ISB applicants - Ask GyanOne!!

Quick note for R2 applicants:

- ISB has not yet sent out all interview calls for R2
- While most calls are going out city-wide, this is not hard and fast. Some applicants are being invited to Hyderabad or Mohali even after the interview calls for that location have been sent out.
- The average notice before an interview is lower this time. Please ensure you continue to prepare and do not wait to begin till you get the interview call.

As always, feel free to post your queries here.

Hi GyanOne

When are Delhi interviews for R2 expected to roll out? I thought the date was Saturday but did not get anything yet

Thanks

Delhi invites were sent out on 10th feb

Delhi invites started rolling out last week and went on till about 16th Feb. Some people from Delhi/NCR are still getting invites though. For example, a client of ours from Gurgaon was invited today to interview at Mohali over the weekend.

Hope that helps.

Hi Gyanone,

I plan to re-apply at ISB. May I request you to please evaluate my profile and suggest next steps?

Class 10th - 73%
Class 12th - 84%
B.Tech CGPA - 8.76 (Electronics Engg, NIT)
GMAT - 710 (Q50, V36, AWA - 5, IR - 6) – 4 attempts

ISB Application Status 2017 – Rejected (Received interview call)

Work Ex – Analytics – 4 Years 8 months till Mar’17 (Curr Employer – 100 people analytics and research firm for ~3 Years now, Prev Employer - Mu Sigma – ~2 Years)

Clients – Pharmaceutical Companies (Healthcare)

Current Designation – Manager (Leading a 3 member team)

Work Achievements – 2 promotions in current firm, 2 awards in current firm and 2 awards in previous firm

Extra Curricular:-
Co-founded a group to address sanitation crisis during college days – Couldn’t continue the work post college
Pro Bono consulting projects for NGO (In education sector)
Teaching Volunteer NGO during 2015 – 16 academic year

Short Term Goal – Join healthcare e-commerce firm

My Questions:-
Should I re-take GMAT?
How can I create a delta to show significant improvements in my profile w.r.t. previous application?
Any other points to improve my profile?

Many Thanks,
Manoj

Hi Manoj,

Here are our responses after going through your profile:

1. Your current GMAT score is sufficient to put you in contention; however, a higher GMAT can only help. Given that the ISB application for 2017 will not be open for another couple of months, and the first deadline is in October, you should plan to use your time wisely now.
2. Look for firm contribution activities at work, try and continue/restart social initiatives, retake GMAT, and if possible do projects along dimensions different from the ones done so far.
3. There was possibly something lacking in terms of your goals and your connect with ISB for achieving them. Cannot comment fully unless we see your previous year's application and understand your interview experience. You are welcome to send those to us.

Hope this helps. Feel free to come back with more queries as needed.

Hello,

Please evaluate my profile for ISB.

Nationality- Indian
Gender- Male
Xth- 87.8%
XIIth - 77.2%
Undergrad- B.Tech. in Civil Engg, From NIT Jaipur
CGPA- 8.21/10
GMAT- 640 ( Q-46, V-32, AWA-4, IR-6) - 1st attempt; will be retaking GMAT in June 17 for ISB and targeting 700+

Work Exp
1. Approx 4 years of Overseas experience in Gulf as of Sep 2017 in L&T Construction (a gap of 2 years in between; will write optional essay for that)
- Responsibilities include Scheduling, Delay Analysis, monitoring and reporting

Extra Curricular (not much):
1. Won declamation in school
2. Organised events in College Fest.

Was interviewed this year for ISB, but couldn't make it. Will be asking for feedback from ISB, apart from that where do you think I need to improve.


Many Thanks

Hi Ankit

Thanks for posting. Please provide more details on your work and responsibilities and the size of the team you lead.

If you feel the need, we can do an analysis of your ISB application to help you understand the gaps. You can email us directly for that.

Hi, 

I am an ISB aspirant Could you please evaluate my profile and suggest me on the areas on which I will have to work on, in order to enhance my profile. 

