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 ISBs 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 Shinoj!
Sorry for the delayed reply. I would say that its always better to speak your mind rather than try to appease the interviewer panel. I can relate to the problem you are facing. I had no idea about managerial roles (i was into hardcore research) before my interview at ISB. I called up/mailed all my acquantainces in the industry to get an overview of the roles that I will fit in after my MBA. During my actual interview I told them what I knew and I guess they were happy seeing whatever research I had done on my future roles. I can assure you that coming out as a genuine guy is far better than telling stories that are not "you".
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 Shobhit,
MBA helps a lot, specially in the long run. While there are several instances of people getting very lucrative offers (MS programmer to Product manager is quite common actually!) right after ISB, but the best thing is the long term gain that you get with an MBA from ISB. This can come in form of the network you develop here or from the discipline you develop to get through the tough 1 year course. The habits you develop here might help you much more than the starting job that you get from campus.
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!!
Dear Wishy.Mishy
We do not comment on the profile of individuals who apply. ISB encourages females to apply and we have 25% females in our batch. It always helps to have a good GMAT score but in our batch the score ranges from 600 to 780. So the best way to present your case will be to showcase your "quality" of work ex, your ealier academics and your extracurriculars. These can easily make up for any deficiencies that you might feel you harbor. Most importantly, you must know that there are people in ISB who have the same background as you have. You only have to showcase your unique strengths!
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
Material benefits of having diversity: Marketing classes are filled with real life examples given by students who have succeeded/failed in their marketing efforts and what they learnt from them. So while one Telecom guy speaks about selling Matrix Cellular cards, a doctor talks about selling ancillary services to pregnant women and another ex-P&G; employee will talk about the difficulties of selling a shampoo brand in Japan! I have seen many heated discussions between ex-Google and ex-MS employees in the class giving us the "real" stories behind all that we read in the newspapers about the legendary Google-MS rivalry!
Other benefits of diversity: Wharton has a tie-up with ISB for a global consulting program. This requires a team with diverse background .For example, this year they required 2 guys with healthcare background and 1 consultant with experience in India entry strategy. I am sure its pretty stringent criteria. Do you know how many teams were shortlisted for interview? Answer: 8 TEAMS! ISB lives and breathes on diversity and it is arguably the best thing about this place!
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
Dear Umashankar,
There is a separate professional club for senior executives at ISB. This year there are around 25 members.You need to have 8 yrs or more work ex to be a member of Senior Exec Club. Some of the notable members this year are - VP of JP Morgan bank, Assoc. director of KPMG, ex-army with 14 yrs work ex etc.The Career Advancement Services division of ISB has a separate group that looks after the recruitment of the club members. I would really not believe that more than 6 yrs work ex is a bane at ISB. The post-ISB salaries have a positive correlation to the yrs of work ex that you bring to the table. Getting into product management/ Tech consulting is quite common among the students with tech background. ISB has consistently attracted senior execs to ISB since its inception. I am sure you will find many with common background and years of work ex.
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??
Yes there is an option of attending sample class. However, you have to come to the campus and talk to the ASA division personally and they can arrange it for you. Best option is to get in touch with a current student who can do the needful at ASA on your behalf so that you can come at the said time and do a sample class.
Can a student have a Mac as his/her laptop instead of a PC? Or is it mandated that only PCs should be used?
You can use MAC here. No issues. Mac users sometimes face problems during installation of analytical softwares that are required but since we have a 24 hr IT services division, they are solved very quickly Cheers
Hi , I am a 2007 graduate from IT-BHU in Electrical Engineering. I have got a score of 710 in gmat and 5.5 in AWA.I have a work experience of 31 months now in Deloitte Consultancy US Offshore Technology Group in Mumbai and I have got good recommendations from a Vice President and one of my firm's clients' On Shore manager.I had a grade point of 7.00 in B.Tech and 90% in my HSC and SSC. My dilemma is whether I should appy in ISB or not.I am not satisfied with my score and was planning of giving GMAT one more shot.It would be great if some alumnus could guide me on whether to apply in ISB on this score or not.Looking forward to responses.
