizational values

Adaptability/Resilience

Adapts to changing demands and circumstances without difficulty. Maintains calm optimism in the face of challenge, problems, or apparent failure

• No basis for judgment

• Prefers existing ways of doing things; fears failure; becomes anxious under challenging situations

• Adapts to new methods and procedures when required to do so; remains calm in unfamiliar situations until confronted with obstacle

• Champions adoption of new initiatives and processes; exhibits level-headedness in most environments including challenging ones; persists until obstacle is overcome

• Seeks out disruptions as an opportunity for improvement; remains optimistic and forward-looking in difficult situations that may result in failure

• Energized by projects with high uncertainty but potential for high reward; seeks to be the first into unknown or unfamiliar situations; welcomes learning opportunities created by failure; learns from mistakes and rebounds quickly from setbacks

Self Awareness

Aware of and seeks out additional input on own strengths and weaknesses

• No basis for judgment

• Lacks awareness of how he/she is perceived; denies or offers excuses when confronted

• Acknowledges fault or performance problem when confronted with concrete example or data

• Describes own key strengths and weaknesses accurately; welcomes feedback from others and discusses opportunities to change with select individuals

• Actively seeks out feedback to explicitly address desired improvement areas or build on strengths; explores reasons for problems openly, including own faults

• Seeks out challenging and potentially risky experiences to improve; identifies and engages with resources—people, processes, or content—to maximize strengths or mitigate weaknesses

Problem Solving

Frames problems, analyzes situations, identifies key issues, conducts analysis on the issues, and produces acceptable solutions

• No basis for judgment

• Avoids problems; when faced with problems, sticks to what worked before, or chooses an obvious path

• Offers solutions when the risk is low; focuses on immediate, short-term implications instead of the big picture

• Looks beyond the obvious; identifies and focuses on the critical information needed to understand a problem, identifies root cause(s), and comes up with reasonable solutions

• Gathers and analyzes key information using complex methods or several layers deep; integrates perspectives from a variety of sources to arrive at unexpected but practical and effective solutions

• Applies logic to break complex problems down into manageable parts or sub-problems; solves tough and interconnected problems and can explain how the pieces are connected

Strategic Orientation

Thinks beyond one’s span of control and into the future to reshape the approach or scope of work

• No basis for judgment

• Focuses on completing work without understanding implications

• Understands immediate issues or implications of work or analysis

• Develops insights or recommendations within area of responsibility that have improved near-term business performance

• Develops insights or recommendations within area of responsibility that have shaped team/organization strategy and will have impact on long-term business performance

• Develops insights or recommendations beyond area of responsibility with impact on long-term business strategy and performance

(Optional) Is there anything about your ratings on which you would like to comment? Please share any additional thoughts about the candidate and/or clarify your ratings below.

Recommendation Questions

• Please provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, the applicant’s role in your organization. (Recommended word count: 50 words)

• How does the applicant’s performance compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Please provide specific examples. (E.g. what are the applicant’s principal strengths?) (Recommended word count: 500 words)

• Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response. (Recommended word count: 500 words)

• (Optional) Is there anything about your ratings on which you would like to comment?

Based on your professional experience, how do you rate this applicant 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 this applicant

• recommend this applicant, with reservations

• recommend this applicant

• enthusiastically recommend this applicant

Note: Recommenders may answer all of these questions by uploading a letter of recommendation. Comment on the following topics when constructing the letter of recommendation:

• Strengths and outstanding qualities

• How applicant gets along with others

• Oral and written communication skills

• English language ability if English is not the applicant’s native language

• Areas of improvement (weaknesses)

• Anything else you would like to say about the applicant

Please write on company letterhead if company policy allows and also note that a one-page recommendation letter is sufficient.

Sam

Jon

Zack

Alex

Malvika

Rowan

Nanako

Mario

Analysis

Assessment Grid

Cornell's assessment grid consists of 12 broad skills/qualities. For each of these skills, your recommender will rate you on a unique 0-5 rating scale, with 0 being 'No Basis for Judgment', and 5 being the highest.

Your recommender should read the scale for each skill/quality carefully. Guide them to rate you according to your strengths and weaknesses. That means that they shouldn't simply give you the highest rating for each skill/quality, but aim to provide a balanced view. It's best to select 9-10 skills/qualities where you get the '5' rating, 2-3 where you get the '4' rating, and 1 where you can be marked '3'. If they mark you '3' in any skill, it should be explained in the Optional Essay below.

Overall, they should select ‘Enthusiastically Recommend this Candidate’. 

Recommendation Questions

1. Please provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, the applicant’s role in your organization. (50 words)

This answer requires your recommender to share the context of your relationship, the frequency of contact they’ve had with you, a brief synopsis of your role and interactions with them.

2. How does the applicant’s performance compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Please provide specific examples. (E.g. what are the applicant’s principal strengths?) (500 words)

Here, your recommender will assess your performance at work, strengths, and personal qualities relative to their interactions with your peers. 

Given the liberal word limit, your recommender can discuss 2-3 detailed anecdotes, each highlighting a distinct strength or quality. It's best if these strengths align with Cornell's values: excellence, inclusion, engagement, community, and impact. 

Lastly, we recommend using the SCAR method (Situation, Challenge, Action and Results) to structure your anecdotes and make them clear for the AdCom member reading your recommendation. 

3. Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response. (500 words)

For this answer, your recommender should select a personal or professional weakness that you have worked to overcome. This should be demonstrated in the form of an anecdote (again, in the SCAR format) where your weakness presented a challenge, how you received feedback from your recommender, and what actions you took to improve in this area. Ensure that this weakness isn’t too generic or ‘fake’, like “being too attentive to a project”. Your weakness should show self-awareness, your ability to learn from a situation, and your receptiveness to constructive criticism. 

Cornell looks for candidates who can “build sustainable, shared prosperity”. Guide your recommender to show your fit with these values. 

4. (Optional) Is there anything about your ratings on which you would like to comment?

Don’t ask your recommender to fill this field out just because they can! Reserve the Optional Answer for any comments they have about their ratings, especially to explain average or lower ratings. Recommenders typically leave this blank. 

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Our complete Recommender Guide course on MBAConsultant.com has all the advice (and sample letters based on real applicants) you need to create a compelling letter of recommendation.

Looking for a detailed analysis of the Cornell MBA Essay questions? We've got you covered.