We offer a Post Graduate Programme in Business Management. That is how it should appear on your CV. As far as a MBA degree is concerned that you can get from any college, but the point is whether it is worth flashing or not. I believe it is the quality of education that matters the most and not the degree/certificate. Our excellent placement records and a top 20 global rank validate the quality of our programme. Menon
Dear Mr.Menon, I would like to know what is the right way of stating the qualification on one's CV after successfully completing the 1yr full time programme at ISB: MBA (Indian School of Business) or Postgraduate certificate in business management (ISB) I am concerned about how much difference it would make to my career progression in the future: of flashing a MBA degree versus a PGPcertificate. I thank you in advance for your response to this query and truly appreciate it.
Dear It is a bit of a challenge to switch careers if you have a high work experience and you wish to change both your industry and function. Change of one of these is relatively easier. Since, you have been in the IT industry only for 2 years; it makes things much easier for you. With strong academics, high GMAT score and low work experience, shifts should not be a problem. This year around 81% of the students made good career shifts. A lot of students don't want to forego the leverage they get from their prior work experience and choose better careers in their own fields. For more figures on career switch, please visit the following link http://www.isb.edu/pgp/Placement_Highlights.Shtml?menuid=108
Admissions Team
Hi, I went to the ISB information session at Bangalore on the 22nd of this month. And while interacting with one of the alumni present, I was given to understand that it is very difficult to manage a career switch after ISB. Now this is very important to me so it would be very useful at least to me if I can get your view on this. Basically I am a IIT --> GMAT 770 --> 2 yrs of IT work ex guy who wants to get into Investment Banking post MBA. Can ISB help me achieve this? It would also be very useful if you could tell how many people on an average manage to switch from non Finance backgrounds into Investment Banking kind of profiles every yr. The alumnus made it sound as if this kind of switch was more or less a Herculean task and he said that most IT guys would get placed in IT companies. He even went to the extent of saying that if you absolutely want to get into IBanking why dont you pursue Financial Engineering MS from some USA Univ or some other 2 yr MBA where you will get the chance to intern. So basically I am pretty dispirited now. Would be glad if you can comment. Thanks
2 years of work exp. is an essential pre-requisite for admission. This is counted as on start of the programme and not on date of application. For applicants who are close to this experience and have an exceptional profile we may grant deferred admission for the next year. These cases, however, are few in number.
Menon
Hi Sir
I have a very basic question regarding the "work experience requirement" mentioned as a part of the eligibility criteria. Does that mean 2 years work experience is required at the time of applying, or 2 years work experience by the time I join ISB? I joined my first job (Lehman Brothers Mumbai) in July 2007. If I apply this year, it will be only 14 months experience, but if I get selected, I will have almost 2 years (22 months) of work experience by the time I join.
Thanks for your support to our endeavors at PG. Sir i have a simple question although the admission page states that however i still wish to gain absolute clarity over the same.
Is 2 years of experience an essential pre-requisite for admission consideration at ISB, irrespective of the candidate's profile and background.
To major in Finance, you need to complete minimum 6 modules under Analytical Finance and the maximum number of modules you can choose is 16. So, it completely depends on you which area you want to focus on, in finance. We offer more than 15 modules in Finance. To see all the modules, please visit the following link: http://www.isb.edu/PGP/ElectiveCourses.Shtml
The bidding system allows a student to get the course of his/her choice. There is a slight probability that one may not get a course of his/her choice but that usually happens if you do not have the right strategy for the bidding this is a part of the learning process as well because you have to use scarce resources, bidding points in this case, to make the most optimal decision. Each student is given a set of bidding points which is like virtual currency. You place a bid for the courses you wish to opt for. If others bid higher they get the course and if your bid is higher you get the course. I suggest take your steps one at a time. First step is to send in a good application. Once you get the admission offer you can start exploring these things in detail.
As a policy, from this year we have decided not to disclose the highest and lowest salary figures. We only disclose averages. For further details on placement statistics, please visit this linkhttp://www.isb.edu/pgp/Placement_Highlights.Shtml?menuid=108
Apart from the Rs. 19.13 lakh listed on the website, you will have to make provision for documentation (Xerox/printing of notes), laundry, travel expenses, outings, etc. which differ from person to person depending on your personal lifestyle. You can estimate a ballpark figure of RS. 20 lakhs. Exchange Programme costs, should you decide to participate in one, will be additional and can range from Rs. 2 lakhs to Rs. 5 lakhs. I should also highlight here that ISB has a tie-up with banks which offer completely collateral free loan to ISB students for your expenses here which can be repaid over 10 years. Therefore lack of sufficient savings should not be the criteria of not applying to ISB.
Admissions Team
dear Mr. Menon,
Firstly thanks a ton for taking time out to reply to our queries. WE all appreciate it. I too have some questions and I think you are probably well placed to answer them.
