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rahul8singh
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Joined: 29 Jan 2014
Last visit: 26 Feb 2016
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Location: India
Concentration: Technology, Social Entrepreneurship
Schools: ISB '17 (A)
GMAT 1: 710 Q50 V35
WE:Web Development (Computer Software)
Schools: ISB '17 (A)
GMAT 1: 710 Q50 V35
Posts: 5
Kudos: 15
 [10]
ISB Essay + Interview experience ( Admission Offered ) 22 Dec 2015, 12:20
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Hello,
I feel this is really late and many posts have already been written on this topic, however I would like to give my two cents. Recently I got an admission offer from ISB ( Hyderabad campus ) :-D and I would like to share my experience of writing the essays and appearing in the interview.
Before starting I would like to give a brief overview of my profile. I am a male IT engineer currently employed as a Senior Software Engineer in Samsung Research, Noida. I got a GMAT score of 710 ( quant:50, verbal:35, awa:4.5, ir:7) which I gave earlier this year. Since I wanted to have a post MBA career in India, on the recommendation of many of my friends, relatives and colleagues and based on my own research, I decided to apply in ISB. I hired a consultant specifically for ISB who helped me in my essays. After a lot of deliberations, we decided to go for a personal story in the first essay, a professional one in the second and the third essay was the common goals essay. Arriving at the final draft was very tedious and it took me about one and a half months ( three iterations of write and review ) to complete the draft. My recommendation for the essays would be that you should be clear about the post MBA career goals. Also, its very important to mix things a little i.e. use both personal and professional instances while answering the questions. This will help the AdCom get a more holistic view of your profile and it will also help them fit you somewhere in the classroom. Finally, write from your heart and be as real as possible.
Moving on, after around a month of submission deadline for the first round, I got a mail from the ISB AdCom for a face to face interview which was to be held at Sheraton, Delhi. I was received for the interview by an alumni who was very warm and welcoming. Inside the interview room there were two more alums who were equally courteous and tried to make me comfortable by asking me about my hobbies and other stuff. Soon, things became a little more serious when they started talking questions about my profile and essays. I will list down the questions that I can remember from the interview.
1.) What has been your most difficult accomplishment ? What was the outcome ?
2.) Describe an instance where you have shown leadership quality.
3.) Describe an instance where you have taken an initiative.
4.) Talk about your current roles and responsibilities.
5.) What is your plan for the future ?
Throughout the interview they kept asking cross questions, had in-depth questions about my domain and the projects that I did and finally wrapped up the interview with the customary "Do you have any questions ?" question. Overall, the interview session was very calm and it never went into stress mode. Maybe I was lucky or they were too tired to heat up the session. :-D
My advice for the ISB interview would be that you should be very thorough with your essays and practice beforehand a variety of questions for the interview. The more prepared you are the more confident you will be during the interview and the more genuine your answers will appear. Finally, be cool headed during the interview and don't worry about the result. Believe in hard work because it usually pays off.
So, this was my experience with the ISB essay and interview. If you have any other question please do reply or you can PM me.
Best of luck to second round applicants. Hope to see you in class. :-D
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rsh12
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Joined: 25 Sep 2015
Last visit: 16 Apr 2021
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Location: United States
Schools: XLRI (I) IIMA PGPX'22 (I) Ross '23 (I) ISB'22 (I)
GMAT 1: 700 Q48 V37
GRE 1: Q750 V600
GPA: 3.26
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: XLRI (I) IIMA PGPX'22 (I) Ross '23 (I) ISB'22 (I)
GMAT 1: 700 Q48 V37
GRE 1: Q750 V600
Posts: 84
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ISB Essay + Interview experience ( Admission Offered ) 22 Dec 2015, 15:11
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rahul8singh
Hello,
I feel this is really late and many posts have already been written on this topic, however I would like to give my two cents. Recently I got an admission offer from ISB ( Hyderabad campus ) :-D and I would like to share my experience of writing the essays and appearing in the interview.
Before starting I would like to give a brief overview of my profile. I am a male IT engineer currently employed as a Senior Software Engineer in Samsung Research, Noida. I got a GMAT score of 710 ( quant:50, verbal:35, awa:4.5, ir:7) which I gave earlier this year. Since I wanted to have a post MBA career in India, on the recommendation of many of my friends, relatives and colleagues and based on my own research, I decided to apply in ISB. I hired a consultant specifically for ISB who helped me in my essays. After a lot of deliberations, we decided to go for a personal story in the first essay, a professional one in the second and the third essay was the common goals essay. Arriving at the final draft was very tedious and it took me about one and a half months ( three iterations of write and review ) to complete the draft. My recommendation for the essays would be that you should be clear about the post MBA career goals. Also, its very important to mix things a little i.e. use both personal and professional instances while answering the questions. This will help the AdCom get a more holistic view of your profile and it will also help them fit you somewhere in the classroom. Finally, write from your heart and be as real as possible.
Moving on, after around a month of submission deadline for the first round, I got a mail from the ISB AdCom for a face to face interview which was to be held at Sheraton, Delhi. I was received for the interview by an alumni who was very warm and welcoming. Inside the interview room there were two more alums who were equally courteous and tried to make me comfortable by asking me about my hobbies and other stuff. Soon, things became a little more serious when they started talking questions about my profile and essays. I will list down the questions that I can remember from the interview.
1.) What has been your most difficult accomplishment ? What was the outcome ?
2.) Describe an instance where you have shown leadership quality.
3.) Describe an instance where you have taken an initiative.
4.) Talk about your current roles and responsibilities.
5.) What is your plan for the future ?
Throughout the interview they kept asking cross questions, had in-depth questions about my domain and the projects that I did and finally wrapped up the interview with the customary "Do you have any questions ?" question. Overall, the interview session was very calm and it never went into stress mode. Maybe I was lucky or they were too tired to heat up the session. :-D
My advice for the ISB interview would be that you should be very thorough with your essays and practice beforehand a variety of questions for the interview. The more prepared you are the more confident you will be during the interview and the more genuine your answers will appear. Finally, be cool headed during the interview and don't worry about the result. Believe in hard work because it usually pays off.
So, this was my experience with the ISB essay and interview. If you have any other question please do reply or you can PM me.
Best of luck to second round applicants. Hope to see you in class. :-D
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Hey Rahul,

