Dear all,

This shall be the Official thread for the PGP 2014-15 admissions at ISB Hyderabad/Mohali.

ISB's PGP Admissions Director - Admissions & Financial Aid, Mr AM Kannan is back on PaGaLGuY to answer all your questions about ISB PGP admissions, scholarships, placements, faculty, infrastructure, culture and student life with a view of admissions for the PGP batch 2014-15.

Mr Kannan says to all the thread participants, "Dear aspirants, We will shortly announce the opening of the admissions process for the Post Graduate Programme 2014- 2015 at ISB. Through this forum, my team and I from the Admissions and Financial Aid at the ISB, will respond to your queries on the school, admission process, placements, student life on campus and any others related to the PGP that you might have. Good luck with your preparations.”

Please ask your questions using the Reply button located at the top and bottom of this thread.

Mr Kannan shall respond using the school's official PaGaLGuY ID @ISB.Admissions .

ATB to all ISB hopefuls :).

Apurv

@UpsD

Dear Mr. Kannan,

I have 2 queries:

1. Does ISB have a provision in which interested applicants can visit the campus, attend a class , meet current students?

2. I will have 2yrs 9 months work-ex by March 2014 (in Electrical mnufacturing company)-while I know the 'quality' is what you are looking at vs. quantity...can you suggest a few ways in which a person with low work-ex can differentiate herself from other applicants?

Yes, please write to pgp @ isb . edu (No Spaces) to arrange a campus visit or to connect with a student.

Please do not be concerned about other applicants. Everyone is unique in their own way. However, the difference when it comes to MBA applicants is whether the candidate understands their own set of strengths in an objective way and can use examples, situations to illustrate these. Think about personal and professional situations that you take particular pride and satisfaction in - focusing on these helps bring out the real you in an application and also shows up in the energy with which you can communicate in both written and oral form. I emphasise that please do not overlook your personal situations to talk about examples of qualities & strengths you possess.

Feel free to call our counseling team to discuss how to make a strong application.

All the best.

@srish_31

I have cleared Stage 1 of YLP, ISB hyderabad and round 2 requires GMAT score. How much score is good enough for clearing stage 2 of YLP??

Young Leaders Programme | Undergraduate Students | Management Studies | YLP | Indian School of Business (ISB)

1) 680-710

2) 710-750

3) 750-780 Skip

×

We do not have a cut off for YLP's stages. Your overall application needs to stand out in its entirety - this includes the essays and evaluations in addition to your GMAT score and other credentials you have submitted earlier. Please do not neglect the essays as they allow us to understand you as a person much more than a GMAT score can

@LordVarun

Dear Mr. Kannan,

I am applying for PGP 2014. Have started working on the online application.

What I would like to know is whether I would need to do the GMAT again to score better, if my current work ex is reasonably good (growth wise).

Thanking you and awaiting your response.

650 is a good score. Please make sure your workex takeaways, clarity of purpose et come across clearly through your essays. For candidates with high-quality workex we also expect to see depth, appreciation & maturity in terms of managerial takeaways - managing your team, clients, peers, seniors etc.

Feel free to call our counseling team to discuss your specific situation and to get any addl thoughts on how to create a strong application.

All the best.

@KeyuL

I have just completed my B.Tech in May 2013. I have no work experience. I want to apply for ISB. plz provide me more information about program for freshers. and procedure for apply to this program.

Please review our Early Entry option. Under this program you can apply if you are graduating soon but will join our PGP once you have completed the mandatory 2 yrs wkex.

Early Entry Option | PGP | Indian School of Business (ISB)

@panks82

Hi,

First of all thank you for patiently responding to all queries in complete details, great initiative

I am ISB MBA aspirant for 2014-15 batch, here is my brief about my profile:

SW engineer with 8 years of strong experience in Telecom domain with International work exposure of 15 months in USA and UK.

From academics point of view, xth(72.8%) Xiith(71.2%), Bachelors in Electronics(80.9%) and MAsters in IT(7.97).

Planning for MBA to further my chances to get into Telecom and IT strategic management. Now here are some of my queries:

1. your views and probability on my profile suitability for ISB admission.

2. How much weightage is given to extra curricular activities?

3. by when should I appear for GMAT and till when the scores to be submitted?

4. do ISB have any specialization in Telecom management as well?

many thanks

Not possible to talk about probabilities until we review your completed application.

Ours is an holistic evaluation process. There is no weightage to any section or aspect. