Hello Mapi2K
Well, there is no set profile of an incoming ISB student. ISB's criteria is to select people from diverse backgrounds so that there is valuable contribution to the class discussions (which is an important aspect of learning here). Your profile seems good. Try to get a decent GMAT score (over 700) and you can definitely apply. The selection process is quite transparent. As long as you can justify your experience, short/long term goals, reasons for doing an MBA etc honestly, I don't see a reason why you won't get in.
So spend quality time on your application and write it yourself.
Let me know if you have any other query.
All the best
Hi ISB_CONNECT,
I had my interview at ISB recently. The ISSUE is: I come from Investment Banking background, but they thought I was from IT background and hence asked the first question about transition. I told them I was from finance to which they were surprised. After that the 2 alums couldn't answer some of my finance-specific questions as they said they were from IT background. I don't know about the third person - Mrs. Hema.
My QUESTION is: Shall I e-mail ISB about this and reschedule my Interview. There were no questions that were dug deeper into why I saw my future goal succeeding. I had done immense study on these topics. Moreover, I wasn't asked a single question on my Extracurriculars. The panel I was interviewed by had grilled others on EVERY aspect of the application. The same didn't happen to me. I must admit that my IV was the 2nd last one and they were running out of time. So, what should I do? Ideally, I should be put into Finance group and should not be put to disadvantage by ISB because of their not putting me into the proper club. I feel so let down. Should I talk to Mr. Menon? How do I contact him?
Hi ISB_CONNECT,
I had my interview at ISB recently. The ISSUE is: I come from Investment Banking background, but they thought I was from IT background and hence asked the first question about transition. I told them I was from finance to which they were surprised. After that the 2 alums couldn't answer some of my finance-specific questions as they said they were from IT background. I don't know about the third person - Mrs. Hema.
My QUESTION is: Shall I e-mail ISB about this and reschedule my Interview. There were no questions that were dug deeper into why I saw my future goal succeeding. I had done immense study on these topics. Moreover, I wasn't asked a single question on my Extracurriculars. The panel I was interviewed by had grilled others on EVERY aspect of the application. The same didn't happen to me. I must admit that my IV was the 2nd last one and they were running out of time. So, what should I do? Ideally, I should be put into Finance group and should not be put to disadvantage by ISB because of their not putting me into the proper club. I feel so let down. Should I talk to Mr. Menon? How do I contact him?
Write to admissions at [email protected]
Dear Kasish,
With respect to your interest in the media sector, here are a few facts which I hope will be helpful to you:
1. On an average about 4% of the ISB graduating class goes into the media & entertainment industry. Students from the class of 2009 who took up careers in the media industry received an average 3.2 times salary increase over what they were receiving prior to coming to ISB. For the Class of 2008, average salaries received by those who went into the media industry was Rs. 14,17,500.
2. Many of Indias top media companies hire at ISB. These include Google, HT Media Ltd, Network 18, Star India Pvt Ltd., NDTV, Infoedge India Ltd, Rediff, Ernst & Young (Media Consulting) and 9.9 Mediaworx Pvt Ltd (Media Consulting). ISB alumni hold significant positions in these companies in roles ranging from strategy, business development, product management and marketing
3. Students interested in careers in the media and entertainment industry (irrespective of whether they had media industry experience before joining ISB) find it extremely rewarding to be part of the media club at ISB. The media club is a student driven initiative and strives to engage media enthusiasts on campus and prepare them for careers in the media. For instance, this year the club organized a Media Conclave, where top industry leaders met to share their views on key trends in the media. Some of the speakers were:
Sanjeev Bhikchandani, Founder, Naukri.com
Ambareesh Murty, Country Manager, E bay India
Alok Kejriwal, Founder & CEO, Games2win
Bhaskar Das, Executive President, BCCL
Rajesh Sawhney, President, Reliance Entertainment
Other initiatives of the media club are:
Media Industry Knowledge Sessions: Top industry leaders are invited through the year to provide their perspective on the media and entertainment industry
Media Treks: Helps students increase industry interaction through treks to leading media companies to understand how they work and meet their senior management
Resume reviews and guidance by alumni working in the media industry
Media Elective: A half credit course that comprises 5 classes taken by media industry experts, which provides a practical and theoretical framework for those interested in media careers
Hope this helps!
Thanks for the reply.Its really going to help me in choosing the right career path .As you have mentioned that "guidance by alumni working in the media industry" is one of the features in ISB.I was wondering if anyone has that experience and can share the same here.
Hope i m nt sounding confused here.I just want to know the experience of ISB graduates in Media Industry.
Hi, I have 10yrs of exp in IT...Could you throw some light on what kind of roles (especially in leadership/management positions) are offered to ppl with my experince in companies like Google, Microsoft, etc...
