It's back! -[2008] Ask ISB-Hyderabad: Admission Director answers your queries!

MBA
545
Hello Mr. Menon,

Thanks for taking time to answer our questions.

I have a low GMAT AWA score(4.0) and a Overall score of 750.
Can you provide me with few pointers (areas), which can make up for the low AWA scores?


Thanking you
Krishor


Krishor,

I will suggest that concentrate on your essays and stress more to differentiate yourself from other applicants.

Admissions Team
546
Hello Sir
I am a medical graduate,MB;BS(bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery).
As u know this is 4 n half yr course followed by 1yr of internship in govt hospital.it is full time and we are paid a stipend for it.so would this be considered in my work experience?
I also have 6 months experience as junior resident in anesthesia(clinical) and 2 months in biochemistry(non-clinical) in central govt hospital.
So I would like to know if I am eligible with this work ex (so far as im planning to continue with my job till my admissions)to apply for ISB.
Thank you

Warm regards,
Dr.k_moses


Dr.k_moses,

Your 1 year internship will not be considered as work exp. You exp as Junior Resident will be valid only if it was not a part of any academic course.

Admissions Team
547
Dear Sir
I would like to thank you for this wonderful initiative.

I have come across different stats (60-75%) of IT admits per batch at ISB. Is the application pool of IT applicants is substantially higher than non IT applicants or is the quality of application from IT students is better than non IT counterparts?

Thanks
Deepak


Deepak,

Yes, the number of applications received from the IT applicant pool is considerably higher than the non IT applicants.

Admissions Team
548
Hello,

I have a fair amount of experience (18 yrs) in man ,management and have done a Masters is Defence and Strategic studies with distinction. Have a 720 GMAT score. Do I have a fair chance in getting through the ISB? What are my future options at 40 yrs?

Regards
Vkrm


Vikram,

Vikram, we are not doing a profile check on this thread. Regarding your future prospects, it entirely depends on what you want to focus on. In stead of opting for a full time MBA course, you can also choose short term courses to brush up your skills.

Admissions Team
549
Sir,

Could you illustrate on the core values of ISB. As I learn more about ISB, I was curious about the values that the instiute looks to inculcate in a future leader/looks for in an ideal leader. And, do you lay more stress on a particular as compared to another.

Thanks!!


Dumbass,

ISB Values:

Passion for Excellence
Caring
Collaborating
Openness
Energizing
Willingness to change
Meritocracy
Respect for divergent view
Entrepreneurship with accountability

Each of the above value is important in its own way.

Admissions Team
550
Hello Sir,

One quick question - I heard that scholarship team is a separate team in ISB and prospective applicant can repeat his achievements (mentioned in prior essays) in scholarship essay. How far is this true?

Any advice regarding this is appreciated.

Thanks,
Viswanath


Viswanath,

You can repeat your achievements in the Scholarship essay.

Admissions Team
551
Dear Sir,
greetings.
please clarify this to me,
i have already arranged for 1 recommender, that is my supervisor.
for the second one, which recommendation will be more accepatble for PGP admission?

1> my ex senior, whom, i last worked with for 1.5 yrs, 1.5 years ago

2> my colleague in office, who is a year junior to me. / my colleague in community club

3> other department head in office, who seeks my help in random projects of his dept (since his dept does not have an engineer), and also interacts with me on other administrative issues, has observed/acknowledged my contribution in various other offfcial issues.


your timely reply will be most helpful.

thanks,
regards


Neha,

I will suggest that you choose option no. 1 since you have worked with him professionally. We do not prefer recos from your juniors as it is not a 360 degree feedback. Also, the evaluation form has questions that are work environment related, so your colleague from community club does not fit in. Option 1 will be preferred over option 3.

