-
You intend
changing your career direction or your primary
industry
-
You have
no hard evidence of leadership experience
-
You are
under 24 or older than 30 at the time of
application (for a full-time MBA);or under 30 or
over 45 (for EMBA)
-
You are
currently or have been previously self-employed;
or there have been breaks in your career
-
Your
background is very common: e.g. banking,
consulting
-
Your
background is hard to evaluate using
conventional methods and/or low in work
experience
-
You have
no volunteer or community service experience
-
You come
from a high applicant country - US, India,
China, etc.
-
You are or
have been unemployed in the last three years
-
You have
been with your present company for under a year,
or you have been employed by 3 or more companies
-
Your
undergraduate academic record, GPA or
equivalent, is sketchy
-
You have
not been promoted in your job (or your previous
job)
-
You do not
have referees who will praise you
unconditionally
-
Your GMAT
is below 680 (for a top-20 program)
-
You are
underpaid considering your level of seniority
and responsibility.
-
You are
not sure what you want to do with your MBA
-
You have
no clear team experience, or don't know your
team player profile
-
You have
an arts or social studies background (hello,
you're a "poet")
-
You were
dinged last year from any business school
-
You have
another Masters degree, or a PhD
-
You don't
have some math or stats in your background
-
You are
short of international or intercultural contact
experience
-
You don't
think you have any weaknesses (wake up and get
one fast!)
-
You are
short of active writing experience and the last
time you wrote an essay was at college.
*
Rejection letter.
(With apologies to John Donne, 1572-1631).