My Profile :
12th - 76% BCom - 76%
Workex :
12 months - associate in international BPO ( client - American Express ) 15 months - lecturer in internationally recognized college 17 months - asst to music director ( music and sound engineering )
I am one of those guys who wanted to make a shift to finance and so I took up a job as an associate in investment servicing. Will complete 13 months in that role by Apr 2009.
Well I wont ask for a profile check here. I know you might be quite fed up of it by now. But here are my queries
1. Does ISB cover good modules for someone wanting to major in finance. At the website they say "Analytical Finance" as a specialization. I presume its good enough for a career in finance. But they dont give a further break up of the topics that will be covered in that specialization. For someone like me what are the modules available in finance that I can opt for?
2. Could you explain the system of bidding for subjects. How does this system work. I've read that some students did not get the subjects of their choice because of this bidding system. Why is it so? I dont want to spend so much money and in the end not get the subjects of my choice.
3. Is there at all any chance of doing an internship. after the 12 month period. Will we miss out on placements if we opt to do so.
4. Pls pls pls try to get this one. What is the lowest domestic and international package offered. Its something not on the website but this information will help to put the placements statistics in perspective.
5. How much will a person end up spending for this course. I am looking at an all inclusive figure. Including your laundries and weekend outings maybe. ISB website puts the figure at around 19 lakhs. Can we manage within that or are there other program related expenses we must make provision for.
Moderator note - please be more specific and focused in your questions. Avoid general questions whose answers can be found by doing basic research on the Internet.
Hello 1. Does the ISB admissions committee sort applications based on DOMAIN: meaning IT, Medico, Engineer, Army, Govt? 2. Is there a domain-wise minimum competitive GMAT? Not a cutoff, but an acceptable level used for judging readiness for academic rigour? 3. Is it hopeless to apply with 10+ years work-ex? What differentiating factors would you look for in a candidate with higher work-ex? VS
I have a few of questions regarding the ISB admission procedure.
a) While going through the ISB admissions account, i could not find anywhere being asked to specify whether i am interested in Round1 or Round 2, i would request you to explain how can i choose between round1 and round 2? I am assuming that if one submits one's application after the due date for R1, it is automatically qualified for R2 provided the date is behind the cut off date for R2.
b) Does ISB allow changing Interview scheduling from a India city based personal interview to a Telephonic interview at an international site. My issue is that there is a good chance that i will be out of the country for 6 to 8 months starting july. I may just be able to make it back by the Round 2 interview dates, but i am not sure.
c) Personal interview vs telephonic interview----I am assuming that ISB does not make any disctinction whatsoever between these two, are there any stats that can reflect telephonic interview people have as much of a chance as personal interview people. Personally speaking i am always a Personal interview person, but if circumstances do not permit, then i will have no choice but to opt for a telephonic interview (Provided i am shortlisted in the first place) and hence i would like to give New Delhi as my preferred location, but as i mentioned in the point 'b' it could have to be changed later to international.
The query I want to ask concerns about the eligibility criterion.
I am a student of Masters in Business Administration at University Business School, Panjab University, which has been imparting quality management education since 1968 and is consistently rated among top B-schools in India.
But because of lack of global exposure available at our institute accompanied with my keen interest in exploring avenues abroad, has made me ex cogitate of doing an MBA from a B-School which should be of global repute and which can provide me the right platform to catapult my career in challenging arenas of the corporate.
That is why I want to sit for GMAT as early as possible and start with the application process.But before that I wanted to know if having an MBA degree would be a deterrent in getting me admission to a prestigious institute like yours.Would it be seen positively or would it make me stand ineligible to apply for the MBA course?
To mention here I had a percentile of 99.37 in CAT (Common Admission Test) conducted by IIMs, a work experience of One Year and my background is Mechanical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College,Chandigarh (considered among Top-10 Engineering Institutes in India).
In hope of a positive and wise reply from your side.
Respected Menon Sir, Before anything I would like to thank you for devoting your valuable time for us, ISB aspirants. A brief synopsis of my profile : Computer Engineer with 4 years of experience in the IT industry. Currently working with Lehman Bros, NYC. My questions is not driven by ignorance but the fact that since the GMAT score is not the sole criteria for scrutinizing the application, can it be submitted post the deadline?Assuming the application is complete in every other aspect. In the last years query thread I found that Mr. Ranga Rao answered a candidate saying that he could submit his application with only the Test Center Score. However the institute will inquire about the Official GMAT score later from GMAC later. I am interested in appying in cycle 1 and have already taken a GMAT appointment for 20th September since prior to this I was not aware the we can submit test center scores and found it too early to appear for the test in 2 months with the work schedule. The deadline however is 15th September. In a nutshell can I submit my application on/before 15th Sept without GMAT scores, and then report Test center scores on 20th September ? The other option is rescheduling which is the last since I would need to disrupt the schedule for the leave from work and other commitments.