GMAT is one of the various aspects of the selection process. Though it is always better to have a better GMAT score, this does not guarantee a seat at ISB. Every year several 750+ students are rejected. While many 650s are selected based on their strong work ex or extracurrics or academics or a combination of all three. My take on your dilemma will be to think hard about your need to do an MBA. if the lack of an MBA is something thats stopping you from growing, then I think its time to apply! Cheers
Could you please shed a little more light on ISB's PaeV program? Is it a course that only students opting for the entrepreneurial line take up? Or is it more of a learning experience where even students who plan to take up roles in the industry opt for? I'm asking cos I think such an experience would be great, but if its too taxing and something only people who actually want to start up can take up.. then probably its not an option for a lot of students.
I would like to join the fellow ISB aspirants in thanking the team for taking the time out and providing valuable feedback on the ISB program. This provides a great opportunity to learn about the program and its alumni.
I am planning to apply for class of 2012, have over 10 years of Work Exp all international ITeS and evaluating 3 or 4 career options within India post MBA.
With this background in mind, can you please answer following queries:
- Is it possible to be in some ways to be part of the ISB clubs that will help me evaluate the program and career options?
- What are the specific initiatives that help people with significant work experience?
- You mentioned about a Senior Executive Club but I did not find that on ISB website. Can you point me to link that provides more information if I have missed it?
- What are the some of the post MBA career paths of folks who came in with significant work experience?
I will follow your advice of writing to [email protected] to get in touch with current of ex students with similar profile.
On the same note, users strongbow, c_syama, creative_dude (Umashankar Das) seem to have a similar exp and concerns. I would be happy to be in touch with all of you and anyone else browsing the forum with same queries. Feel free to send a Private Message.
Best regards and all the best to everyone, MBA2012
One of my recommenders is leaving the company and going abroad,so her mail id(the company mail id) and her contact details that I would be mentioning while registering her as my recommender would be valid only for the next 10-15 days.
She would be submitting the reco within the next one week.My question is would ISB require the contact details of the recommenders even after the reco is submitted for further investigation etc.?
Please can you mention the kind of general management roles offered to ISB graduates. And which are the organizations that normally recruit at ISB for general mangement profiles.
One of my recommenders is leaving the company and going abroad,so her mail id(the company mail id) and her contact details that I would be mentioning while registering her as my recommender would be valid only for the next 10-15 days.
She would be submitting the reco within the next one week.My question is would ISB require the contact details of the recommenders even after the reco is submitted for further investigation etc.?
Thanks
Go_Win,
I would strongly suggest you contact [email protected] at your earliest opportunity to figure out this admissions process related query.
Please can you mention the kind of general management roles offered to ISB graduates. And which are the organizations that normally recruit at ISB for general mangement profiles.
Please go through this website for companies that recruit for GM roles.
As such we have a variety of GM recruitments depending on years of experience. Examples: EA to Business Unit Head, DGM Procurement, VP Business Dev etc.
Hi ISB Connect I am a first time applicant of ISB . I find that in the oline application ISB asks whether I have attended any Info sessions . Frankly speaking with so many friends in ISB and thousands of posts in pagalguy i never felt the need to attend such sessions . There is another session left but the registration is closed . It is on 21 nov . I am already 80% done with my essays and wrapping up things for submission. Please tell me whether not attending any info session is going to have a bearing on my chances for selection? And if so then is it possible to register on spot since the site shows that registration is complete .
Hey ISB Connect. Sincerely appreciate the time taken to answer queries.
I am a R2 applicant and I would like to pose the following questions.
1. ISB webpage compels one to believe that ISB seeks diversity in its applicant pool, but is that diversity restricted to certain key sectors/? Coz I am a hospitality industry guy, wid experience in multiple verticals within the industry (Hotels, Travel Trade and I even operated my own home-stay, for a year and a half). The reason I pose this question is, I do not see too much participation from chaps from the hospitality industry. If possible, I would much appreciate a ballpark figure of the number of hospitality industry professionals that have graduated from ISB.
2. My managers in my previous cos have left the respective organisations, and joined new ones. Is it ok if the recommendation letters are received from their new mail ids. All of them working in new organisations.
I have done 3 years full time diploma in mech engg after 10+2 from a reconised govt. polytechnic.I have been working in mfg industry from last 6 years.Will I eligible for ISB EMBA? (I Will give GMAT this year.)