Essay 1: Describe with examples the most important personal quality that you possess, which significantly enhances your prospects of being successful as a leader? (400 words max) What a blank check ISB has given to aspirants! You have a massive 400 words to convince the admissions committee that you have leadership potential . This should also cast aside, any doubts that people with no leadership experience so far have: it's completely fine that you do not have any leadership experiences so far; what suffices is that you have the a personal quality that signals your potential of being successful as a leader; the potential is what you have to prove, in this essay. This essay needs lot of thought and introspection; after all, this is the first essay and will leave a lasting (if not the last ) impression. So, no mincing of words, no nuanced hints, and no subtlety; the thrust on that personal quality of yours, should be categorical and overt. As important as it is to claim the unique personal quality that you possess, it is equally important for you to prove that you are worthy of this claim; to prove that this personal quality is rightfully yours ! In other words, once you've stated the unique personal quality that you possess, give at least two real-life examples that substantiate the authenticity of your claim. We recommend the following structure for this essay: i) State upfront, the most important personal quality that you want to highlight in the essay; no beating around the bush, no circumlocution. ii) Substantiate your claim to that personal quality, by elaborating a maximum of 2-3 examples. Note that a laundry list of examples is neither desired nor warranted. These 2-3 examples should be articulated in sufficient detail, to capture the imagination of the admissions committee. iii) Conclude the essay by stating why you think that this personal quality enhances your prospects of being successful as a leader. Dear ISB aspirants, do remember that everyone is unique (sounds cliched, we know). If you are working in the (needlessly much maligned) IT sector, take heart in the fact that merely working in the IT industry does not take away your uniqueness. Some may be working in development, some may be working as Leads, some may be working in pre-sales, and some others may have direct client-handling experience. Think through your experiences in these various roles, and some personal quality of yours will shine through! Bottomline : This is an opportunity for you to let ISB know that there is more to you than what your resume and your GMAT score suggest. Approach it with enthusiasm, because your positivity will bring the essay to life! Essay 2: What are your short term and long term career goals? How will Post Graduate Program at ISB assist you in achieving your goals? (400 words max) This is the good old classical statement of purpose (SOP). ISB wants candidates to be very clear in terms of how they want their careers to shape up, especially in the near future (3-5 years after MBA) and in the long term (8-10 years after MBA). This essay is best addressed along 3 major points. a) First what you have done in life so far (primarily on the professional/academic front) b) Second what you want to do in future c) Third how does ISB fit into the scheme of things Clearly there are some experiences, attributes, and interests that you already have. This is your past . You have aspirations in life; you hope this to be your future . What is currently holding you back , from making your aspirations, your future? This is what this essay is all about. Based upon what you have done in the past, and what you want to do in future, there are certain gaps in terms of skill sets, in terms of network, or in terms of competencies, that you want the b-school to bridge. So, you need to build a case that equipping yourself with these skill-sets, network and competencies will help embark you towards your future goals. It is also very important that you do a good research on the unique offerings of ISB that would be directly relevant to your aspirations. Please note that mentioning ISB's attributes such as great faculty, good peer group and interactive classes are in most cases a waste of space in the essay; this is because almost every applicant would mention these, and these attributes come across as generic (almost every b-school can claim to have these); imagine what the evaluator of the essay will go through, reading the exact same words one essay after another. So, what will pay off are the very specific and unique offerings of the school. These could be specific student interest clubs, any flagship events in the area of your interest, any centers of excellence and any specific research area that the school focuses on. In fact, if you have had a chance to visit ISB, ISB's Information sessions, or personally interact with any existing student, do highlight it, since this would demonstrate your interest.

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ISB 2021 (Co 2022) Essay Analysis....

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arora1

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14 Sep 2020, 09:18

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elPatron434

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Hi elPatron434 vivucal ISBeacon
Can you help me understand where to add volunteering expereince in the ISB application? Is it supposed to be added in the section shown in attached image?
What if there is no End date ? -.-

I also see no space to upload an additional essay or a resume.

