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04 Dec 2013, 10:00
| FROM ISB Admissions Blog: The Value of the ISB Alumni Network |
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This past weekend, we hosted our alumni at Equinox, the annual alumni learning and networking event at our Mohali campus. I thought this may be a good time to share some thoughts on what you can look forward to if you become part of our rapidly growing alumni network. Long after our students graduate from ISB, the network that they became a part of continues to play an important role in their lives. Whether one is looking for valuable business leads or exclusive job opportunities, is settling into a new city and building a circle of friends, or for just about anything else, the alumni network is almost always the first port of call. With over 5200 alumni spread across 32 countries, the ISB alumni network is vibrant, engaged and growing rapidly. They are an active lot and passionate about helping one another. Many of the alumni report that their career growth post graduation has come directly through alumni referrals and job postings on the network. If you thought job opportunities are available only during placement season, think again – the alumni email group sees high-level jobs and opportunities being posted almost on a daily basis! A lot of alumni also reach out to the network for information, guidance or ideas on solving challenges that they grapple with at work. The collective input from them leads to faster and more effective solutions – something that organisations have come to deeply appreciate in their employees. It is no surprise that many organisations encourage the ISB alumni in their employment to recruit more ISB graduates, from the alumni network as well as from the school directly through placements. Apart from helping corporate careers, the alumni network is also proving to be a great resource for the growing pool of entrepreneurs in the ISB community. Whether they are trying to recruit good talent, looking for top professional services like designers, developers, subject matter experts, lawyers, etc, trying to get publicity for their ventures and build a client base, or even generating investor interest, the collective network often has great references and advice to share, based on personal experiences with these. An encouraging trend at ISB is the ever-increasing number of alumni coming together to co-found businesses. Of course, the network is not only about work and business. The community is socially active and meet often, in small groups as well as large ones. Movies, get-togethers, and weekend getaways provide a welcome break from work and are especially enjoyable in the company of individuals one shares a pleasant history with. If an alumnus is visiting a city on work and finds that he/she has some free time at the end of the day, fellow alumni are a phone call away – definitely a better option than killing time in the airport lounge. Alumni relocating to a new city also find that the network is there for them – anything from finding a house and suggesting good schools for the children to showing them around town and helping them build a social circle. With such a support system in place, transitions become a lot more comfortable. Apart from the informal interactions and events, the school and the various chapters of the ISB Alumni Association (ISBAA) also organise official alumni events in different cities. Every year, we celebrate our two alumni reunions, Solstice and Equinox, at our two campuses. These help alumni reconnect with the school, meet old friends and make new ones. They also get to relive their student days by returning to the classroom for learning sessions at these events. In fact, such “Lifelong Learning” sessions are conducted throughout the year at different cities, organised by the elected ISBAA representatives of the different chapters. All this sharing of resources and opportunities, social interactions and a strong support system are not only rewards in themselves, but also serve a higher purpose. They build a strong sense of belonging and promote a mindset of helping the fraternity. Today, this habit helps make life a little more comfortable. Tomorrow, with a critical mass of alumni in leadership and decision-making positions, this translates to opening up of exclusive opportunities and social circles comprising of CXOs and influential individuals. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the immense value that such a network has to offer. However, to reach that critical mass of ISB alumni in key positions is not easy. We do have an advantage because our graduates start higher up on the corporate ladder, as indicated in my earlier blog post on Career Advancement Services at ISB. And as they have shown, they will scale heights quickly from there. We are a young school, but while most other schools with several years of heritage are adding between 200-400 alumni to their fold every year, we are adding about 800, while maintaining the most stringent admission criteria. At this rate, the day is not far when a critical mass of our alumni will be leading global companies and be the foremost decision makers influencing business, economy and society. Consequently, the reach and influence of each alumnus in the network will also increase manifold. I will point out a simple, present-day indicator of how the ISB alumni network increases reach. In fact, some of you may already have noticed this: An ISB alumnus’ Facebook or LinkedIn account generally has a significantly higher number of connections/followers than those of the average social media user. They also happen to be connected with fairly influential individuals in their areas of interest. Safe to say this effect is going to grow faster and faster from here on. Let me leave you with a little anecdote about how the alumni network tends to go above and beyond when help is needed, even in the simplest of things. This is from the personal experience of our alumnus Subramani Ramachandrappa (PGP ’04), CMD of Richcore Lifesciences: We were putting up a manufacturing plant and my engineering consultant said we needed X units of steam and therefore needed Y kilowatts of backup power, etc. On the look of it, I felt it was too much, but I was not the expert here. So I sent a mail to the alumni network with my concerns and I got six replies almost immediately from alumni who were experts in the energy space, having spent years in the best consulting firms and industry. They each offered to take look at this, and I did not even know any of them! It was just because of the pgp.isb.edu email id that we all had in common. In two days, somebody actually flew down pro bono, sat with me and ran through the program, suggesting changes and helping me understand the system. I could trust him because he was an expert, a fellow alumnus and was not going to steer me wrong. We went with the new recommendations, and even today, my plant has been running great with what we implemented. In fact, the engineer who suggested the original specifications to me also wanted to collaborate with my friend on future projects! That is the kind of support you can get from the alumni network. Any request for help never goes unanswered, anything from a simple request for information all the way up to support during medical emergencies. We are not looking at it as a transaction, but saying that we all belong to the same family. All the best! |
04 Dec 2013, 10:00
| FROM ISB Admissions Blog: Applying to ISB PGP in Round 2 |
