Reddit mentions of MBA Admissions Strategy: From Profile Building to Essay Writing

Assuming your GPA and GMAT are in line with the schools you're targeting, the problem is probably your essays. Your essays need to assert some good qualities about yourself, use stories to prove that those assertions are true, and tieback how those qualities will help you perform at [school] and do your part to make it better.

I highly recommend this book to get inside the heads of the admissions committees. You have to put yourself in their shoes and show how you'll help the school, not the other way around.

Status:
Admitted: HBS
Dinged w/o Interview : Stanford, MIT, Berkeley

Background: Hispanic Male, 3.7 GPA (Top 25 public univ), 166V/165Q, PhD drop out in engineering
2.5 yrs at graduate program, 1.5 yrs in industry at the leading company in my field.

Multiple NSF Fellowships, first author research papers, awards at current company, president of outreach org.

Strategy: Only applied to schools I would be more than excited to go to. Figured I either had a terrible shot or a great shot given my background. Sold myself as an expert in science and tech that wanted to branch out into leading my own start up or VC depending on the timing.

During my reflection, when I started realizing I was going to be dinged at most schools, I realized that the essays didn't really let me get my message across. I knew going in to stick to my message and just mold it to the schools prompts, but really answering the question for MIT was impossible to convey my message outside of my resume. Overall applying to MIT sucks I do not recommend their school if the admissions office is a reflection of the career support they give students. Also, Stanford is just a crap shoot. Berkeley is doable but honestly I didn't put enough effort forward to fit my message into a measly 500 words.

The Harvard essay was the only one that let me properly sell myself, and I believe that is why I was successful there. ~800 words just introducing who I am and how I can provide value. It's the only essay I think works to sell myself. That is what the application process is about, how can you add value to the class in a unique way.

The fact that schools are slashing essays and word counts so heavily really tells me they are just playing a numbers game and looking for bullet points on your resume / how much you will donate based on your career path. It's all random once you meet the cut offs, so quantity is king. Sell sell sell your value add to the class.

I didn't use a consultant, this is really the only book you need:
http://www.amazon.com/MBA-Admissions-Strategy-Profile-Building/dp/0335241174

Feel free to ask me any other questions.