Calling all ISB Applicants - (2014 Intake) Class of 2015

General Advice, write only things that you can justify.....After writing go through your application numerous time before submitting and ask yourself all the potential question that can arise from it.

kudos if my post helps!!

Archit

Wishing All the Best for all R1 Applicant...
Share your views, doubts and experiences, and help curb the anxiety of long wait.....


Consider Kudos If my post helps!!!

Archit

Hello, I scheduled my GMAT test on 3rd Oct and I am planning for R2. I am targeting a score >700 as said before applicants from IT pool may require higher score than others. I didn't work for an IT industry, but worked for state govt of Arkansas, USA for 3+ years. I have Bachelors and Masters in USA from computer background and worked as a project analyst. I am not sure if I fall into the the IT pool or not, can some one clarify on that.

I resigned my job and moved to India after 5+years living in USA due to personal reasons, now I am targeting MBA to boost my career in India. can some one help me about my chances of getting into ISB or other good B schools in India, if any suit to my profile.


Thanks,
Madhukar.

Hey Archit...

Thanks for the prompt reply. The point is to me it seemed justified. However what seems justified to you might not be always the right thing to do

That's why I was confused. I opted to go without applying for scholarship because admission is the first priority. Moreover, there was contradictory information. The app didn't put any income restriction on need-based scholarship and mentioned the amount as Rs. 1-3L. But the ISB website says income should be < 10L and it mentioned the amount as Rs. 5L. There was no time to clarify this contradiction.

The wait starts now..

Cheers !!
Lokesh

Good!! that my advice helped you.
All the best

Archit

Prediction of chances is a very difficult job
Although, you should be the best judge of the type of your work, but still ... it depends on the type of work you were doing there ... were you providing services developing products? Or your work was government related. If it is the latter I don't think it should be termed as IT. Can somebody else please chip in.

Submitted the application
The wait starts ... lets see how it turns out this time around

All the best to all who have submitted in R1.
Godspeed!

All the best to all R1 Applicants....time runs very fast.

Archit

Have the ISB interviews already started ? I saw a post from archit ? I believed the deadline was 15 sep for R1.

Apparently archit had his interview on 04 september ??

any info ?

Archit submitted his application way back on 22nd July. So he got the interview call earlier. I believe for such extraordinary cases, they give calls early, for rest, the calls are given after the deadline

Ok..Are there other people you know who got the call earlier ?

Hi Guys,

Please excuse me if I sound too foolish or dumb, but as an amateur to GMAT and all this stuff, I have many doubts.

I always had a dream of getting in ISB, but due to some obvious reasons, I ended up taking the integrated MBA course from IIPM Hyderabad. (Indian Institute of Planning & Management) which is not recognized by our Govt, but recognized by Belgium Govt. About a week back, I came to know that ISB is accepting our college degree also and suddenly something happened to me.

Just within a couple of hours, decided to apply for ISB in R2 as the deadline is Nov 30th, writing GMAT on November 12th and started the prep. (Cant help but I'm pretty much impulsive. ISB was my lifetime dream after all.)

I'm not sure how far can I make it but, I want to give it a try. I'm now in the 550-600 range as per some practice tests. Aiming for 700+ in the exam. I'm good at maths, but relatively weak in verbal. Planning to study 5 hours a day and 2 months left for exam.

My profile:

10th - 87%
12th - 85.5%
BBA & MBA - 6.5 GPA

Work Exp:

2 years as corporate sales executive in general insurance field
9 months (till present) as insurance portfolio manager (client side). Will complete 1 year by this December.

Can anybody let me know if my decision was the most foolish ever made? Or do I stand a chance to crack it

ankur -- any idea how many applicants apply in R1, how many called for interview and how many make it finally to ISB..just an indicative idea.

Not sure about that ... I think going by the application number, last four digits represent the your candidature number ... just a random theory though
have heard some where that the ration is 1:4:8 ... not sure again

Hi Madhukar,

IT or non-IT, it does not matter. I am not aware of ISB having any quotas for a special class of applicants.

Eventually, you are Madhukar, an academics oriented guy, who has substantial international experience and exposure, and brings something new to the ISB table, through his association with the government office of another country.

Well, I just gave you a positioning statement (Kudos expected for that ).

Think of yourself as an individual with a rich set of experiences. Other important things are:
1. GMAT - can't ignore that devil. 700+ is good.
2. 2-3 substantial achievements at work or in the community
3. Clarity of career goals- short term, mid term and long term.
4. Getting the Governor of Arkansas to recommend you!! (ok not him, that's a joke. But someone who has seen your work closely and will make a good assessment of your capabilities and potential).

Hope that helps,

Namita Garg,
www.mbadecoder.com
contact@mbadecoder.com

Madhav,
Sometime impulsive decisions work the best. I hope this to be true to you.

I don't think there is anything wrong with your decision to apply to ISB. But there are some potential flags which I would like to bring to your notice:

1. 2nd MBA- ISB is open to this. But the second MBA should come a few years after you have put the first one to use. Can I assume you did yours 3 years earlier? That is sufficient time to plan for another one.

2. GMAT/GPA - this can be the deciding factor at ISB. With 650+ you will have almost no chance, so try for 700+ score. Work hard on your problem areas and do lots of mocks. Your GPA is low and you may want to address that in the optional essay. Additionally, a low GPA and low GMAT will not reflect well on your potential to excel academically at ISB - that gives you another reason to crack the GMAT.

3. 9 months experience in portfolio management - this is where I would ask you to pause and reconsider your ISB decision. How challenging is your work and what opportunities is it leading you towards? If you have not drawn substantial experience here, then I'd ask you to wait and grow within this role. You will have better chances at ISB next year with a beefed up profile.

4. career goals - what are your career goals? Why do they make sense considering your previous work experience? How will ISB help you reach your objectives? Not answering these questions convincingly can lead to a ding, so do a thorough research here.

Namita Garg,
https://www.mbadecoder.com
contact@mbadecoder.com

Hi Namitha,

Firstly, thank you so much for your valuable suggestions.

To answer some of your questions,

MBA - Yeah I did it 3 years earlier and I'm working since then.

GMAT/GPA - For GMAT, I'm aiming for 700+ and regarding my GPA, I'm sorry it was the percentage I mentioned and highest in our college itself is 72%. I'm not the one to be blamed.
Anyhow, as it seems low, I'm concentrating much on getting 700+ which can slightly balance the total equation.

9 months in portfolio management - It is basically the insurance portfolio management wherein I have to buy, organize and manage the numerous insurance policies taken by the company. It is not that big, also not easy. I shifted from marketing to that job is to basically understand the consumer behaviour. And by the time I apply for ISB, I will be completing almost an year in this job taking my total experience to 3 years.

Career Goals - Yeah, I think I have some strong answers for ISB guys here.

Thanks & Regards,
Madhav