Calling all ISB Applicants - (2015 Intake) Class of 2016

FROM ISB PGP Admissions Director Blog: How ‘diversity’ on campus helps our students to rise above.

The 21st century economy is defined by globalism. Shouldn’t our future business leaders be educated in global environments? At the Indian School of Business (ISB), we are committed to the ideal that the best business training runs parallel to what’s happening in the real world. This is why we view diversity not just as a catchy buzzword, but as a campus-wide imperative. Untapped Resources Some obvious things come to mind when we talk about resources: capital, facilities, land. It’s easy to overlook one of the most valuable resources of all: people. ISB believes in the power and potential of our students and faculty as individuals and as collaborators. To that end, we strive to create an environment which comprehensively fosters diversity. But why is diversity so important? Because real innovation is not shaped by a single or narrow ideology, but by the powerful exchange of information between people with different viewpoints. The broader our perspectives and more holistic our approach, the more creatively we can solve challenges, make decisions and push forward. “I think that when you have a number of people pulling in different directions, the solution that comes out of that seemingly conflicted environment is often more efficient and universally applicable than if you had a bunch of people thinking the same thing.”, says Angad Sethi, an ISB student. ISB students originate from near and far, and we are committed to seeing our international enrollment grow. We are also home to a multitude of ethnic and racial groups, as well as people in all phases of their careers and an increasing number of women applicants. Our students come to us with a breadth and depth of personal and professional experiences. We count scuba divers, musicians, mountaineers, elite athletes and artists among our students and alumni, as well as surgeons, accountants, dentists, engineers, IT professionals, consultants, pharmacists, patent holders, military officers, government personnel and entrepreneurs. Together, they comprise a vibrant community of broad thinkers with an abiding respect for different points of view. “Every person around is a wealth of information about a new domain. There is something new to learn from every person, every day!”, quotes Abhidha Awadaat, another student pursuing ISB’s PGP in Management. And it’s not just the students. Our diverse faculty members promote an environment in which a global viewpoint transcends traditional boundaries. The Spirit of Collaboration While some b-schools may bring to mind thoughts of cutthroat, every-man-for-himself academic competition, we strive for a different environment here at ISB: rather than pitting individual students against one another, we pit them collaboratively against real world business challenges. Furthermore, our Inbound and Outbound Exchange Programmes offer students the opportunity to network with people around the globe. In working together, ISB students learn about the dynamics of management in other countries as well as in India’s emerging economy. They also develop real world skills such as teamwork, conflict resolution and accountability. When they graduate, they take with them these valuable tools — along with an enhanced understanding of the value of open dialogue. PGP ’15 candidate, Gautam Malhotra says, ”Nowhere else would I have gained so much knowledge about different roles and industries in such a short duration. I truly feel enlightened!” The global business landscape is in a constant state of evolution, and it is the enterprise of the forward-thinking business school to evolve along with it. At ISB, we do more than talk the talk: our commitment to internationalism and collaboration yields business innovators keenly prepared to learn and lead in equal measure.

FROM ISB PGP Admissions Director Blog: Women in Management

In the past century, women around the world have made great strides in entering the business world and working toward the levels of pay and responsibility afforded by their male counterparts. However, although women comprise 48.5 percent of India’s population, they represent a mere 26.1 percent of rural workers and 13.8 percent of urban employees, according to Catalyst’s Knowledge Centre. Moreover, Catalyst continues, women make up only 3 percent of legislative, management, and senior official positions, while only 5.2 percent of them hold positions as board directors. Fortunately, with the Indian market growing rapidly to become the world’s third largest economy by the year 2030, as quoted by the Economic Times, there are projected to be a plethora of opportunities abound for women to take on management and leadership positions in the coming years. At the Indian School of Business, we hope to leverage these possibilities to their fullest effect, by admitting a good ratio of women into our programme: 231 students constituting 30 percent of our accepted applicants are female. That number has risen steadily, increasing by almost 120 percent in the past 7 years, to now the highest-ever number of women in the Class of 2015, as quoted in the Times of India. Women get to learn from women, as well: Our faculty is almost 20 percent female. Our emphasis on diversity means students learn to appreciate gender-neutral leadership early in their career, helping to push equality into the next generation. When enrolling in our flagship Post Graduate Programme in Management, women get the chance to learn in a heterogenous setting from leaders across a wide field of business specialisations. The one-year programme is structured holistically to allow access to several women-specific groups and organisations. Among these is ‘Women in Business’, a student-run professional club that gives women the tools they need to leverage the resources available at-hand, on campus, and achieve their personal and professional goals. Club members often enjoy curated discussions with distinguished professionals from across the industry. Notable discussions have included celebrated social activist Kiran Bedi on ‘Tenets of leadership’, Anusha Bhagat, COO of UBS Securities on ‘The glass ceiling: Exploding myths and crashing stereotypes’, and Women@Google on ”Support systems for women employees and the LGBT community at Google’ among others. Our students also benefit from Axis Bank’s “Women Leadership Programme,” which has hired large numbers of female candidates in the past two years. Students therefore benefit both while in the programme and once they complete it. We aim to make the Indian School of Business approachable for any high-performing individual who has demonstrated a desire to transform themselves, including married women as well as female students in need of financial aid. If you have questions, take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions page or get in touch. We hope to hear from you.