Admissions Team
552

Dear Sir,

Please answer my queries regarding undergraduate percentages and whether category of my organization(CAE) is IT/ITES

553
Dear Sir,

In the application it is mentioned that the Undergraduate percentage should be the one which is specified by the university in awarding the degree. in my case the university considers third year and final year marks for the degree and the same is mentioned in the transcripts as well. Please clarify on this.

thanks


Vivek,

Please mention the marks that are mentioned in your transcripts.

Admissions Team
554
Hello Mr. Menon

Thanks for taking out your time & clearing the doubts posted in the forum.

I am a Mechanical Engineer working in the IT sector for the last 4 years.(as of today)
Last year I had applied for Round1 with a GMAT score of 700(4.5 in AWA) & was not selected for the Personal Interview round. The feedback I received was that my GMAT score is low among my competition pool.

Now, I am taking the GMAT again in October & applying in the Round2.

My questions are:

1) Can the combination of being a re-applicant & a R2 applicant work against my application ?

2) Is it expected that the GMAT score should show a big (specified) leap in all sections or in some specified sections ?

3) How much weightage does The ISB place on past academic record?

I will be obliged if you could clear my doubts.

Thanks & Regards


Bigtiger,

1) No
2) We only consider the GMAT score and not the leap.
3) Due weight ages are given to each section.

Admissions Team
555
Dear Sir,

I was informed that ISB would be opening an alumni referral scheme that can be used by the ISB alumni to post their recommendations for current applicants. I have already submitted a completed application. I am awaiting the launch of this scheme so that a couple of the alumni, who are in my acquaintance, can submit their recommendations.

I had mailed pgpadmissions in this regard but haven't received any response yet. Kindly let us know when this scheme is expected to be launched.

Looking forward to your response.

Warm regards,
Ashwanth


Ashwanth,

We will be sending out a mail regarding the same by next week.

Admissions Team
556
Dear Sir,

I had one more query. i am a mechanical engineer. presently i work for an organization which is into Computer Aided Engineering(CAE).CAE is basically the virtual world of design and analysis of mechanical systems.so whether the organization fall in the realms of the conventional IT/ITES?


Vivek,

Your organization does not fall in the realms of the conventional IT/ITES. It does not matter which industry the company fits in, what matters is your job profile. Even an IT firm employs people from different backgrounds for various functions.

Admissions Team
557
Vivek,

Your organization does not fall in the realms of the conventional IT/ITES. It does not matter which industry the company fits in, what matters is your job profile. Even an IT firm employs people from different backgrounds for various functions.

Admissions Team


Dear Sir,

thanks for the prompt reply. So can i distinguish/differentiate myself based on my job profile compared to any engineer or mechanical engineers in particular?
558

Sir,

I had applied to ISB last year and got a reject. My profile in last year's application included Engineering in Industrial Engg & Mgmt course, GMAT - 690, work-ex of 2.75 years in Natural gas industry in Business Development domain. The reason for rejection apparently was low work-ex and low GMAT score.

I intend to take my GMAT again and increase my score. Also, my profile has changed considerably. I have now taken the role of a Business Analyst in Commercial group which involves a lot of number crunching, negotiations and strategic level decision making on daily basis. It was very unusual for my organization to bring someone to this profile without an MBA. I now directly report to General Manager and Director of Commercial group. My questions are:

1. i believe ISB looks for candidates with managerial work-ex. However, my organization has a stringent rule of not promoting any engineer to even first level of managerial position without a substantial work-ex (5-6 yrs). I was the first Engineer to have taken such a prominent role in the group as well as in the organization. My current roles and responsibilities are very challenging and can be easily comparable to that of a Manager in my organization. In which of the essays I should reflect this issue? Although I have taken the role of Business Analyst, I have not been promoted officially. My total work-ex by April-09 will be 3.75 years. Will i be at a disadvantage because of the above issue?

2. I would like to use my wor-ex as the differentiator (diversity) in the application. Do you think the work-ex will be considered low even if I have taken challenging assignments and added significant value to my quality of work-ex?