I am in the process of applying for R2...I am looking for a leadership role in such companies..
Your reply would really help me frame my answer to "why MBA"...thanks in advance...
Hi ISB Connect,
It's really wonderful to see you here helping us out.
I have a query.
My profile is:
GMAT - 710.
Acads - Avg (X-76%, XII - 67%, BE - 67%)
Work Ex - 6 years by April 2010.
Onsite exp - 3 years till now.
EC - Vice president of students federation in college, conducted many initiatives at work, participated in dance competitions in company.
I also started my own software company around 9 months back that was doing pretty well but due to some unforeseen circumstances I had to close it off recently. I do create many new ideas for business.
Can I go for entrepreneur field in ISB, even if I have pretty less experience in this field? In future I want to be entrepreneur only and not planning to opt for placements.
Won't ISB dislike me for having closed my previous venture?
Hi ISB Connect, waiting for your valuable suggestion.
ritzybin SaysHi ISB Connect, waiting for your valuable suggestion.
No, they wouldnt. But you need to have cogent reasons on why you did what you did and what you plan to do post ISB
ISB_CONNECT SaysNo, they wouldnt. But you need to have cogent reasons on why you did what you did and what you plan to do post ISB
Thanks ISB Connect. Looking at my profile, do you think that I should retake the GMAT or is this score sufficient? I am in IT field.
Hello pguys and pgals!! I am sure there are people reading this thread who have researched the ISB admission pattern to the tee and i would like them to kindly go through my profile and suggest whether its worth the effort to keep any hopes of getting into one of the meccas for 2010 or 11
here we go::- 
I am a 25 year old marine engineer with 3 years experience in operations of large sea going ships at present. By the time the application goes through,it would rise to almost 4 years. i have worked for 2 years with Mitsui OSK lines( which happens to be the bluest chips amongst shipping companies) and a further year with fortune # 4 British petroleum!!
I have a Btech from an average instt with an average CGPA( no IITs to jumpstart the application!!! 
)
Nothing extra-ordinary in co-curriculars as well. Havent given the GMAT as yet, but mocks predict the final score to be in the 710-720 range( give or take another 10 odd marks!!)
The only thing that could work in my favour is that the kind of experience(shipping and energy sector) i would bring to the class will be varied from the usual IT/commerce students who would eventually stuff up the classrooms. Other than that i dont think there is anything else that truly stands out.
I request all the enlightened pagal gurus who have knowledge/exposure regarding the selection procedure, rate my chances and suggest if anything could be improved upon.
Cheers!!!!!!
Hi ISB_CONNECT
Following is a briefing of my credentials-
1.I am 24 year old, female, graduate from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh in Electrical Engineering.
2.I am working as a Software Engineer in an embedded systems firm, Samsung India Electronics Limited with a total work experience of 2.5 years until now.
3.I have a score of 670 in GMAT.
4.I have a very strong profile that reflects a career suitable for a Masters Degree in Management.
My query is, do I stand any chance of making it to ISB. If I have some chance, then what should I do in order to maximize it?
Would be a great help to have a reply form you!
hi
Sorry for getting a bit late on this. My few cents on the same
>>> Kind of roles offered by Google, Microsoft etc?
The majority of jobs revolve around the roles of programme manager, account manager, sales operations manager, business development, market analyst, evangelist etc.. The roles offered could change year on year based on company's demand
>>> how how much sense does it make to do MBA from ISB to progress in product development roles?
Being from one of the companies you have mentioned, I can vouch that it is easier to get into these roles without an MBA if you have grown from within the company. As an outsider, you would either need experience in the same or have a degee in business administration. ISB has a strong tie up with major IT companies and they do visit on a regular basis. Also, the Business Technology Club offers students a chance to interact with some of the most distinguished luminaries in this field. The recent technology conclave organised by ISB was a huge success with the who's-who of the industry attending. Interaction with these stalwarts is not something that easy to obtain and that is one thing ISB can provide. Since most of the students come with good amount of experience from distinguished companies and have good contacts, students get a chance to leverage the same to get companies of their choice on campus.
Hope this answers your question.
Hi ISB CONNECT
I am Shinoj. I have close to 5 years of experience(IT).
While forming my Essay question,i have come across this question that
Discuss how your career goals will be met by the ISB's one year programme in management
Now i am really interesting in the Business side of things like going to Consulting, to Business Development(possibly and of course later on in my career). So obviously for these reasons i want to do my MBA.
But an experienced acquaint of mine told me that stating out these reasons would be riskier as i would present an opportunity to the Panel to interrogate me further over these fields which i don't have in depth knowledge as of now.
Now obviously i dont have the knowledge in depth for the above fields because of the simple reason i am not in those fields (Consulting,Business Development). So in your experience how would the Panel approach my reasoning if i state it the way i want to? And in your opinion how should i approach answering the question?
