Calling all ISB PGP Applicants - (2020 Intake) Class of 2021

Should be there in about 1-2 weeks.

Hello Folks,

I am a current student at ISB. Although the acads pressure is keeping me adequately busy, I wouldn't mind replying to any of the queries you guys might have about the admission process, the institution itself or even about MBA in general. Best of luck to all the applicants!

Edit 1: Letting people know a bit more about me so that they can approach me for specific questions they might have for those aspiring a similar career path.

I am a civil engineer by background. NIT Grad. 3.7 years workex in a government infrastructure company. Function was related to procurement and project financing. Acads in 80s and late 70s. GMAT was 720. If you have a similar background or you are looking to build your career in this sector, you can ask me specific questions about it.

1. About ISB; Steve

-Research driven, Internationally top ranked, Independent B School.
-Recognized by Poets & Quants as #5 most desired B School.
-School's heavy focus on emerging market and economy.
-#1 in India and #24 in the world in just 17 years.

2. Why ISB?

-Innovative, flexible with change in the program.
-Strong corporate partnership, diversity in faculty.
-Broad portfolio of programs.

Note: They have started a new program targeting family business- PGP MFAB.
Note: There were lot of questions regarding whether the PGP or PGP PRO is better for mid-career working professionals. Applicants must have clarity on this.

3. Statistics:

-Median Score: 710 (GMAT), 327 (GRE).
-Median Work Experience- 3.75 years; Median Age- 26.25
Note: The admission team wanted us to focus more on the 'diversity factor', i.e. what do you bring to the classroom?

4. School's Value Proposition:

-Diversity in faculty, focused research on emerging markets.
-Heavy focus on entrepreneurship
-Research driven; e.g. multidisciplinary institute like Max for healthcare, Bharti for public policy etc.
-Integrated learning
(a) Classroom: case studies through terms, core and elective subjects.
(b) Peer: International exchange, clubs and seminars.
(c) Applied: ELP and PaEV. (Internship projects)
(d) Events & Competitions

The team showcased two videos: check the 2nd post.

5. Alumni Speak, Garima ma'am

-Prioritize opportunities at the school,
-Identify the uniqueness and communicate through essays/during the interview,
-Focus on collaboration
-Analogy: One year at ISB equivalents to 6-7 years of career progression

6. Alumni Industry Distribution

-Finance, technology and consulting with ~13% share each.
-Global network in 41 countries

7. Career Advancement Service; Amit Sir

-Corporate outreach after studying student's (read batch) function and industry. Map and meet student aspirations.
-Learning and Development team work with students to get them interview ready.

8. Placement Statistics;

-2019: 220 companies with 1309 offers in one window.
-65% shifted both industry+function

9. Admission;

-Types: PGP, EEO, YLP
-Qualities: Academics, Leadership & Personal attribute.
-Essays:
(a) Uniqueness essay
(b) Career Goals essay
(c) Essay for Re-applicants only.
-One recommendation.

10. Financing the program

-Collateral free loans,
-Need based scholarship, to submit essay for this.
-Merit based scholarship, each candidate is automatically eligible.

Finally Q&A with Aditya Sir.

Kindly DM me if I've missed anything important.
Note: If you're attending the Info Session reach early/stay late to ask specific questions to the team.

Cheers.

#Notice

Here's the ISB PGP Essays for (2020 Intake) Class of 2021 (Also updated on the first post); I'll keep posting the links to essay analysis-

1. There will be 900 students in the class of 2021. Why should you be one of them?(400 words max)
2. What will you be doing in 2025 and 2030? How will the ISB PGP programme help you to achieve these goals?(400 words max)

Are Transcripts needed for ISB application?

If so, how many are required?

Hey whitemiror check PGP FAQs

Hi,

I wanted to know about the interview shortlisting procedure.
If I am applying for the Round 2 application around November, when can I expect an interview shortlisting call along with the interview schedule details?

Thanks,
Fahad

Posted from my mobile device

Fahad222 interview dates are tentative...

Hi tush1992 and LeoN88,

There are 2 things I would like to know -

(1) I would like to know how are the placements like across different industries from ISB? I want to go into Consulting field after pursuing MBA. How good is ISB for that profile and what are the future prospects?

(2) How to write the essays? Is there a prescribed structure? Is it possible for you to share some essays from past years of students who converted the call? It would be really helpful to know the framework and would help in going forward with the application.

Many thanks.

Hello shobhitkh, welcome to the GMAT Club. My suggestion to you is to research these at your end. GMAT Club itself is a great community where you can find answers to all your queries.

Answer to question#1
tush1992 is the best person to answer this, I recommend you post your profile here for evaluation and seek help from an admission consultant. Also, you can go through the placement brochure available on the ISB website to get an idea, frankly speaking the school has been consistently placing a large number of candidates into consulting every year.


Answer to question#2
Check out this thread and the last post, I've hyperlinked it to the first post. Similarly, ankurgupta03 Sir has also collated hand picked articles/posts that'll give you a lot of insights, click here. Both these posts are hyperlinked into the 1st post of this thread, kindly spend some time on this.

Additionally, I've taken up a personal project to collate all essay analysis into one post, it's a work in progress, click here; you'll get sample essays.
Cheers.

College degree along with marksheet in original will do. Get transcripts if you don't have these documents in original.

Interview calls are generally scheduled 3 weeks after the submission of the application. Check the website for details. You will get around 5-7 days for interview prep after the invite.

Hey Shobhit,

ISB is known for its consulting placements! Around 200+ students are placed in top consulting firms each year. Almost every top consulting firm recruits a good number of applicants each year. But the competition for these firms is also very stiff. So take an informed decision. As far as industry breakup is concerned, you can get the details from the placement report.

Thanks tush1992.
Can you please elaborate what do you mean by "competition for these firms is also very stiff"?

Well, consulting has a huge job supply but so is the job demand. It is the most sought after role to get into. You will be competing against IITians, DU toppers, foreign undergrads with amazing work experience for such jobs So, be ready to work hard and get a good GPA.

LeoN88 is there also an additional (optional) essay this year titled on these lines: Is there anything additional you would like AdCom to know about you ?

I don't see any.

"If you are a re-applicant, it is mandatory to submit Additional essay. You may highlight significant changes in your profile from the time you applied last time."