This fall, our Outreach & Belonging (O&B) Associates hosted a student-led webinar series covering different components of the master’s degree application. From choosing your recommenders to finding your voice in essays, the O&B Associates had plenty of advice to offer.
If you missed these sessions, don’t worry. See the O&B Associates’ answers to frequently asked questions below.
Letters of Recommendation
Who should I ask for a letter of recommendation if I have limited work experience?
We encourage you to submit two letters of recommendation from university faculty members and the third from an immediate supervisor from a professional work environment, which can include an internship.
Who should I ask for a letter of recommendation if I have more than two years of work experience?
If you have more than two years of work experience, we recommend that two of your three letters of recommendation come from current or previous work colleagues, including a supervisor. The third letter can come from an academic reference, if possible.
Who should I ask for a letter of recommendation when applying to the Mid-Career Master in Public Administration (MC/MPA) Program?
We understand that applicants to the MC/MPA Program may not be able to submit recommendations from university professors, given the time spent away from an academic environment. In this case, you should have colleagues or supervisors who can evaluate your ability to succeed in a rigorous academic environment write your letters of recommendation.
Can you offer any guidance on how long the letters should be?
Our general guidance on recommendation letter length is around 500 words; however, your recommenders are welcome to use their own judgment. What is important is that the letter has detailed information and examples about your strengths and experiences.
General Tips for Letters of Recommendation
- Ask your recommender—colleague, supervisor, or professor—if they will write your letter of recommendation well in advance of the application deadline.
- Send your recommenders your résumé and additional profile details to help them with content for the letter.
- Ask your recommenders to be as detailed as possible, providing specific examples of your work, research, internship, or classroom experience.
- All application materials—including letters of recommendation—must be submitted by Monday, December 1, 2025 at 12 p.m. (noon) ET. Remind your recommenders of this important deadline.
Résumés
What information should be included in my résumé?
Your résumé should highlight the following information:
- Professional employment history, including titles and dates (months and years) for each position and relevant job responsibilities
- Academic degrees, achievements, and honors
- Volunteer, public service, and political work
- Recent leadership experiences
- Extracurricular activities (months and years) and interests
Is it okay if my résumé is several pages long?
Yes, it is okay if your résumé is several pages long, particularly if you have significant work experience. We do, however, encourage you to be concise and selective about the information you are including. Your résumé should highlight the experience and accomplishments that make you a strong candidate for a master’s program at HKS.
General Tips for Résumés
- Position the most important information towards the top of each section of your résumé.
- Maintain the same format throughout your entire résumé. Bullet points are the most common layout for explaining your experience.
- Action verbs are helpful.
- Be as specific as possible about what you have accomplished.
Essays
How should I avoid repeating the information from my résumé in my essays?
Essays are an opportunity for you to highlight why you are interested in the program and your motivations for the activities you have included in your résumé. Essays allow you to shed light on who you are personally.
Should I use links to my work—research, papers, op-eds—in the essays?
We do not recommend including links to your work in essays, though you could potentially hyperlink these in your résumé instead.
How specific should I get about what I hope to do after graduating from HKS?
It helps to have a general idea of what you want to do post-graduation, but you do not have to be super specific in your essays. As long as you can showcase that you have thought about your career goals, you do not need to know exactly where you want to be or what you will be doing. HKS will help with that!
Should I submit an optional essay?
On the Essay section of the application, you will see an opportunity to upload an optional essay. If there is anything you would like the Admissions Committee to know about your academic, professional, or personal background that is not otherwise addressed in your application, you can use the optional essay to provide this context.
The optional essay is helpful to address:
- Gaps in your résumé or professional background
- Major changes in your career trajectory
- Inconsistent academic performance
- Perceived weaknesses in your application
If you are submitting an optional essay, be careful not to make excuses but instead provide context and focus on growth and learning. Most applicants do not submit an optional essay, so do not feel obligated to submit an optional essay if there is nothing you feel needs to be addressed.
General Tips from the O&B Associates
- There is no essay template. Each application essay should be unique. It’s up to you to style it.
- Essay questions can change year to year! Even if you have applied in the past, the essays may be different this year.
- Proofread your essays.
- You are the main character in your essays. These are about your own personal experiences.
- You should reflect on your background and look introspectively about why you would like to apply to HKS.
- Essays are about your voice. The Admissions Committee doesn’t want artificial intelligence perfection—in fact, you should not use AI at all.
- Don’t be afraid of making a mistake or sounding “too you”; the Admissions Committee would rather have you write in your authentic voice than sound like someone you are not.