Indian/Male/26 years 

Academic Details: 
X - 82% 
XII - 93% 
Grad - 81% (B.Tech- Civil Engg) 
Pursuing PG in Project Management from NICMAR (Distance learning) 

Work Experience - 4.5 years 
I am currently working as a Project Engineer for Knight-India. It's a UK based Project Management Consulting firm. I have been a sole Project planner for a 4 million sft Commercial development with a Project Cost Rs 800 crores. My key responsibilities involve project scheduling and tracking, Resource Planning, MIS (Management Information System). 

Prior to joining Knight Frank, I was associated with Sobha Ltd and Aparna Constructions, where I've handled the similar function for the Residential developments of size 5 lakh sft and 2 million sft respectively. 

Accomplishments: 
-Certification of Appreciation for achieving First rank in academics during Graduation. 
-Achieved 15th rank at the University level among all the Colleges affiliated to JNTUH. 
-Presented technical Papers at various reputed Universities like IIT Madras and Osmania University. 
-I was a representative for the Civil Engineering department to conduct various technical events at college under ISTE (Indian Society for Technical Education) 
- Won a couple of medals for presenting technical papers and projects during Graduation. 

I am planning to take GMAT this June. 

The biggest concern I have is the lack of Extra Curriculars. Could you please evaluate my profile and suggest me about how to enhance my profile to get into ISB. 

I've heard that ISB prefers candidates from diverse backgrounds. As I am from a non-IT background, Do I have any advantage as such??




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Hi Srikanth

Thanks for posting. Happy to help. A quick question before we deep dive into this - what are your post-MBA goals? Also, are you aiming for schools other than ISB as well? The answers to these questions will help us respond better and in more detail to you.

I am looking for a career in operations and as i want to stay back in India after my MBA, I am primarily aiming for ISB since it is the best B school in India.

Sent from my Lenovo A7010a48 using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

Hi Srikanth

- Your academics are pretty strong and your PG adds further to your credentials. Some nice awards and distinctions there as well. Well done on the academic front.
- On the professional side, your work with PM consulting definitely helps provide a bit of business perspective to your profile, which may otherwise be seen to be a bit too technical. Your employers (KF, Sobha) are well-known names in the industry and that helps as well.
- Your GMAT score needs to be around 700, and more if possible. Of late, ISB wants more from applicants from non-business backgrounds, and competition is intense. With no international experience, you do yourself no favor by achieving less than 700.
- The lack of ECA is not a huge factor at this point. Yes, you will need to mention achievements and activities outside work, but we do see you having enough of that. More than that, its a fit with the culture of the school (both inside and outside class) that you need to illustrate, and you should focus on that at the time of your applications.
- Diversity is more of a hygiene factor rather than an actual advantage. It is noticed once you don't have it In your case, focus on building your profile, than on highlighting skills different from other pools of applicants. Understand what the school is looking for, how your work is differentiated and impactful, and supplement with a decent test score and strong apps.
- Of late, ISB's focus on operations and options available within that specialization have grown considerably. Analytics, the sectoral focus on infrastructure and manufacturing, the recently introduced Dean's Speaker Series all add to it. Functionally, you are well aligned.

Hope this helps. Feel free to come back with more queries as needed.

Hi. I have done my Bachelor's and Masters in Pharmacy. Post completion of my M Pharm, I had worked in Biocon (Bangalore, India), a leading biopharmaceutical major in Asia, as In Process Quality Assurance Personnel for 2 years (Feb 2014 - Jan 2016). My work was totally related to Quality aspects in Insulin Formulation Plant (Fill Finish Site). Currently, i am working in Mylan (Bangalore, India), a leading Generic major in the US, as R&D QA Quality Personnel since January 2016. My work here is related to Quality aspects in the development of Formulation. As on today, i hold 3+ years of Career experience.
I can also converse in 6 languages including Spanish. I have been recognized for my outstanding work during the span of 2 years. I have come across a very common fact that B Schools look for diversity also. So I know that I don't have a great score during my 10th & 12th. Will it be a black mark for me during my MBA selection?
Will my Pharma Background play a role in differentiating me from the IT guys who are generally in the large crowd of applicants to B-School?
Please guide me. Let me know how else I can build up my profile?
I aspire to work in management roles in a Pharma Company. I believe MBA will give me a threshold to start with this role. So am preparing for GMAT to pursue MBA (General Management/Operations) from a reputed institute.
My aspiration is to work in Project Management/Portfolio Management/Business Development/General Management Roles in reputed companies like Dr Reddy's Pfizer/J&J/Novartis. Hope my Idea is clear.
Please Evaluate my profile. Thanks in advance.

