An old cder seeking for help...

cannedpineapple

How about spending some time on extra-curriculars?

"big-name companies" matter less than your ability to succeed within a company.

Lastly, the things that will most affect your chances of success are exactly what you omit- "why mba, why in 5 years, why a particular school"

cannedpineapple

Lying is the easiest way to get you dinged. Most applicants are far worse liars than they imagine. It tends to be immediately apparent that you don't have a good reason.

Even "career advancement" doesn't have to be the sole reason. If you have other reasons, it may be good to explore them. Whatever reason you have, I'm willing to bet that there has been some other applicant before that has had the same reasons.

No, MBA applications do not require, nor generally encourage, academic recommendations.