Got a rejection from Mck..."We have reviewed your background and are impressed by your accomplishments. Your particular blend of skills and experience, however, do not match our current needs as closely as we would like. Therefore, after careful consideration, we have reluctantly concluded that it is not in our mutual interest to proceed further. That said, should you remain interested in McKinsey, we encourage you to reapply in the future."Should I just give up and never try again???

CE, are you applying as undergrad, post-mba or experienced professional?If any of the first two, then I would try again at the beginning of the next cycle, so September-October. If you are an experienced professional, then wait a bit longer.Where are you applying, and what is your background?

I'd just give up. Maybe they have such high staff turnover that they won't remember you and you might win by playing the numbers gain.But, more likely, you're possibly now on some internal database that they'll hold for a few years.I remember applying to one firm of "management" consultants that had a sister accounting company that went bust. They seemed to have an impenetrable process for blocking people who had been dinged once before. If some little geek with an authority complex didn't take a shine to you because of any stupid little reason, it seemed that that was it - you could say goodbye forever to your chances of working there. In hindsight, it was just as well because I don't think I could have beared working with them.

Eurocons,It was McKinsey in US. My background is 8 years in industry, PhD in engineering from a decent school and FRM title.