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

Hey folks,

I am a current student at ISB co2016. As you can see, you have many students who can help you through your applications and queries. Feel free to connect with any of us.

Good luck with your application

Thanks

Hitesh Manwar

GMAT score: 670 (First time) (From Non-IT Indian female pool)
Experience: Overall 5 years of exp. in Manufacturing, FMCG (Fortune 100) and now media Industry. Presently working with an International media & entertainment company (Industry rating :1 in fortune 50)

Degree: B.E. in Biotechnology, Through-out topper in College with University ranking
Overall % in B.E. - 81.2%
10th - 82.5%
12th - 87%

Extracurricular contributions: Decent
NGO: Volunteer-ship team of my company, also participated in other foundations, taught 2 children...School time - presented school in various dance & singing competition. dabbled with a start-up for a while but then shut it down. Various other competition essay, debate etc.

I don’t want to wait and want to apply this year only, wanted to evaluate my chance for ISB Hyderabad.

Hi, your GMAT score is quite low and that looks like the biggest challenge at this point. Work exp in the media and entertainment industry will help to set you apart, and you should capitalize on this by speaking strongly about your work related achievements, career progression and career goals.

There is still time, so you may want to consider a GMAT retake.

Term 3 is what we call a "cross-over term" with half the courses that are mandatory, and the remaining are electives. You get certain bidding points allocated- which can be used for international exchange as well as bidding for all electives. It's a fair process.

I would suggest not to worry too much about it, you will enjoy this thoroughly.

Hi all! I am in the process of applying to ISB and would really appreciate some honest feedback on my profile. Please do let me know what the strengths (potential areas that I could build upon and focus in my CV/essays) and weaknesses (maybe I could still work on those or avoid mentioning them at all) in my profile are.

Personal Details:
Name: Neha Baliga
Work Experience: 3 years 2 months (3 years 8 months by the time of joining)
GMAT: 760 (Q 50, V 42, IR 6, AWA: yet to receive but I am fairly confident that will get a 6)
Age: 25 (26 by the time of joining)
Gender: Female

Academics:
10th: 84.2% (Graduating Year: 2006, Board: ICSE)
12th: 88.2% (Graduating Year: 2008, Board: Karnataka State Board)
Under Graduation: CGPA of 9.08 on a 10 point scale (2008 - 2012, B.E. in Telecommunication Engineering from a reputed college in Bangalore)
Post-Graduation: 76% (2012 - 2014, Master of Arts in Economics from IGNOU) This was a distance learning degree that I pursued immediately after completing engineering. The main motive was to learn something new that would help me when I start MBA.

Work Experience:
Feb 2012 - May 2012: Project Trainee at Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Satellite Centre in the Digital communication Division. Worked on implementation of an Automatic Gain Control in the receiver component of a telemetry, tracking and command satellite. This was part of my final year UG project.
July 2012 - Present: Senior Software Engineer at Samsung Research and Development Institute India - Bangalore (SRIB). Worked in the Bluetooth Team of the Android platform division. Work scope was mainly on the Bluetooth stack. Have worked on several key Bluetooth projects that I cannot really reveal here. Have headed the Bluetooth MAP and PBAP profile for SRIB and was the main contact point with Samsung HQ (Korea). Also, developed several android applications during my stint so far. Presently heading a project that is tied up with the government of India and will reach the market very soon.
Apart from technical skills, I have picked up several people management skills while at Samsung. I have also had the opportunities to lead several projects.

Published Paper:
Published paper on 'Image compression using Discrete Cosine Transform' at a national Conference. This was as a part of my academic curriculum at my UG College.

Awards and Achievements:
Spot award at Samsung, Award from my UG College for excellence in the field of Dance

Extra-Curricular Activities:
Professionally trained in the field of dance for 10 years.
Coordinator of the UG College dance team and led a team of over 25 people. Participated in and won several national level dance tournaments (to be precise, I have won over 40 prizes over 4 years across solo, duet and team categories). Also adjudged the Clean & Clear Bangalore Times Fresh face (a kind of talent hunt) for my UG College in the year 2010. Very active member of the college cultural team and was an event coordinator and member of the organizing committee for cultural events conducted by my UG College.
Performed at the 6th India International Salsa Congress (2011) along with artistes from several countries.
Have taken dance classes for Zenkara Dance Academy for 2 years and taught several forms of dance such as Salsa, Hip-hop, western contemporary, Bollywood, etc.
Represented the state of Karnataka as an athlete at the 8th national ICSE sports meet held at Jamshedpur.
Head Girl (2005 – 06) and Assistant Head Girl (2004 – 05) in the 9th and 10th grades at my school and successfully led the organisation of cultural and sports events.

Volunteer Work:
7 months of Volunteer work at Parikrma Humanity foundation
Worked with ‘Yes I Can’ foundation for the development of digital braille project

Please do let me know of my chances! Thanks a lot

Very impressive profile. You have a very strong chance at ISB. In fact, with your profile you would be very attractive to a lot of top US B-schools as well. I'm not sure about the deadlines, but an R1 application could also see you receiving funding from some of these top B schools.

