Hello,
Your list of schools is solid. To answer your specific questions:
1. Yes, I consider them to be in the range of
reasonable reaches (e.g., Darden) to on-pars (e.g., Rotman). That’s an appropriate span.
2. As a general principle, your scholarship chances increase the more the schools want you, which means where your profile is a plus for the program. If this is a critical factor for you, it’s good to include the on-pars, where your chance of scholarship is higher than for very competitive programs.
3. It can never hurt to do so – but only apply to safe schools you’d really like to attend. I suggest adding 1 such school at least.
4. You can do so, depending on the program (maybe Kellogg – but I wouldn’t say other schools are “better,” just more competitive by the numbers, since Darden and others on your list are excellent and I wouldn’t seem them as a “compromise”), but the chances for scholarship may decrease with such programs.
5. The feedback was about your perceived attitude (negative, pessimistic), not about your actual story, it seems. I believe it would be beneficial to include information about your background, as long as you portray it in a positive light – how you grew from it, how it helped you understand the world and people’s challenges, etc.
6. MBA adcoms are usually not that interested in academic recommendations. And a peer isn’t ideal, as the recommender should be higher than you organizationally – however, you could use a peer if that person has longer tenure than you. I suggest someone else from work if possible.
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