Thanks for posting this. Would you mind elaborating your profile a bit?

Thanks,
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rishiroadster
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Last visit: 28 Nov 2020
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Schools: Oxford'17 (A) Judge'17 (D) ISB '17 (A)
Schools: Oxford'17 (A) Judge'17 (D) ISB '17 (A)
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ISB Essay + Interview experience ( Admission Offered ) 22 Dec 2015, 21:25
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I'm dead against taking professional consultants' help for essays and interviews. It's a money making racket! Do your own research. The journey to a b-school is as important as the experience at a b-school itself.
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rahul8singh
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Joined: 29 Jan 2014
Last visit: 26 Feb 2016
Posts: 5
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Location: India
Concentration: Technology, Social Entrepreneurship
Schools: ISB '17 (A)
GMAT 1: 710 Q50 V35
WE:Web Development (Computer Software)
Schools: ISB '17 (A)
GMAT 1: 710 Q50 V35
Posts: 5
Kudos: 15
ISB Essay + Interview experience ( Admission Offered ) 24 Dec 2015, 01:26
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rachitshah
rahul8singh
Hello,
I feel this is really late and many posts have already been written on this topic, however I would like to give my two cents. Recently I got an admission offer from ISB ( Hyderabad campus ) :-D and I would like to share my experience of writing the essays and appearing in the interview.
Before starting I would like to give a brief overview of my profile. I am a male IT engineer currently employed as a Senior Software Engineer in Samsung Research, Noida. I got a GMAT score of 710 ( quant:50, verbal:35, awa:4.5, ir:7) which I gave earlier this year. Since I wanted to have a post MBA career in India, on the recommendation of many of my friends, relatives and colleagues and based on my own research, I decided to apply in ISB. I hired a consultant specifically for ISB who helped me in my essays. After a lot of deliberations, we decided to go for a personal story in the first essay, a professional one in the second and the third essay was the common goals essay. Arriving at the final draft was very tedious and it took me about one and a half months ( three iterations of write and review ) to complete the draft. My recommendation for the essays would be that you should be clear about the post MBA career goals. Also, its very important to mix things a little i.e. use both personal and professional instances while answering the questions. This will help the AdCom get a more holistic view of your profile and it will also help them fit you somewhere in the classroom. Finally, write from your heart and be as real as possible.
Moving on, after around a month of submission deadline for the first round, I got a mail from the ISB AdCom for a face to face interview which was to be held at Sheraton, Delhi. I was received for the interview by an alumni who was very warm and welcoming. Inside the interview room there were two more alums who were equally courteous and tried to make me comfortable by asking me about my hobbies and other stuff. Soon, things became a little more serious when they started talking questions about my profile and essays. I will list down the questions that I can remember from the interview.
1.) What has been your most difficult accomplishment ? What was the outcome ?
2.) Describe an instance where you have shown leadership quality.
3.) Describe an instance where you have taken an initiative.
4.) Talk about your current roles and responsibilities.
5.) What is your plan for the future ?
Throughout the interview they kept asking cross questions, had in-depth questions about my domain and the projects that I did and finally wrapped up the interview with the customary "Do you have any questions ?" question. Overall, the interview session was very calm and it never went into stress mode. Maybe I was lucky or they were too tired to heat up the session. :-D
My advice for the ISB interview would be that you should be very thorough with your essays and practice beforehand a variety of questions for the interview. The more prepared you are the more confident you will be during the interview and the more genuine your answers will appear. Finally, be cool headed during the interview and don't worry about the result. Believe in hard work because it usually pays off.
So, this was my experience with the ISB essay and interview. If you have any other question please do reply or you can PM me.
Best of luck to second round applicants. Hope to see you in class. :-D


Hey Rahul,

Thanks for posting this. Would you mind elaborating your profile a bit?