Regards
Shinoj
hi
Sorry for getting a bit late on this. My few cents on the same
>>> Kind of roles offered by Google, Microsoft etc?
The majority of jobs revolve around the roles of programme manager, account manager, sales operations manager, business development, market analyst, evangelist etc.. The roles offered could change year on year based on company's demand
>>> how how much sense does it make to do MBA from ISB to progress in product development roles?
Being from one of the companies you have mentioned, I can vouch that it is easier to get into these roles without an MBA if you have grown from within the company. As an outsider, you would either need experience in the same or have a degee in business administration. ISB has a strong tie up with major IT companies and they do visit on a regular basis. Also, the Business Technology Club offers students a chance to interact with some of the most distinguished luminaries in this field. The recent technology conclave organised by ISB was a huge success with the who's-who of the industry attending. Interaction with these stalwarts is not something that easy to obtain and that is one thing ISB can provide. Since most of the students come with good amount of experience from distinguished companies and have good contacts, students get a chance to leverage the same to get companies of their choice on campus.
Hope this answers your question.
Dear ISB_CONNECT,
Thanks for the timely response. Let me re-state my question with more details....
Following is a briefing of my credentials-
1. I am a 24 years old, female, graduate from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh in Electrical Engineering.
2. I am working as an Embedded Systems Engineer in Samsung India Electronics Limited with a total work experience of 2.5 years until now.
3. I have a score of 670 in GMAT.
4. I have a suitable profile that is coherent with a career in Management, with some first-hand Entrepreneurship Experience. I have a start-up of my own.
I would really be grateful if you can guide me on the following:
A) What could be the limiting factors in my profile for making it to ISB?
B) Provided my score of 670, how should I present my case in the best possible way to secure the best chances of admission in ISB?
Warm Regards!!
hi
Sorry for getting a bit late on this. My few cents on the same
>>> Kind of roles offered by Google, Microsoft etc?
The majority of jobs revolve around the roles of programme manager, account manager, sales operations manager, business development, market analyst, evangelist etc.. The roles offered could change year on year based on company's demand
>>> how how much sense does it make to do MBA from ISB to progress in product development roles?
Being from one of the companies you have mentioned, I can vouch that it is easier to get into these roles without an MBA if you have grown from within the company. As an outsider, you would either need experience in the same or have a degee in business administration. ISB has a strong tie up with major IT companies and they do visit on a regular basis. Also, the Business Technology Club offers students a chance to interact with some of the most distinguished luminaries in this field. The recent technology conclave organised by ISB was a huge success with the who's-who of the industry attending. Interaction with these stalwarts is not something that easy to obtain and that is one thing ISB can provide. Since most of the students come with good amount of experience from distinguished companies and have good contacts, students get a chance to leverage the same to get companies of their choice on campus.
Hope this answers your question.
Thanks for your reply. It is indeed very useful.
I understand that MBA is not a panacea to solve all problem but it can provide a push to jump few steps. But do people really do that in ISB? For example, a programmer from MS joining ISB and going on to become programme manager in R&D;?
I know this is too hypothetical but I just want to check the possibilities.
Hi ISB_CONNECT,
I have a question on how diversity plays a role in classroom learning. Can you give me an example where you personally felt that because of peer, who had a diverse background, you could learn something which you could not have otherwise. I believe that its about sharing your unique experiences i.e. how you faced a particular situation and handled it and what were my learnings from it, regardless of your background. So, can you please help me understand the material benefit of having diverse peers.
Thanks
Hi ISB_Connect,
I must congratulate on such a good job you're doing in helping prospective ISB applicants. When ISB started it's program, it was an ideal option for a working class professional to join.
But, with the advancement in years, the years of experience are starting to feel like a drawback. I have an an average GMAT of 700 with extensive IT industry experience in various orgs. I've done my Btech from an NIT.
I have both a products sector profile with experience in Novell and Mentor graphics. I also have exposure in service sector in IBM.
I see two career options in my future.
a) Getting in Program Management or Product management
b) Getting into consulting.
I have a preference for consulting. I do have expsoure to various social issues, As a matter of fact, I write articles on investment, royalty and various mining matters. They have been published in Portals. This does provide me an extensive social sector exposure.
The question is, since, I don't fit in regular class profile of ISB ie.e 3-6 years exp. Is ISB a good option for me?
I've received feedback from certain sources that ISB does not prefer high experience candidates.
Thanks In advance
Umashankar Das
Hi ISB_CONNECT,
I have a question on how diversity plays a role in classroom learning. Can you give me an example where you personally felt that because of peer, who had a diverse background, you could learn something which you could not have otherwise. I believe that its about sharing your unique experiences i.e. how you faced a particular situation and handled it and what were my learnings from it, regardless of your background. So, can you please help me understand the material benefit of having diverse peers.
