Why Was I Dinged?

A few pointers. Often applicants focus on status and prestige, being "business-like" in their applications which provides as an obfuscation to really getting to know the applicant.

Did you get personal in your essays, allow them to know you as a person? Because you are the product they are selling to other applicants. So, you want to be likeable, well rounded and easy to be around.

Did you share vulnerabilities, and gaps that lead you to do an MBA? Do you seem coachable and willing to examine your assumptions?

Are your essays and recs telling a story where the reader can visualize an event unfolding? Did you fully articulate the problems you have solved and the accompanying result?

Or did they jam and cram a bunch of stuff with nothing memorable that can have impact.

Did you network with alums from each school so you can articulate your fit with their culture and values?

There are other things to look for like overall narrative/strategy, but these are things I look for in doing a ding analysis.