Calling all ISB Applicants - (2016 Intake) Class of 2017

Hi AnotherIndianITmale! you have a 50-50 chance of an interview given your low workex and acads. But 720 is good and a strong set of essays may boost your application. Worth taking a chance.

All the Best!
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Hi akhigandhi! There are several interesting elements to your profile. 680 isn't bad either. With a different profile, it becomes all the more important to establish the need for an MBA well. Carefully drafted essays so you don't get stuck in the interview will remain important. Chances of getting an interview call are pretty high though.

All the Best!
'ISBmantra'

Apply now for a 100% waiver on any of the ISBmantra services [exclusively for GMATClub members]:
https://www.isbmantra.com/gmatclub-free-consulting

Now sign up for our Interview Services even before you have an interview call and get all your fees back in case you end up not getting a call!

So here's my debrief:
I reached ITC Mumbai at 2:00 PM for a 3:45 PM interview. Talked to a couple of guys. Then moved on to have a coffee. I was really nervous since this was my first interview to any B-School. The one-word essay topic was SHALLOW. I don't think essays make a difference.
I was told to go to room where panel 11 was seated. Actually the coordinator goofed it up, and sent me on 10th floor instead of 11th Floor. That added to my tension. I searched the room for a while and headed back down the lift to check the correct room number. The guy apologized and told me the correct room number this time.
As I thought I was already late, so did not take a second to compose myself. I knocked on the room and one of the panel opened the door. They(3 Alums) introduced themselves with a smile and asked me to be seated. The lady complemented me on my tie. And so they began:
P: Did you find any difficulties coming to the place?
Me: Told them that my sister stays in Mumbai and it was no problem at all.
P: Tell us about your current job?
Me: This is where I got a sudden rush inside me, and I got all nervous which was pretty evident. Before they could say anything, I excused myself and told them that since this was my first interview, so I got nervous and all. I took a sip of water, and a deep breath, and started again.
P: Explain job switches?
Me: Explained my 2 switches within a year.
P: Explain your role in tech consulting for a start up/ would you suggest him to use cloud?
Me: Answered my role and my involvement and told them what I thought about i, its pros and cons. Although I feel, I could have done better here.
P:Why do you think onsite is important for a guy in IT? (Since I am a software engineer)
ME: Explained my perspective. I was calm by now, and maintained my rhythm.
P:Why mba now?/ Why you? What are your strengths?
Me: I took this as an opportunity and explained them that nervousness was just one rare moment and I do keep myself calm in difficult situations and followed with a recent example.
P: Explain the book that you are writing. (Had mentioned in my essays)
Me: Told them about it.
P: Why did you join Human rights association? Your take on Syria issue? How would you react if all the immigrants came to India and took space/jobs of citizens of India? Don't you think economy is important than human rights at this point of time?
ME: Told them my perspective on all answers, no cross questions were made neither was I grilled.
P:1 Guesstimate
Me: I started with breaking down the problem in smallest unit and started my calculations. The panel helped me reach an answer.
P:Would you like to ask anything?
Me: Asked a couple of question.
We exchanged pleasantries and I told the lady the TIE story. And that's how it ended. No goal questions, nothing about why MBA, and nothing about industry/consulting too. And yeah, I too have that obvious feeling that I could have done better. Well, its very difficult for me considering my score(680) and my industry(IT, 5 years). It was a great experience. I still have no clue as to what they were judging me on. Its a mixed feeling and frankly, i don't think I stand a chance given how terribly I started. And of course my responses too could have been better.
One key take-away, take a deep breath before moving in.
It happened so quick for me that I got mixed up and nervousness played on my mind. Also, I forgot to tell them the goof up story that I just had. Wishing others all the best!

Hi, i had my interview with 2 alumni in Mumbai yesterday. It was very relaxed and they were very interested in my essays. Probed me a lot on ine of the essays and had to explain a project start to finish.
Why mba was the last question and my career goals surprised them so they took some more time to gauge that.
No questions around ideal fit and why isb. They seemed more than pleased with my extra curriculars.
All in all it was a very luke warm kind of interview. I wouldn't be surprised with either result.
Also, kindly dont sweat with the one word essay. You can use your cellphone and chat with others before you write.
Thanks.hereby completing my moral duty of returning to the forum. Lol.
Chees and best of luck to all.

Did you get a mail from ISB?