Its eerily quiet in here regarding essay discussions... I'll have a go...

In the careers essay (#2), I am slightly torn between writing about the same goal that I wrote about last year (which was management consulting), and another role that I am considering this year (actually had been considering this all along as well ), which is staying in the same industry and aiming for leadership roles. I am actually keen on both and open to both options. But since the word limit is 300, I do not think that I will be able to explain this in detail.

What do you guys suggest that I go with? New fodder for new application cycle? Or should I maintain continuity?

Maybe @Llewellyn Desouza? @ankurgupta03? Others?

It is kind of quite, glad there is an attempt to get rid of the eerie silence .

If you are changing your goal, what happened in the past year that led you to change the goal. Also if your goal is to be in the current industry you will need a very strong reason as to what is preventing you in getting that leadership role in your industry and how will ISB help you. Regarding Management Consultancy if you are sticking with it, figure out a way to set you apart from 70% of the applicants.

My final advice would be to stick to Management consultancy in your essays and be open to discussion about exploring options in your industry in the interview.

What did happen in the previous year is that I got a year older and that does not go so much in favor of joining a consulting firm. But, its still doable.

In my current industry, there is actually nothing stopping me from getting into a leadership role. It is only a matter of time (some years). The MBA ( does ISB even offer an MBA??? :D ), will help me land leadership roles faster. Roles related to strategy formulation, having a broader impact (basically climbing the corporate ladder) will be offered at a faster rate. With the MBA, I will be able to ask for (and then justify) management roles much faster than otherwise. Do you think that these are strong enough reason(s) to seek an MBA? Oh, how I wish I could directly ask the ISB adcom these questions!!!

Additionally, one more strong reason for pursuing an MBA (strong acc to me) is that I have observed those around me with similar background and experiences. They have hit plateaus and do not have the relevant skills and qualifications (and in some cases undeveloped talent), to move to the next level. I do not want to be in the same boat and realise this when I am 40. What do you say to this? Should I put this in the essay? "Self-awareness" and "awareness of those around me" the past year has strengthened my resolve to pursue an MBA? (In fact, I am tempted to use this verbatim!!!)

If I were you I would put more stress on how ISB will get you there. This is a very generic answer. Pick up an example stating what you would like to do specifically and how will the time spent at ISB would help you. Try and make it as personalized as possible.

For eg I was asked about the skills that I lacked to get to a better role and how I will acquire those skills at ISB in the interview.

Your reason to change your goal from management consultancy should have more to do with attractiveness in the current industry and how you see yourself in a better position in your current industry. Age is definitely a factor for consultants but its not a defining factor, so dig deeper on why you decided to move away from consulting as your defining goal.

When you get to ISB am sure there will be lots of things to confuse you further, so I guess they require people with clarity who they can confound enough so that they get to their right career path

Kudos for this.

I guess I will think a little more thinking (maybe marinate the idea for a day or two) and then go with what appeals more to me at that point and then just settle down with it (or I wont be able to write my essays!!!), as I dont see the internal conflict getting completely resolved with logic (my learning today on conflict resolution - I'm on fire today - wish I could give myself Kudos for this statement...)

You get one from me just to motivate you further and keep the fire alive

Hi everyone,
I am a current student at ISB.
Gmat club was great help last year and i think its time to give back ! PM me if you need any help with your profile evaluations. I am sure i will find a guy suited to your profile to get an expert review done !

P.S : Me and my friends here have started a in-house essay review company at very economic rates of 6k INR for all 4 (including the optional essay, 5k otherwise) 2k INR / essay (just in case you feel that you need only one of the essays reviewed and not all ) ! Drop me a PM and we'll get to it right away.
If you do get shortlisted, we will be there to help you for your interviews. Still working on the team for that and deciding the pricing !

P.S.S : I was a student last year and i know how there is a credit crunch with all the application fees we payout and GMAT (Exchange Rates :X )! So, we thought we will not try to burn another hole in your pocket !

Hi All,

Sorry for the absenteeism
Was caught up with the GMAT retake followed by some household stuff

@Farhan
Thanks a lot for the prompt replies

@gmatbugsme84
Thanks for trying to keep the fire alive.
I think the career acceleration is a good enough reason to go for an MBA. So if you want to write about the change in your plan, you can very well write about it, but it should be reasoned very well. Quoting examples may not suffice here i.e. saying that XYZ was stuck at one position does not automatically mean that everyone will be stuck at the same position.