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Each year, applicants have to take a call between applying in Round 1 Vs Round 2. For a particular individual, any number of reasons could make it better to apply in one round than in the other. There are some advantages of applying in Round 1. For example, getting an offer of admission early gives applicants more time to get prepared for the changes coming up – planning the resignation from their job and handing over responsibilities, terminating home lease, making travel arrangements, organising finances, looking for a new job for the spouse in the new city, looking for good schools for kids in the new city, etc. It also allows them to take a break before joining the programme. Travel seems to be a popular option with many of the students admitted in Round 1. Even in the case where one doesn’t receive an offer of admission, it still helps to know it early so that they can get a head start on addressing any weaknesses in their profile before reapplying next year. Applying in Round 2 has its own unique set of advantages:
To those of you who were considering applying in Round 1 but decided to submit your applications in Round 2 instead, congratulations! You have rightly followed the first rule of submitting a winning application – “Apply when you are ready.” All the best! |
04 Dec 2013, 10:00
| FROM ISB Admissions Blog: Application Tips for Reapplicants to ISB PGP |
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In the ISB PGP application pool, we get a large number of re-applicants who have unsuccessfully applied to ISB once or more before. This is a key demographic for us and we value these candidates greatly, simply because they persevere when others in similar situations don’t. There may be several reasons for not making it through ISB’s admissions process in the first attempt. Many may have applied in the previous year even though they had not spent enough time to build and present their most compelling argument. Or they may not have done sufficient homework to understand what the school looks for in prospective candidates. Perhaps they may not have been ready for business education at that time, and that came through in their application or interview. It is even possible (and is often the case) that they may have done everything right and submitted a great application, but may not have made the cut in a very competitive application pool. Whatever the reason, a candidate’s unsuccessful attempt can sometimes discourages him/her from reapplying to ISB next year, and may even lead to dropping the idea of going to B-school altogether. For those who do reapply, however, not getting an acceptance letter from ISB becomes a source of motivation to improve themselves, find out what needs to be done to make it next year, and then put in the necessary effort to get that letter. These are the candidates we seek. So if you are keen on making it to ISB and have decided to reapply in spite of being unsuccessful previously, here are some of the things you can do to improve your chances this year:
All the best! |
04 Dec 2013, 10:00
| FROM ISB Admissions Blog: Applying to ISB PGP: Submitting your Application – Round 2 |
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With just over a week to go for the Round 2 deadline in the ISB PGP 2014-15 application cycle, I’m sure the activity level among our applicants is at a peak. Those who were not ready to submit before the Round 1 application deadline could always opt to apply in Round 2, but those applying now have no such safety net; you need to be disciplined about preparing and submitting your final application within the stipulated time period. To ensure that you are on top of everything, I strongly suggest that you go through the application checklist and pointers shared during the Round 1 application cycle. This is important. In addition to finalising your application, my suggestion is that you start working on additional tasks that have a shorter buffer this time around, as compared to Round 1:
All the best! |
04 Dec 2013, 10:00
| FROM ISB Admissions Blog: Applying to ISB PGP 2014-15: Final Words |
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As Round 2 of the ISB PGP 2014-15 application season draws to a close on November 30, 2013, let me leave all our applicants with some final advice. First of all, congratulations to those applicants from Round 1 who have received an offer of admission to ISB. I welcome you to the school and wish you the very best for the year ahead! From achieving your learning goals through classroom-based studies, interactions with faculty, applied learning and extracurricular activities, to campus life, international exposure, placement opportunities and finally joining the ISB alumni network, you are now boarding what we like to call the 51-week rollercoaster. So get ready, the year ahead is as challenging as it is exciting! To those of you who did not receive an offer of admission this year, do not be disheartened. While many applicants do make it to ISB in their first attempt, a good number of admitted candidates every year are reapplicants from previous years who learnt from their application mistakes, worked on their weaknesses, showed great perseverance and built a strong case for why they should be part of the programme. So, if you believe that business education and ISB can help you build a stellar career, there’s nothing to stop you from going after what you want. Get back to the basics, figure out your next steps, work towards your goals and ensure that the coming year is going to be a phenomenal one for you. And when you’re ready, we’d like to meet you again. Those of you who are applying in Round 2 and are just a few days away from the deadline, you know what you need to do. Give it your all, make no compromises and give yourself the best chance possible. If you missed last week’s post, do take a look at it for some useful tips on submitting your application. You are also advised to start preparing for interviews as early as possible. To our international applicants: People say a year in B-school changes your life. People say a year in India changes your life. So are you ready to spend a year in a B-school in India? These are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, so don’t be afraid to explore (you can take the first step here). Deadline to change your life through ISB is Jan 15, 2015. Early Entry Option (EEO) candidates, the value proposition to you is similar – get a head start on building a great career by making use of a very good opportunity available to you right now. You can apply now, impress us with your track record as well as potential, and reserve your seat immediately. Later, when you have gotten sufficient work experience and are most receptive to learning, come join the rest of your class. Your deadline to apply to EEO is January 15, 2014. If you haven’t started your preparation already, now is the time to do so. Dear readers, this concludes our conversations on this blog about the ISB PGP 2014-15 R1 and R2 application cycles, but you are always welcome to connect with my team and me through our traditional channels, as well as through social media. Whether you are joining the Indian School of Business family immediately, a little later in the future or not at all, I wish you great success in all your endeavours, and I encourage you to always keep learning. All the best! |
04 Dec 2013, 19:47
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Hi Generic [Bot],
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