The only place you can have a problem is with the number of years of experience (slightly on the lower side). However, if you're able to articulate the quality of your experience through your essays, and if your recommendations reflect this and your maturity level you can convert almost any B-school that you target.

So the strengths in your profile are:
1. optimum work experience
2. Great GMAT
3. Good academic results
4. Experience of leading teams and handling projects.
5. Global exposure on account of working with the Korean team.
6. Passion for dance reflects in continued dance related activities.

I don't see any weaknesses as such. Just wondering how you have used your Economics degree.

To submit a good application, you should focus upon the factors above. Present a clear picture of your career progression and work related achievements. Also, address your career goals clearly and explain why you need an MBA.

Hi

Hi all..I am a doctor by profession and I am still in the process of writing the gmat.i have a work ex of four years post my graduation.i have a few queries.
1. When is the latest I can write the gmat for 2017.(2016 intake).
2. What is the minimum score range I require.... Keeping in mind that my quant sucks.
3. When is the r2 and I need further assistance on the admission application process....( as in the essay and how can I improve on my application).

Hi,

I am Kunal and I am planning to apply to ISB this year. Request to review my profile and let me know strengths/weaknesses to focus upon in my application.

GMAT Score: 640 (Q48, V29), IR 6, AWA 5.5
I know my GMAT is way below the required standards of ISB but this is the fact here! Planning to retake on Sept 28 but don't know how much I can improve (average say 30-40 points....).
Education: X, XII from Delhi (~80%), B.Tech in Electronics & Comm from GGSIPU (77%), MBA from Tier-II B-School in Finance (~71%)
Additional certifications/courses: FRM and CFA charterholder

Work Experience: Close to 6 years of experience post MBA, all into financial services industry. I have quite varied experience to show case here as I have worked on legal side of PE industry, moved on to credit ratings and did fixed income research as well on buy side. Have worked on different sectors like Thermal Power, Auto and auto ancillary. Recently working on Renewables sector. One strength which I would like to showcase is exposure to multi varied sectors and understanding of the businesses. I have worked in different markets as well (Europe).

Referrals: I have some strong referrals like Portfolio Manager in one of the top 10 funds worldwide, CEO of a PE fund etc.
Extra-curriculars: I don't have anything substantial here except 2 or 3 small things. One is long-distance marathon running (have been participating in 3-4 half marathons since last 2-3 years). Couple of appreciation certificates during corporate experience for best client relationship management.

Reason for 2nd MBA: Enhanced visibility in India (or possibly Asian markets like Singapore and HK), Looking for an association with a strong brand name like ISB.

Post MBA plans: To probably move into Strategy roles (with a taste of Finance in it). Probably into one of the sectors in which I have already worked. But again open as of yet.

Request all the experts to provide some views on the same, as in how can I enhance my chances of getting through.

Thanks.

Best regards
Kunal Arora

1> How many recommendation letters are required for ISB. Is it necessarily be from my current boss or it can be from my previous boss.
2> Do I need to write TOEFL? language of Instruction in 12th class was Hindi. But In engineering, it was English (obviously). If yes, then do I need to write it before submitting the application or I can submit the score later.

I will repeat what ISB Forum Moderator said a few days back.



Those seeking profile evaluation may post here
Ask Admission Consultants ask-admission-consultants-124/
Ask MBA Decoder ask-mba-decoder-your-isb-related-queries-197497.html
Ask GyanOne isb-applicants-2015-ask-gyanone-197266.html
Ask Apphelp isb-aspirants-ask-apphelp-172330.html


I request all other admission consultants to create similar threads for themselves in ISB forum so that applicants can ask their questions directly to you. For any help feel free to shoot a PM to me or ankurgupta03

I appeal all ISB applicants that let's make the 'Calling all applicant' thread a place to discuss application strategies, not individuals' profiles.

Thank You!

When is the deadline I need to write the gnat to apply for R2 for ISB ....I plan to write it in October or nov..... The site says deadline for R is jan 2016.....please help

Deadline for R1 - 15th October 2015
Deadline for R2 - 15th Jan 2016

For R2 you can take GMAT on 15th Jan 2016 itself provided your essays and application are ready. You can submit with your unofficial scorecard .

1. This year, you just need to have one letter of recommendation. That can either be from the current or the previous boss.
Please go through this post for further details on recommendation: calling-all-isb-applicants-2016-intake-class-of-197093-80.html#p1528883

2. No you do not need to write TOEFL if the medium of teaching was English in the undergrad university

All the best!

Theoretically, you can the GMAT latest by 15th of Jan 2015 and submit the unofficial scores in the application.
However, it is better that you remove the GMAT part first and then concentrate on your applications.

A well crafted application requires somewhere between 1.5 to 2 months. So plan your GMAT accordingly

10th - 88%
12th - 79%
Engg- 76% (w/ fair bit of extracurriculars)
GMAT - 650 (47,34)

Work ex: R&D at top FMCG firm 7 years - have worked on several projects across two departments

Have reported my scores but planning to retake the exam

...how are my chances?