Also you need to know what will ISB give you apart from the MBA degree and an improved designation at the work place.
The thing which you will use to rise ahead in your career.

Final advice: Career acceleration is a good reason to go for an MBA, but if you go for a change in career goal, back it up very well.

One year is a long enough to change a lot of things including your Goals and the Fact is no one at the schools actually holds you to your Goals Essay once you make it.

Having said that it may be a good idea to stick to stating one goal (if you cannot fit in more than one) but showing some flexibility.

Also do not forget to explain somewhere may be in the additional essay that your goal has changed.

Llewellyn Desouza

Hi all,

First of all thanks to people who are actively giving feedback to newbies here from their prior experience!

I gave my GMAT about a week back and got 700(Q48 V38).
U.Grad score 7.3/10 from BITS Pilani (B.E. Civil Engg.)
Decent school scores (88.8 12th 87.4 10th)

Work ex : 36 months at present

Wells Fargo(2 years): Mainly was a in-house offshore centre of the US Bank but i was mainly involved in IT work. Handelled a major innovation project involved in stream-lining a process involving multiple teams to bring down the work-around time significantly. Mentored newly joined associates.
ZS Associates( past 1 year...currently working here) : Sales and Marketing consulting...Joined as a Business Analyst. Handelling sales and marketing analytics work for a multi billion dollar Pharma client helping them with sales decisions for their brand interacting with their Brand Directors. Involved in their budget finalisation, sales for design and sales monitoring etc.

Extra curriculars:-
1. Pursue share market trading as a hobby and actively manage my own portfolio. Actively keep updated with the latest market news.
2. Founded and headed the Gaming club in the college. Organised a inter college fest in our college tech fest Apogee involving about 200 participants arranging both sponsors and logistics for the same.

Let me know how i fare for an application to ISB this time?

TIA.

Although your GMAT and experience is on the lower side of ISB average, there have been instances of people making it through a compelling story.

Be clear with your goals. Your involvement in innovation to bring down the work around time can be a pivotal essay of your application. Extra-curricular are ok.

Put your acads, experience and leadership qualities in 3 baskets and see where you stand. A self aware applicant is always considered a good applicant.

That being said If I were in your place I would retake GMAT and try and get that score up.

Hi Akshat,

I quite like your profile, specially the gaming bit, although I realize you are no longer involved in it. I have a bit of a bias here, having worked in the online gaming industry myself.

Bits Pilani - Wells Fargo- ZS Associates - it seems good to me. Be mindful though that a lot of people apply to ISB from ZS...sometimes asking the same recommender for recos. Infact we have helped somebody get admission last year with a similar profile- BITS PIlani and ZS.

Now for the challenges - 700 GMAT and 7.3 GPA - both are average, with a not so great Quant score. So you have a job in hand to convince the adcom that you are brilliant with numbers - two ways I can think you can do this is: 1. through recommendations. 2. A switch from IT focused job to a marketing/analytics role which requires high level number crunching. You should also talk about your success with the portfolio in one of the essays.

The innovation project sounds good to me because that's one of the themes for essays this year. Make sure you explain what that innovation is.

I think you can crack it this year with a great application- not just the essays but also recos and the online form data.

Reach out if you would like to discuss further.

Did you get feedback from ISB? There is a possibility that you were not convincing enough with your career goals last year- in the written application or during the interview. Starting with that info would be a better way to handle it this year.
ISB has been increasing it leadership development program recruitments, and is also strong for consulting. So in terms of the school fulfilling your career goals- both are possibilities. You need to get into the depth of this and understand for:
1. management consulting- are you fit for the role considering your personal and professional attributes (and past experience)
2. Leadership development- the companies that you are interested in, do they recruit at ISB?
Just a few interactive sessions with ISB students/ alumni/ adcom should clear your views.

Hope that helps.

Profile evaluation:

Gmat: 720
Work ex: 42months Reliability engineer at Reliance Industries (Jamnagar refinery project)
Executed multi-crore projects on field.

Qual: B.Tech, IIT Guwahati, Mechanical ; CGPA: 7.2

Extra-curriculars: Events Head, Entrepreneurial Development Cell, IITG
Events management team, Techniche '09, Annual techno-management festival at IITG,

Hobbies:
Play drums and had a band in college
Play basketball, never achieved anything though

what are my chances??? GMAT score too low?? Extra-curriculars??

Did I read something like - "GMAT score too low?"

My answer-

By what standard is that low? You have a perfect score and just go ahead and apply with this score without any thoughts of a retake. There is more to you than the GMAT score and all of that looks good. Focus upon your work in the application- write about your key achievements and how they have helped in your personal/ professional growth and you will be in good shape.

To add to that, do ensure that you are able to make the adcom see the depth of your profile through your essays.

Reach out to us for a consultation