FROM ISB Admissions Blog: ET young leaders awardee Kanav Goyal, shares his experience

I first heard about the Economic Times Young Leaders Awards B-School Edition when I saw the picture of a friend, Mitali Bhandari, in the Economic Times last year. She was an ISB PGP Class of 2015 student and one of many friends who motivated me to pursue PGP in management at ISB this year. When the ETYL program was launched at ISB this year, I knew I wanted to win this award. As I went through the online personality test in Phase 1, I realized that leadership starts with effective time management and choosing your own path among multiple correct options. In the second round, the online test on analytical, verbal and managerial competencies reinforced my belief that leaders should have well-rounded analytical and communication skills and the ability to handle complex situations. In Phase 3, I had to analyze one of the 6 case studies based on the Aditya Birla Group businesses across the functions of Finance, Marketing, HR and Operations. I had no background in any of the industries in cases, so I relied on my functional strengths and picked a case on Operations. The biggest support of ISB was in terms of providing access to a peer group of exceptionally smart people with diverse work experiences, which exposed me to different perspectives of solving problems. I knew I could get some insights about the fashion industry from my peers to be able to solve the case better, which might not have been possible in other B-schools. The case study method of teaching at ISB and my regular participation in many case competitions helped me in analyzing the case from multiple lenses. The high quality of teaching at ISB ensured that I was able to use my core operations concepts and come up with new strategies for lead time reduction in online fast fashion. In the Final Phase,  I was quite confident during my interview with 2 leading CEOs of India Inc – Saugata Gupta, MD and CEO of Marico Limited and Dilip Gaur, Deputy MD of UltraTech Cement.  The experience of interacting with top industry leaders at ISB during events such as ISB Leadership Summit and other regular talks helped me in preparing for the interview. I was amazed by the opportunity to discuss my dreams and passion with such senior executives and get first-hand advice on building a fulfilling career. I was elated beyond description when my name was announced as one of the 22 winners of the Economic Times Young Leaders Award B-School Edition 2015. It was like a dream come true when I was among the 5 students from ISB to be featured as Young Leaders in the Economic Times this year. – Kanav Goyal is a PGP candidate from the Class of 2016 at ISB

FROM ISB PGP Admissions Director Blog: ET young leaders awardee Kanav Goyal, shares his experience

I first heard about the Economic Times Young Leaders Awards B-School Edition when I saw the picture of a friend, Mitali Bhandari, in the Economic Times last year. She was an ISB PGP Class of 2015 student and one of many friends who motivated me to pursue PGP in management at ISB this year. When the ETYL program was launched at ISB this year, I knew I wanted to win this award. As I went through the online personality test in Phase 1, I realized that leadership starts with effective time management and choosing your own path among multiple correct options. In the second round, the online test on analytical, verbal and managerial competencies reinforced my belief that leaders should have well-rounded analytical and communication skills and the ability to handle complex situations. In Phase 3, I had to analyze one of the 6 case studies based on the Aditya Birla Group businesses across the functions of Finance, Marketing, HR and Operations. I had no background in any of the industries in cases, so I relied on my functional strengths and picked a case on Operations. The biggest support of ISB was in terms of providing access to a peer group of exceptionally smart people with diverse work experiences, which exposed me to different perspectives of solving problems. I knew I could get some insights about the fashion industry from my peers to be able to solve the case better, which might not have been possible in other B-schools. The case study method of teaching at ISB and my regular participation in many case competitions helped me in analyzing the case from multiple lenses. The high quality of teaching at ISB ensured that I was able to use my core operations concepts and come up with new strategies for lead time reduction in online fast fashion. In the Final Phase,  I was quite confident during my interview with 2 leading CEOs of India Inc – Saugata Gupta, MD and CEO of Marico Limited and Dilip Gaur, Deputy MD of UltraTech Cement.  The experience of interacting with top industry leaders at ISB during events such as ISB Leadership Summit and other regular talks helped me in preparing for the interview. I was amazed by the opportunity to discuss my dreams and passion with such senior executives and get first-hand advice on building a fulfilling career. I was elated beyond description when my name was announced as one of the 22 winners of the Economic Times Young Leaders Award B-School Edition 2015. It was like a dream come true when I was among the 5 students from ISB to be featured as Young Leaders in the Economic Times this year. – Kanav Goyal is a PGP candidate from the Class of 2016 at ISB

2 weeks to go people..all the best to everyone..!!

Sorry for Posting Late..

Finally got a call to be interviewed at Hyderabad on 5th December. I got the invite on 27th Novemeber..

I have one question. Is there any logic in how the calls are given. Mine was an Average GMAT score of 690. Does that have any bearing whatsoever that i need to score more decently in the interview compared to those who got early calls??

Congrats! Calls are not organized by GMAT score - some of our clients with scores of 690 (and some lower) received calls in early November as well, while some with higher scores have received them much later. Focus on doing well on your interview. All the best!

Hardly two weeks for the final result now

Best wishes to everyone

When are the final replies coming out exactly? And it comes through mail or a call?

Are all the first round calls over?

arkochak,
Received the mail yesterday. Interview scheduled on 6th December, 9:45 AM.

Anyone else from Calcutta?

By when can we hear the final results?

15th December for Round 1

Hi All
Advice needed.

I have an interview invite to ISB on Dec 6th at Hyderabad.
However as Chennai is experience floods, all trains and flights have been cancelled till Dec 6th. But this information can change anytime. So do I wait till Dec 5th to call ISB and let them know the status or is it okay to ask them for a reschedule as early as possible?

Thank you!