Thanks,
Show more


Hey Rachit,

Thanks.
My full profile :
10th - ICSE - 92% (2006)
12th - CBSE - 88.6% (2008)
B.Tech - NIT Rourkela ( CSE) - 8.14 (2012)
I joined Samsung Research, Delhi in 2012 and have been working here since. I am currently a Senior Software Engineer working in the Web Application domain.
I also co-founded a Non profit enterprise called Meds4all which works with NGOs in the health sector.
So, this is my complete profile. :-D
In case you need any other information please PM me.

Regards,
Rahul Singh
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rahul8singh
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Joined: 29 Jan 2014
Last visit: 26 Feb 2016
Posts: 5
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15
Location: India
Concentration: Technology, Social Entrepreneurship
Schools: ISB '17 (A)
GMAT 1: 710 Q50 V35
WE:Web Development (Computer Software)
Schools: ISB '17 (A)
GMAT 1: 710 Q50 V35
Posts: 5
Kudos: 15
ISB Essay + Interview experience ( Admission Offered ) 24 Dec 2015, 04:28
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rishiroadster
I'm dead against taking professional consultants' help for essays and interviews. It's a money making racket! Do your own research. The journey to a b-school is as important as the experience at a b-school itself.
Show more

Hey Rishi,

Yeah you are right, one can make a really good candidature by doing one's own research and I think it will also make one much more informed. However, I feel its a personal choice to hire a consultant or not. I chose one because I didn't have much time after my day job. Furthermore, my own experience with a consultant was that, most of the work for writing essays was done by me and the consultant gave directions and advise which helped me refine my essays. Having said that, I will reiterate that if one has ample time, things can be done on one's own.

Thanks
Rahul Singh
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diviGmat
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Location: United States (OR)
Concentration: Finance, Marketing
Schools: ISB '17 (D) Ross '18 (D) Duke '18 (D) Judge'17 (D) LBS '18 (D) Tepper '18 (D) Yale '18 (D)
GMAT 1: 700 Q48 V37
WE:Information Technology (Computer Software)
Schools: ISB '17 (D) Ross '18 (D) Duke '18 (D) Judge'17 (D) LBS '18 (D) Tepper '18 (D) Yale '18 (D)
GMAT 1: 700 Q48 V37
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ISB Essay + Interview experience ( Admission Offered ) 24 Feb 2016, 11:32
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Congrats Rahul, so happy to see your story. All the best :)
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PVarun
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Last visit: 06 Mar 2018
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Location: India
Schools: Insead Sept'18 (D) Sloan '20 (D) Wharton '20 (D) ISB '19 (A)
GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V42
GPA: 3.44
Schools: Insead Sept'18 (D) Sloan '20 (D) Wharton '20 (D) ISB '19 (A)
GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V42
Posts: 6
Kudos: 10
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ISB Essay + Interview experience ( Admission Offered ) 24 Dec 2017, 23:04
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Hello,
This is a really late post but I think it might be helpful for someone applying in Round 2. I got an admission offer from ISB (Mohali campus ) :-D and I would like to share my experience of writing the essays and appearing in the interview.
My profile -
Male
Civil Engineer
Currently working with an NGO in the field of education. (<1 year)
Past Experience: Oil and Gas sector (3 years).
GMAT score of 760 quant 50, verbal 41, AWA 4, IR 5)

Since I wanted to have a post MBA career in India, on the recommendation of many of my friends, relatives and colleagues and based on my own research, I decided to apply in ISB.
For writing the essays, I engaged Manish from MBA CrystalBall for the essays part of ISB. He helped me in effectively explaining my goals and motivations in a simple and effective manner. After a month of submission deadline for the first round, I got a mail from the ISB AdCom for a face to face interview which was to be held at Sheraton, Delhi.

For ISB Interviews I engaged Arijit Biswas from CrackAdmissions. His insights on the interview process were really helpful and tremendously helped me in feeling more comfortable for the interviews. It's very important to have a structured approach towards answers and draw examples from both personal and professional life while answering the questions.

Interview Experience: In the interview room there were 2 alumni and one AdCom member. After exchanging pleasantries, they directly jumped to the point and started talking questions about my profile and essays. I will list down the questions that I can remember from the interview.
1. Why did you change your job from Oil and Gas to Education.
2. More discussion about education, what problems we are facing etc.
3. Name 2 skills you want to gain from ISB and why?
4. What has been your most difficult accomplishment ?
5. Give an example of a situation where you faced resistance from your team members. How did you manage?
6. Current roles and responsibilities. Goals
7. What is ELP?

My interview went for 45 mins approx. and there were instances where I disagreed with them on their opinions and they disagreed with mine. It was more like a discussion with inputs from the interviewers also.

My advice:
1. Prepare well for the interview as a lot of questions are very standard
2. Know your essays inside out
3. Be very clear about your goals
4. Have good knowledge of whatever your domain is.

Do not shy away from engaging consultants. Personally I found there inputs were very helpful both as the essay and interview stage. A couple of mock interview sessions helped me a lot by making me aware of the weak areas and improving my confidence.

If you have any other question please do reply or you can PM me. All the best!
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Haroog
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ISB Essay + Interview experience ( Admission Offered ) 22 Feb 2018, 23:05
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