Posted from my mobile device

Posted from my mobile device

Hi nkashyap23

Thank you for posting. Please add information on the following two aspects to allow us to evaluate more deeply:
- Hobbies/personal interests and achievements across those
- Your academic performance so far (X/XII/Bachelor's)

Will get back to you with a complete evaluation here soon as you post this.

Hello, Pls evaluate my profile.

I have a work exp - 5 years + (as of today).

GMAT Score-710 (50Q 36V 5IR 4.5AWA)

I Work as a navigating officer with Mitsui OSK Lines .

I did have a AIR IITJEE to get into Training Ship Chanakya.

ClassX-81.8 ClassXII-81.6 Graduation- 66

I have worked with Greenpeace and Bhumi on my off days.

Participated in debates at various levels. Member of toastmasters East Delhi.



And would be great if you can help me with few queries like -

1. Is the score good enough or a 20-30 point increase would make a difference?

2. How big a role does GMAT makes to the admission process?

3. Does the score fills the "first bucket" in the process?

I am keen on applying this year to IIM A/B/C and ISB.


My Short term goal is to work in Ops domain in SCM. What are the colleges I could look fwd to appying in USA and Canada?

Hi Nishant

- Good profile for ISB there. Merchant Navy officers are always valued at ISB, and you have some very decent experience too. What is your current rank?
- You may also like to check out the following article: MBA after the Merchant Navy
- On your queries:
1. The score is good enough for ISB. You should retake and try for a higher score if applying to top schools abroad (outside India).
2. The role of the GMAT is significant. However, it is not everything. Application strength and interview performance matter strongly too.
3. Yes, it does, for all the schools you have listed.

Hope this helps. Feel free to come back with more queries as needed.

Hey thanks Gyan!
My priorities are -
1. India
2. Start Education in 2018 in the best possible school (India preferred not compulsory)

Yes I did go through the article before .

My other questions revolve around work experience --
1.5 years 10 months at IIM - good enough compared to current batch average?
2. Considering a lot of mariners these days apply to these schools , probably with better scores :
a. Can Gmat be distinguishing factor?
b. Is there a Undeclared limitations to number of mariners in a batch ?

Can you share the commonly asked questions at schools in interview.

I am currently employed as third officer and have sailed on many types of ships (Containers, Car carriers, Bulkers, Ore carriers, General cargo etc ) , a rare sight these days!

Hi Nishant

1. Yes, it should be fine with a decent application
2. (a) To an extent, yes, but your diversity comes from your profile. There are a lot of mariners applying, but they are still a small number compared to the overall applicant pool.
(b) Yes, there would be some cap, but you should try to maximize your chances by applying early.

Hi nkashyap23,

- Your work experience is quite diverse (as compared to that of most people in the ISB applicant pool) and although the quantum of experience you have (3+) is below the ISB average, you should be fine. Work with reputed brands helps as well.
- Your X and XII scores matter less at this point - it is your GMAT that carries maximum value on the analytical abilities front.
- While your goals are achievable, your reasoning for why you need an MBA to achieve them isn't really clear. Many people get Project Management roles in the industry without an MBA. You will need to strengthen your applications on that side.
- We can comment more once you include details on your ECA, work responsibilities, and GMAT score (once you have it).

Hope this helps. Feel free to come back with more queries as needed.