Big 4,Of course it is very hard to get into a top b-school...because you, everyone else, and everyone else's uncles all want to get in. Acceptance rates for the top 10 in the US hover at about 15%. However, as you suspect...good uni, good grades, high GMAT, and blue chip employer won't really set you apart. You need something else. If you ask Admissions Directors the most important characteristic they're looking for in an applicant (and I have, at least to the 4 schools I applied to back in the day), the answer is almost always "leadership potential", i.e., the probability that you will be successful in the world of business (or your chosen field of endeavor). Top B-schools are looking for the next movers and shakers, and that's the criteria when scanning your grades, letters of recommendation, essays, work experience, etc. -- intellect and ability, personal drive and ambition, and *demonstrated* potential.The most obvious way to do this assuming you work in commerce (and are not a musician, soldier, athelete, etc.)? Get promoted, at least once every 2 years. Make sure your salary goes up commensurately, as well. There's a reason why B-schools ask you to submit your CV, along with what you made every year since you graduated from college. If you've been stuck at the same position making the same amount of money 4 years after you got out of college...then you need not apply.
