CityLights wrote:
I had an unsuccessful 1st round admissions experience, despite excellent grades from a top undergrad institution, a very high GMAT, work experience at an employer that routinely sends people at my level to top MBA programs, and tons of volunteer experience. I am trying to reflect on what went wrong during the application process, but I sincerely have no idea. I am concerned that there may be some intangible factor that I'm not aware of. I've tried asking my recommenders, but they were surprised at my rejections and aren't sure what went wrong either. Does anyone have any advice on how to best reflect and determine what I need to improve?
Don't lose hope. I got swept in 2011 with good stats (magna cum laude Ivy, 700+ GMAT), and you can see from my profile things turned out better this year. Sit on it for a month, and do some self-reflection. For me I realized the job I previously had was inconsistent with my career goals. It took me switching jobs for my story to really make sense. I know this is painful, I was absolutely devastated in 2011, but just understand this is a process and a game.