sid28 That's totally cool, I am going to mail/speak with adcom over this weekend... I was just hoping to get some quick answers since I am totally swamped with work right now... and I basically need to wrap up my entire life here in the US in the next few weeks!!! My mind is always swirling with to-do lists... anyway, all the best to you for the wait....good luck with your little trending exercise there!!
if you are an Indian passport holder - you are eligible for the ICICI loan program. Pretty straightforward by the sound of it - no collateral, minimal paperwork (your admissions is all the collateral they need I guess)
However, if you are a foriegn passport holder - it is a little trickier. There are private lenders in the US (including Sallie Mae) that lend for programs outside the US. but I am not sure how it works.
@MBA-Husband : Cool... I am an Indian passport holder... the ICICI loan program should work then... no collateral?? that's cool.. 😃 lets see, I'll find more information....
I am in a dilemma. I am an architect from IIT KGP and have been offered the Mohali Campus. I also have interview calls from IIM Ahmedabad, Calcutta, & Lucknow. However the IIMs will declare thier final results in mid-april by which time classes would begin at ISB. Please advice as to what would be a good option.
@SOUMENKIND well the question of which college is better is a no brainer obviously. IIM A C L defn better than ISB, but your dilemma is about paying the INR 2L to ISB before your IIM results. That all depends how comfortable you are shelling that amount and consider it as additional cost to your MBA prep and admissions, even if you do get IIMs ( which i am sure you will) the 2L can be considered as collateral damage.
I understand 2L is not a small amount and might mean a lot to you than others or it might mean less to you than others, so just think of it as an additional mba sunk cost.
Or as @magnumben said, have faith in your abilities, trust your instincts and take the minimal risk involved. You know your capability better than any one else, and if you are confident to crack atleast one IIM interview, then you are sorted.
I agree with what @sid28 and @magnumben have said in the earlier posts. A,C,L are definitely better and more renowned than ISB is and according to me, if 2L is a big amount for you, you might go ahead and take this chance. If not, I would suggest that you book your seat at ISB in case God has other plans for you when it comes to the IIM's.
Else, you may also consider deferring your admission to next year if you want each penny that you spend to be utilized for the best purpose.
One more thing to add here, in case you book your seat at ISB and later decide to join A, C or L depending on the admit you get, please do inform the ISB admin regarding your decision so that people who posted in the earlier pages about a wait-listed status can benefit from this and shower you with their good wishes, if not anything else.
Generalizing this, for puys who have multiple admits and have decided to join a school other than ISB, please inform the ISB adcom about your decision so that wait-listed folks can know of their future soon. All of us know how painful it was to wait till 15th Feb, imagine the plight of the W\L guys!
P.S.: I have an ISB admit and have already mailed the adcom regarding my decision to forego the seat. I have an admit from a top-20 ranked US program this year. I plan to put my papers around May and expect to be relieved around July. Can't wait for the last day to come!
@MBA_Target2013 well said bro....I earnestly request all the puys who have already decided to join any other school with an admit in ISB to write about their decision to ISB. I am wait listed and this wait is really painful. Thanks
Thank you everyone for the suggestions !!! I am very bored of my current job so most probably I will book the ISB seat....but yes all your suggestions would give me the strength to make a decision once the IIM results are out 😃
I have a colleague who was waitlisted last year and was denied admission in the final list. I have seen his frustrations first hand and when the moment came when I had an admit but had already made up my mind to join another school, I did not waste much time mailing the adcom, with the sole intention of helping puys in similar situations as my colleague. I received my admit mail around 10:45 pm on Feb 15, and on the morning of Feb 16th, I had already mailed the adcom.
Whether the adcom comes to know of the decision on Feb 16th or March 2(last day of depositing first installment), doesn't make any difference to them, but definitely makes to people who are W\L as they can receive decisions asap.
@MBA_Target2013 Really appreciate your gesture. I think it is really kind of you to think of other people's anxiety. Clearly, your goals in terms of MBA are really clear and you did not have the similar Dilmma as @SOUMENKIND But again thats a good thing.
If you dont mind my asking, which US school are you going to ?
@MBA_Target2013 really thanks for your prompt mail and hope this good Samaritan behavior will be continued by some other puys and make some place for us, the wait listed puys. Thanks for your wishes and all the best for your future plans too ...
@SOUMENKIND Congrats..........Sometimes choices put us in a wrong place, aren't they!!! Are you damn sure that you will convert at least L (think how the interview was)? I guess that is an unfair question because no-one can be sure.... so better ask yourself what is more important to you - an MBA or an MBA from IIM? If it is the later then again what is more important to you - Rs 2 Lakh or a Year? I guess that will give you the answer... By the way - I really wish you get into a IIM without paying this extra 2L.....
I am in the same boat like many of you. I have an admit from ISB mohali and i am a native of chandigarh. unable to decide between ISB and oxford said. I talked to few recruiter who do leadership hiring in asia pacific. they say they would hire an ISB graduate first as thats a bigger brand name in asia. and that i would be able to learn more in isb as i am already comfortable in the city and everything and nothing to worry about.
oxford is a big brand name too and with cameroon anouncing that people will get work visa for 3 years if they are able to get a job worth 16000 euro a year is fascinating for sure. but again that starts in october and this isb starts in april too much of thought process going in this.
any suggestions will be welcome. though i already have international exposure and have worked in the US for 1.5 years.
have another offer from SMU cox with 100% cox scholarship.
Please suggest. Fee is not a problem as i am going to take a loan and its an investment.
PS: if i take an admit in mohali ISB i can help all outsiders to be comfortable with the city :)
@rahulmarwah .I think MBA is a spring board as far as professional career is concerned, if we are able to align our abilities along with the expectations from B-school brand, from recruiters' perspective.All best companies are visitors to IIMs and ISB, but this may not be the case with majority of US or UK B schools that are below top rung ones.More over, next 20 years are of Asia, particularly, India are far as opportunities and professional challenges(learning avenues) are concerned.I think its good to make choice(Oxford), if u dont't get through IIMs and ISB.
@rahulmarwah Hi Rahul, My 2 cents...There is no comparison between the ISB brand and Oxford Said. Oxford is definitely a beacon of learning and a university with a rich history but that glory is not associated with MBA. I would say that Oxford is the school of choice for more traditional streams but not MBA. This is unless you want to absolutely go to the UK and this is your best means to that end.
@AS-ISB2014 and @goldhunter80 : the only thing for which i am considering oxford is the international diversity of the class and the class size of 240 people opposite to 770 people in ISb competing for the placements in the same consulting firms.
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