Calling all ISB Applicants - (2017 Intake) Class of 2018

How important is the interview? I heard that it alone won't make or break our chances, how true is that?

I believe interviews are more of a personality test than anything else and the whole purpose of having an alumni as a judge is to see if they would prefer to have the interviewee as their classmate.
So, in my opinion, interviews are more of a break than make!

It alone won't make or break chances, but what I understood from my experience, a few things are there that the alums look to resolve, through the interviews.

- if there's a gap in understanding why you want the PGP from your application, then they try to close the gap through the interview.
- if your application is on point and impresses the adcom, they form an expectation about you and they evaluate whether or not that expectation is met/exceeded/not met in the interview.
- they heavily explore the aspects that you have talked about the least in your application.
- and of course they try to see if you fit in the ISB culture because they are a part of that culture. This is something that I guess is evaluated during job interviews as well - even if you are a great candidate, if you are not fitting into the culture, then it might be difficult for you to thrive once you are in the system. And since the investment is high here (30 Lacs), you cannot simply take a chance in this regard.

FROM ISB Admissions Blog: How an MBA in India took a Spanish national to the top of the Clean Tech M&A Industry in Spain?

Aurelio Gutierrez Perez remembers being overwhelmed, not by the spicy food, the crowds, or the searing summer sun, but by the intense class participation. ‘In Spain, if you ask the class a question, you have maybe one hand go up. In ISB, 90% of the hands would go up. I realized then, how focused these my classmates were.’ After graduating from the Universidad de Oviedo with an MSc in Telecommunication Engineering in 2006, Aurelio joined Arcelor Mittal as a Research Engineer and spent three years travelling around Europe visiting blast furnaces and exporting technical processes across the group. The repetitive nature of the job, however, soon took its toll and he was tearing for a challenge. Realizing that moving beyond the technical nature of his job and making a lateral movement into management would require an MBA, Aurelio began researching business schools.  The obvious choice would have been the US, but he was keen on a scholarship as well as gaining global exposure and ISB was a perfect culmination of the two. Initial apprehensions notwithstanding, stellar Alumni feedback on the international student experience at ISB helped tip the decision in the school’s favour and Aurelio found himself on a flight to Hyderabad, along with fellow Spaniards, who were also part of the program. ‘The Alumni I spoke to was extremely happy and here I had the opportunity to explore a new country and culture while being taught by the best faculty in the world.’ He spent the first few days being hosted by an ISB alumnus in their home and getting familiar with the city and its renowned Biryani. He says he was awestruck during his first visit to the campus. ‘I was only used to city universities. While we have beautiful historical buildings, we don’t have a one place to come together.’ The elegant buildings, the open-air stone atrium, and the campus facilities, especially the library, helped create a community atmosphere he had never experienced before. Initial hiccups with the accent aside, Aurelio quickly settled in. ‘In the beginning it was natural for three Spanish students to stick together but within three weeks or so, I had already found my group and made good friends.’ Academically, ISB exceeded all of his expectations; he enjoyed the different approach, the ability to apply theory to real business. ‘No one ever even used the board to explain concepts or formulas, it was always through case studies.’ He was also impressed with the students. ‘They were so young,’ he says, ‘but so focused.’ It was not just their quantitative and theoretical abilities that set them apart, but also their awareness of the world and their ability to express themselves with such articulation. ‘They know so much about everything,’ he says, ‘I understand they are not a representative sample of the country but they were so well oriented. They were also very patient and supportive, because I asked so many questions.’ To broaden his exposure and network in Asia, he also attended the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology – School of Business and Management as an exchange student for three months. He mentions the ability to focus as one of his biggest takeaways from the 14-month program and it reflected in his performance- he was part of both the Merit list and the Dean’s list and was also awarded the ISB Merit Scholarship. But ISB also helped him discover what he wanted to do in the future. ‘I liked my courses very much, especially Corporate Finance and Economics. This made me want to get into finance.’ After participating in the placement process, Aurelio fulfilled his ambitions and joined Nomura as an Associate in the Global Markets Division in Mumbai. But tapas beckoned and after developing Algorithm trading models for a year, he moved back to Spain to join EDP Renewables in M&A where he’s been ever since, but he misses the travel; he visited Darjeeling, Calcutta, Leh, Ladakh and the Maldives during his term breaks. One of his fondest memories is a nine-day trip he took with his friends from Spain, planned with the help of his batch-mates. ‘To this day,’ he says, ‘all of them feel India has been their best holiday experience ever.’ He would do it all again in a heartbeat, he says in the end. ‘India changed me and made me more culturally sensitive and globally aware. It helped created a network around the world I can count on. My batch mates have moved to so many countries that I have friends everywhere.’ — Aurelio Gutierrez Perez currently heads Investments and M&A at EDP Renováveis, Spain and is an alum from the Class of 2011

Any one please help me how to prepare for interview

Sent from my 2014818 using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

Please be a little specific so that this helps us to comment in a better fashion.

What details are you looking at and what program do you seek the information for?

Sent from my GT-N7100 using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

One thing I'm really nervous about is the one word essay. How do I actually plan to write it ?

No one is going to monitor you so you can Google the word if you don't know the meaning. And also reach 30 mins prior to your interview slot so that you get sufficient time to write that

Thank you so much

I'm just hoping for a word I can recollect. Ideally, would not like to Google it.

9 out of 10 people usually get an easy word. Mine was aroma. Few others got reality, yellow, sanity, sacrosanct etc

9 out of 10 people usually get an easy word. Mine was aroma. Few others got reality, yellow, sanity, sacrosanct etc[/quote]
Oh thanks for that! How many words are we to write?

9 out of 10 people usually get an easy word. Mine was aroma. Few others got reality, yellow, sanity, sacrosanct etc[/quote]
Oh thanks for that! How many words are we to write?[/quote]
50-100 words and strictly follow that limit. All the best

9 out of 10 people usually get an easy word. Mine was aroma. Few others got reality, yellow, sanity, sacrosanct etc[/quote]
Oh thanks for that! How many words are we to write?[/quote]
50-100 words and strictly follow that limit. All the best [/quote]
Will do! Thanks!

If you are looking for professional help for your interview preparation, we'd be happy to help.

Secret to interviews is within you. They would focus on your essays, application and your personality. Be yourself, and focus on details that you want them to know about you. The key is, you can drive any interview in the manner you want it to go. And my last advice, relax, you know everything about yourself!

My word was "Happy" and it was indeed a surprise that I also forgot to submit and my panelists also didn't ask about my one word essay . When I went later to submit it to them, they were like it's cool, we're good without it. I was in a dilemma and couldn't guess as to why they behaved as such...does my interview had any impact on this ?! ...Blank...Can't think of any reason...

Hi,

Anyone who got an interview call during early decision category got a rejection mail from ISB?

Regards.