How does the ISB admission process work?
If you are applying to ISB and wondering about your chances of getting into ISB Mohali campus or Hyderabad, it would help you to understand how the Adcom will slot you into P1, P2, P3 and P4.
The coding scheme might give you the impression that the odds increase or decrease along with the numbers. But that’s not how it works. Here’s a lowdown on each of them, in a jumbled up order (for a reason).
Category P3:
This is the dream profile for ISB. Elite undergrad college (like IIT), very high GMAT score (770-780), excellent accomplishments in all spheres, impressive extracurriculars.
Unless you’ve really messed up in one of the key areas (described in the next section) you can be confident of getting interviewed by ISB admissions officer.
Category P1:
This is where the diversity candidates will be pooled together. Despite being the top B-school in India, ISB doesn’t have the same cultural diversity that European or American or even other Asian bschools (like NUS) offer.
The next best thing they can do is to look for differentiated backgrounds from unconventional professions. If you have a sports, NGO, military, creative background, good for you.
Back it up with a strong GMAT and some strong ISB essays and you can expect an interview call.
Category P2:
All you IT Male Engineers working in technology and software companies, this is where you’ll be housed. The good news is that you are still in the race. The bad news is that you have lots of company.
If you read the resume of any random competitor from the P2 group, you might feel like he copied your CV. Tough life!
Can you narrate a story that’s different from all the other applicants who also have your background? That’s the only way to make an impact.
Category P4:
This is the only category where the number signifies the position in the category listing. Applicants with a very low GMAT score who also have nothing special to write home about would be ‘dumped’ into (one step before the politely worded formal rejection goes out).
If you happen to be in this pool, the odds of getting dinged are very high. The only hope is if you can pull out a rabbit from your hat and convince the MBA admissions committee that you deserve a seat despite the lacklustre application.
What the ISB Admissions Committee looks for
Irrespective of the category you fall in, you will be judged on 3 aspects:
Academics: This covers the familiar territory of undergrad performance (GPA, percentage) and MBA entrance exams like GMAT.
Leadership: Here’s where your professional accomplishments along with all that you’ve done outside work (extra-curriculars) will get evaluated.
Interview: ISB wants to see if all the facts and figures you submitted is backed by an effective and impressive personality as well.
Here’s how ISB’s 4 P’s (inspired by the 4P model of marketing?) stack up against each other:
Your odds of getting into ISB are as follows:
P3 > P1 > P2 > P4
In terms of the number of applicants, the order changes:
P2 (2000) > P3 (1000) > P1 (500) > P4 (300)
Will your ISB application chances plummet if you aren’t in P3?
Nope. Keep in mind that the P3 guys who apply to ISB also aim for the top international schools including Harvard, Stanford and Wharton. Adcoms know that the odds of their joining is still a question mark, even if they get an offer from ISB. So apart from dangling goodies (like ISB scholarships), the admissions committee needs to take the remaining 3 categories seriously too.
To cut a long story short, depending on which P you fall in, the queue may be short or long.
So, mind your P’s and Queues!
Source -
https://www.mbacrystalball.com/blog/201 ... n-process/