Hello sir...first of all thanks a lot for devoting your personal time in answering our queries..
I am a bit confused as regarding my profile... I cleared iit-jee entrance examination..but due to a lower rank i got into IT-BHU , B.pharma . And then after 4 years of graduation when ther was as such no good offer in pharmacy sector joined infosys , then after 6 months got into a sogtware firm and then after 1 year as i am very much intrested in Finance got into a trading firm , but was not much successful there so with a determination to get an MBA in Finance and then return back to Trading i joined my previous software firm , gave GMAT scored 710 .....
now the confusion is that whether this
B.Pharma ---Software ---Finance ---Software thing goes against me in the application process..and if i want to return back to Finance after a MBA degree in finance then what would you suggest :
1) MBA and switch career to fin 2) Switch to fin firm ...work for sometime and then go for MBA in fin . 3) It is better to stay in software and do MBA and then get into some related field like IT Finance , Consulting etc .
My work ex till now is 3 yrs and if i apply this year it will be arnd 4 yr by the time of admissions .
Frankly , i believe that as i have arnd 35-40 yrs of job life remaining , i don't think the previous 3 yrs should matter very much while switiching career . As i believe that i should try to do what i really like .
There is no system of having a separate acceptable score for GMAT based on any domain categorization. Each application is evaluated in totality. Of course, the selection is relative and so applications which are better than the rest, in our opinion based on the holistic assessment, will be shortlisted. It is not futile to apply with 10+ years of work experience as you can see from the statistics of admitted applicants. Candidates with higher work experience need to demonstrate learning & maturity commensurate with the length of work experience. Menon
Hello 1. Does the ISB admissions committee sort applications based on DOMAIN: meaning IT, Medico, Engineer, Army, Govt? 2. Is there a domain-wise minimum competitive GMAT? Not a cutoff, but an acceptable level used for judging readiness for academic rigour? 3. Is it hopeless to apply with 10+ years work-ex? What differentiating factors would you look for in a candidate with higher work-ex? VS
You assumption is right. If you submit your application on/before 15 September, you will qualify for Round 1. Any application submitted after this date but up to 1 December, 2008 will qualify for Round 2.
Yes, rescheduling of interview is possible, only if you have a valid case and we have available time slots to allow for a change. We do hold telephonic interviews for applicants based out of India.
ISB does not make any distinction between applicants who opt for Telephonic or Personal interview. As a result, we have never felt any need to keep a record of the number of applicants who opted for Telephonic Interview, and then got the final offer. Menon
Dear Sir,
I have a few of questions regarding the ISB admission procedure.
a) While going through the ISB admissions account, i could not find anywhere being asked to specify whether i am interested in Round1 or Round 2, i would request you to explain how can i choose between round1 and round 2? I am assuming that if one submits one's application after the due date for R1, it is automatically qualified for R2 provided the date is behind the cut off date for R2.
b) Does ISB allow changing Interview scheduling from a India city based personal interview to a Telephonic interview at an international site. My issue is that there is a good chance that i will be out of the country for 6 to 8 months starting july. I may just be able to make it back by the Round 2 interview dates, but i am not sure.
c) Personal interview vs telephonic interview----I am assuming that ISB does not make any disctinction whatsoever between these two, are there any stats that can reflect telephonic interview people have as much of a chance as personal interview people. Personally speaking i am always a Personal interview person, but if circumstances do not permit, then i will have no choice but to opt for a telephonic interview (Provided i am shortlisted in the first place) and hence i would like to give New Delhi as my preferred location, but as i mentioned in the point 'b' it could have to be changed later to international.
Hi, The query I want to ask concerns about the eligibility criterion. I am a student of Masters in Business Administration at University Business School, Panjab University, which has been imparting quality management education since 1968 and is consistently rated among top B-schools in India. But because of lack of global exposure available at our institute accompanied with my keen interest in exploring avenues abroad, has made me ex cogitate of doing an MBA from a B-School which should be of global repute and which can provide me the right platform to catapult my career in challenging arenas of the corporate. That is why I want to sit for GMAT as early as possible and start with the application process.But before that I wanted to know if having an MBA degree would be a deterrent in getting me admission to a prestigious institute like yours.Would it be seen positively or would it make me stand ineligible to apply for the MBA course? To mention here I had a percentile of 99.37 in CAT (Common Admission Test) conducted by IIMs, a work experience of One Year and my background is Mechanical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College,Chandigarh (considered among Top-10 Engineering Institutes in India). In hope of a positive and wise reply from your side. Regards.
