What MBA applicants should not do

I often get asked by potential MBA students: "What can I do to increase my odds of admission?"  My answer is fairly standard: study hard for the GMAT, take the essays very seriously, select references who can speak to your leadership and interpersonal skills, and be yourself in the interview.   Today I ran across a story on Bloomberg Business Week online that reports what applicants at some schools have done to totally sink their candidacy.  As a service to this blog's readers (some of whom may be thinking about an MBA program), here are some behaviors that have not worked elsewhere: offering a $100,000 bribe during the interview, constantly calling and visiting the admissions office, telling the admissions staff they are unattractive and out of shape, and describing your previous cocaine addiction in your essay.