How to get those recommendation letters

No doubt, this is one of the most anxiety-filled steps you have to take in pursuing your application. Schools usually prefer getting recommendations from your direct supervisor, and telling your supervisor is tantamount to saying that you'll be leaving the company soon (or, at least, that you have plans of leaving).

I've already finished this step, and am very happy that my preferred recommenders -- including my supervisor -- are all very supportive. To be honest, I felt that time was running out on my applications, and so I just went ahead and did it. No role-playing, no prepared speech, no scripted plans beforehand. I just told each of them straight that I was planning to get my master's abroad (emphasis on planning), and there was a chance (just a chance!) of me leaving the company in the not-so-near future.

I searched online to see how other people dealt with this situation, and found a most interesting answer here from jaroth04:

I thought about this for a while myself, in the end this is what I came up with:

I'm applying to business school. I'm not going to business school. I'm asking them to help me with an application for an opportunity that I can't possibly know whether or not I'll actually take until I have it. It'd be one thing if you got admitted and only subsequently asked for a recommendation, but in this case, I don't think it's much different than asking someone to be a reference for you when you take out a loan or apply for a job. I have two people from my office writing me recommendations, including my current supervisor.

I understand that people and bosses differ in their interpretation of what it might mean to apply to business school. My boss asked me point-blank recently whether I'd be planning on continuing on with the company, and I told him, "At this point, I have no other choice: I haven't actually been admitted anywhere yet."

Again, your mileage may vary; I know that I personally wouldn't be happy working somewhere that didn't support my growth and advancement.

I hope this helps, this was one of the more stressful parts of the application process for me.



And I agree with him: working for a company that doesn't support your plans for career growth means that it isn't such a great company to work for after all!