The portal also seems to count spaces in its character count. And lastly, after 5-6 mins it refreshes and you lose the content- so remember to keep saving the data.

Compared to other top B-school application interface, the ISB application portal is poorly designed and full of technical flaws.

Unfortunately, those are constraints! I believe the entire application form serves as resume. No space for any additional essays; if you want to address something, you have to buffet it in the essay;

In the essay section, the site says that optional essay can be added. I need to know where.

And what kind of activities are we supposed to add in the activities section then, if not community service?

Am very disappointed by the ISB application system. If I get selected, I will definitely try to get the form changed.

Posted from my mobile device

The optional essay is for reapplicants afaik

Ok. So what about those who need to address any gaps? (Though not applicable to me, but still)

And no space for supplemental coursework? Life circumstances that i want to address?

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14 Sep 2020, 09:22

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arora1

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arora1

Unfortunately, those are constraints! I believe the entire application form serves as resume. No space for any additional essays; if you want to address something, you have to buffet it in the essay;

The optional essay is for reapplicants afaik

Ok. So what about those who need to address any gaps? (Though not applicable to me, but still)

And no space for supplemental coursework? Life circumstances that i want to address?

Unfortunately we cannot do that. Unless we incorporate it in the essays we can't address them. I agree with you here

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14 Sep 2020, 09:31

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arora1

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Unfortunately, those are constraints! I believe the entire application form serves as resume. No space for any additional essays; if you want to address something, you have to buffet it in the essay;

The optional essay is for reapplicants afaik

Ok. So what about those who need to address any gaps? (Though not applicable to me, but still)

And no space for supplemental coursework? Life circumstances that i want to address?

Hi, so volunteering experience can be added as part of achievements in award section, I believe it is section F in the application. And to explain the gap, you have an option to select if there is a gap between education-employment and if you selected that there is a reason field below. I guess application form has designated sections for each requirement you mentioned. DM me if you need any specific help.
Cheers.

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16 Sep 2020, 05:02

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amandg

Can we give 2 recent professional examples in essay 1? I wanted to check how important it is to give a personal example especially if you do not have a strong personal story.

Hi amandg, 2 professional examples would be good enough. Don't force-fit a personal example, if it is not strong enough, since it might end up diluting the entire essay.

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coward4gmat

2. If I have to include more examples, I'm finding it difficult to explain the Situation, Task, Actions, and Results all within 80-90 words. Further, smooth storytelling needs additional fillers in between, further taking up the space. Am I missing something major here?

Hi coward4gmat, for this exact reason, we have recommended that you should not give more than 2-3 examples. Mentioning more than 3 examples, will not allow any example to develop, thereby making the essay feel like a laundry list. Not good.

So, if you have more than 3 examples in mind, pick up the top 3 most impactful ones and narrate them in the essay.

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Where can I put in my internship experience in the application form and is it essential to mention all of the internships done ?
I specifically wanted to add one internship and wouldn't mind leaving out the rest.

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17 Sep 2020, 09:25

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Hello gmatclub members!

I am an ISB 2018 admit.

I have helped several aspirants (later converted to admits) with GMAT prep, essays, interviews and profile evaluation. Happy to help this year's applicants as well if you have any questions. I am doing this because I remember the feedback and support I received from my friends and colleagues. So want to help a few people get higher chances of admit.

Feel free to reach out to me for any help.

Thanks!

PS: I am not charging for that.

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19 Sep 2020, 08:23

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For promotion, do we need to add a new employment section or mention it in the achievement?

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Archived ISB Discussion

Hi there,

You've stumbled upon an old discussion from our ISB Forum that's now outdated and has been archived. No more replies are possible here.

Interested in current discussions? Feel free to dive into our dedicated ISB Forum for all fresh things related to the ISB MBA program.

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