3. Since I work with GM and Director of the group, is it advisable to take reco from senior management? I fear that it may go against me..

Kindly give your views.. Thanks!!

Anupam

559
Sir,
I am in IT but my profile is different from that of generic IT Pool. Most of the people from the IT Pool would be either project Managers or Technical people. But I am managing more than 1000 people and US$50 Million revenues/year. I have good amount of sales,relationship mgmt and delivery mgmt experience. I have around 12 years of IT Experience(with 8 years of overseas experience in 6 countries).
I have a consistent and good academic record. Received scholorships during graduation and post graduation. I am part of some of the local bodies in commerce and recently started a small company too...
I can speak more than 5 languages including two foreign languages.
But, the biggest negative point is low GMAT score (650).
My queries:
1. Do you think my Experience is a problem? Would I be singled out in the class because of age factor (I am 35)?
2.Would my low GMAT is an issue or my experience & exposure would offset the low GMAT.
Appreciate your advise.
Cheers.
560

Dear Sir,

I have started my application process with the ISB and would like to target the first round of application process. I've taken my GMAT test once on 2-Aug-08 and scored 660. I am also looking forward to re-take the GMAT by end of sep to increase my score.
Could you please let me know the impact of re-taking the GMAT on ISB Application Process? If I submit my application before 15-sep, and then I send in my improved score by end of sep, will I be considered for first round process?

Regards,
Tare

561

thank you for your prompt reply sir,
that encourages me to get few other doubts clarified ,
they are as follows,
1.
since you have suggested me to get previous supervisor's reco(whom i worked with 1.5 yrs ago), do i also need to explain this in optional essay?
2.
sir, i have graduated from UICT, (formerly UDCT). here we follow autonomous syllabus and exam pattern/evaluation, but certificate is issued from mumbai university. Sir, i hope you will agree that, comparing mumbai university scores with the same obtained in autonomous school of such excellence , will be unfair, as we have more rigorous syllabi and stricter evaluation.
do you suggest i explain this in optional essay or do i simply feed my college name in the application form as 'other' category and expect ADCOM to give me due consideration?
3.
sir, with the alumni now recommending new students, is there a percent of seats alloted to such applicants? and students lacking it are sure to be at disadvantage but question is by how much?

thanks and regards

562

Dear Sir

I would first like to thank for taking time out your hectic schedule to provide us with guidance on the admission process.

Sir my query was specific to the choice of recommenders.

I have a doubt in selecting my second recommender and thus seek for your/ISB's view on the same.

1)Sir I was thinking of taking a reco from my x senior in work and community service group at my company. This person has recently left the company to pursue his mba from a top B-school abroad.Will this person be considered an eligible recommender? He is having official email ID provided my the B school and is more than willing to write a reco for me.

2) If unfortunately not then I was thinking of taking a reco from a senior member of the community service group in my company who will be able to add a different perspective to my candidature and help ISB know me beyond my professional responsibilities. Will this person be an eligibe recommender from ISB's perspective?

I thank you for your time

Regards

563
Shruti,

If you are an applicant in 2008-09, you may use the same recommendations this year also by checking the relevant box in the evaluator details page of the online application. You can use one old and one new recommendation.
Regarding your second query, we have amended this starting 2009-10, you will not be able to update previous application, you will have to apply as a fresh applicant.
Admissions Team


Dear Sir,

I need a further clarification on your above response to my question.
"checking the relevant box in the evaluator details page of the online application" : So, please correct my if i'm wrong in my below assumption:

Suppose last year the order of my reccomenders was 1. Miss X and 2. Mr Y. I need to retain Miss X, then in the current application, I should choose to retain evaluator no.1, correct?

My aplologies if the question seems silly. But I just need to be sure....

Thanks!
Shruti.
564
Dear Sir,

thanks for the prompt reply. So can i distinguish/differentiate myself based on my job profile compared to any engineer or mechanical engineers in particular?


Vivek,

Yes, you can.

Admissions Team