Thanks
This is a very valid question...I would really like to know how the diversity works....in fact,I would love to see,if possible, a live class room session in ISB...Is there any such provision??
Dear ISB CONNECT,
I'm an Indian woman, 25 yrs of age and my profile is as follows. (The question nos in front of my questions have been highlighted in red):
10th - 84.33%,
12th- 58.17%,
Bachelor of Management Studies (Mumbai University) - 70.91% (first class with distinction)
GMAT: 700 (Verbal-38, Quant-48 )
Work ex- 2 years 10 months, Marketing and General Management profiles.
05-06 - worked for an NGO as communication Executive
06-07 - worked for a manufacturing, small EOU as Management trainee
07-08 - Worked for a leading retailer as Marketing Executive (handled all marketing related activities of several stores across India alone for a few months, re-launched the loyalty program)
Took 1 year, 9 months break from work.
Extra curriculars: decent...
I am currently not working and have started looking. Hope to start soon (extending my current profile). So my total experience would be around 3 years 2 months by March 2010.
I took the break for extremely personal reasons. For my well being, i have been asked to refrain from talking about the real reasons by experts. During this period, I have worked on life skills primarily but have not 'visibly' (atleast thats what i think) been very active on that front too due to the constraints I have had. So I'm feeling very unsure and confused about how to justify this break. 1. Will you be able to suggest how I can approach this? 2. I wanted to know from ISB's perspective, what are the disadvantages of having such a long break for no fault of ones own.
Also, i have applied in the past and had my application rejected for 4 different reasons (as was mentioned in the feedback). I have been able to work only on one of those i.e. GMAT and have improved my score phenomenally. Second point was that my reason for doing the course at ISB did not appear to be strong enough. This also can be worked upon through essays. However, i was given 2 other points to consider- quality of work ex was not rich enough and no significant awards and achievements. My application last time was slightly hurried and that may be one of the reasons (among some real ones) why I got some of these feedbacks. However, I can't do anything about these 2 in this cycle because I haven't been able to work.
3. Please help me understand how the fact that I applied hurriedly last time and haven't significantly improved on the application this time will affect my chances and 4. what is your view on such an application. 5. Also, do you think that the improvements in my profile are significant enough to justify a reapplication this year.
6. Wat are the weaknesses in general (overall) you see in my current profile?
Thank you so much for your time and help. Really appreciate it.
idream800
I'm an Indian woman, 25 yrs of age and my profile is as follows. (The question nos in front of my questions have been highlighted in red):
10th - 84.33%,
12th- 58.17%,
Bachelor of Management Studies (Mumbai University) - 70.91% (first class with distinction)
GMAT: 700 (Verbal-38, Quant-48 )
Work ex- 2 years 10 months, Marketing and General Management profiles.
05-06 - worked for an NGO as communication Executive
06-07 - worked for a manufacturing, small EOU as Management trainee
07-08 - Worked for a leading retailer as Marketing Executive (handled all marketing related activities of several stores across India alone for a few months, re-launched the loyalty program)
Took 1 year, 9 months break from work.
Extra curriculars: decent...
I am currently not working and have started looking. Hope to start soon (extending my current profile). So my total experience would be around 3 years 2 months by March 2010.
I took the break for extremely personal reasons. For my well being, i have been asked to refrain from talking about the real reasons by experts. During this period, I have worked on life skills primarily but have not 'visibly' (atleast thats what i think) been very active on that front too due to the constraints I have had. So I'm feeling very unsure and confused about how to justify this break. 1. Will you be able to suggest how I can approach this? 2. I wanted to know from ISB's perspective, what are the disadvantages of having such a long break for no fault of ones own.
Also, i have applied in the past and had my application rejected for 4 different reasons (as was mentioned in the feedback). I have been able to work only on one of those i.e. GMAT and have improved my score phenomenally. Second point was that my reason for doing the course at ISB did not appear to be strong enough. This also can be worked upon through essays. However, i was given 2 other points to consider- quality of work ex was not rich enough and no significant awards and achievements. My application last time was slightly hurried and that may be one of the reasons (among some real ones) why I got some of these feedbacks. However, I can't do anything about these 2 in this cycle because I haven't been able to work.
3. Please help me understand how the fact that I applied hurriedly last time and haven't significantly improved on the application this time will affect my chances and 4. what is your view on such an application. 5. Also, do you think that the improvements in my profile are significant enough to justify a reapplication this year.
6. Wat are the weaknesses in general (overall) you see in my current profile?
Thank you so much for your time and help. Really appreciate it.
idream800
Can a student have a Mac as his/her laptop instead of a PC?
Or is it mandated that only PCs should be used?