Dear Maxter,
Your MBA degree will not act as a deterrent in the admission process but you will have to explain as to why you feel the need for another MBA. Also, you will need minimum 2 years of work experience (as on the date of start of the programme) and a GMAT score to apply to ISB.
Respected Menon Sir, Before anything I would like to thank you for devoting your valuable time for us, ISB aspirants. A brief synopsis of my profile : Computer Engineer with 4 years of experience in the IT industry. Currently working with Lehman Bros, NYC. My questions is not driven by ignorance but the fact that since the GMAT score is not the sole criteria for scrutinizing the application, can it be submitted post the deadline?Assuming the application is complete in every other aspect. In the last years query thread I found that Mr. Ranga Rao answered a candidate saying that he could submit his application with only the Test Center Score. However the institute will inquire about the Official GMAT score later from GMAC later. I am interested in appying in cycle 1 and have already taken a GMAT appointment for 20th September since prior to this I was not aware the we can submit test center scores and found it too early to appear for the test in 2 months with the work schedule. The deadline however is 15th September. In a nutshell can I submit my application on/before 15th Sept without GMAT scores, and then report Test center scores on 20th September ? The other option is rescheduling which is the last since I would need to disrupt the schedule for the leave from work and other commitments.
Would really appreciate your help.
thanks & regards, Abhi
Dear Abhi,
No, you cannot submit your application without a GMAT score. I would suggest that if you want to apply in Round 1, then you request for a change of date for your GMAT test date to meet the cycle 1 deadline. If you are unable to do so, then apply in Round 2 only. Menon
Thank you for your reply to my earlier post, just to continue here...
Would you be willing to make a suggestion to candidates about interview location who would be facing a delima regarding their location at the time of interview? also would ISB consider work related travel on immediate purposes as a valid case for consideration. I would like to say that my scope is not just limited to Someone travelling from India to abroad (hence having to change interview to international from India city) i would also like to ask about requesting a change from international --telephonic to india city personal interview.
Thanks for this wonderful opportunity to interact.
I have a very unusual query. How does ISB check employment history? I am asking this because I have a tricky situation.
I have been working in India in a US-based firm for about a year and a half. Its at a startup stage here. However, the company, faced with many bureaucratic issues, could not register in India for the first 1 year. A sister company (my employer is part of a big group) handled all HR and financial functions - and I was "officially" employed in that firm since someone had to manage my taxes and PF etc.. The firm only got registered a few months back. In such a case, how am I going to prove my employment?
I talked about this with the VP of the firm, and he promised that he would give a certificate in the firm's letterhead saying something like "the individual has been working with us since Apr 08. prior to that he was employed in a sister firm for 1 year, working on our behalf". Will that be sufficient? I am sure the VP would corroborate me if he were communicated via mail/phone. Is there anything else that I can do?
Respected Admission@ISB, Even i have the same query as my freind mask has..but just a little extension to it as i will be joining a new sister firm between i have got a gap for 2 months since MAY and im increasing it till NOV as want to give CAT..bt im giving CAT to brush up my quant and VA skillsbefore i give my GMAT best shot..and i have to give time to prepare basics so as to score high in GMAT..and with the new role Functional,new Firm all with previous employess..so will this GAP affect me alot..i have reasons to explain as ..i can expain my gap .. so will this GAP affect me too much..can i offset it with a good GMAt score and 5+ workex Start UP in ERP Consulting with recos of CEO,PM ..
Thanks for this wonderful opportunity to interact.
I have a very unusual query. How does ISB check employment history? I am asking this because I have a tricky situation.
I have been working in India in a US-based firm for about a year and a half. Its at a startup stage here. However, the company, faced with many bureaucratic issues, could not register in India for the first 1 year. A sister company (my employer is part of a big group) handled all HR and financial functions - and I was "officially" employed in that firm since someone had to manage my taxes and PF etc.. The firm only got registered a few months back. In such a case, how am I going to prove my employment?
I talked about this with the VP of the firm, and he promised that he would give a certificate in the firm's letterhead saying something like "the individual has been working with us since Apr 08. prior to that he was employed in a sister firm for 1 year, working on our behalf". Will that be sufficient? I am sure the VP would corroborate me if he were communicated via mail/phone. Is there anything else that I can do?
When Should I Apply? Due to the high volume of applications we receive each cycle, the Admissions Committee strongly encourages applicants to apply in the first cycle as space in the class may be limited by the second cycle. I found it hard to digest that applicants in the two cycles do not have same chances of getting in. I wanted to confirm the same with you.
Could you confirm whether this is actually the case?
Thanks Pawan Jain
Moderator - Question canceled for the reasons below...
1. If the website says so, obviously they mean it.
2. It is basic knowledge that across the world R1 is the best chance to apply. Please complete your research before you ask questions and avoid asking basic questions.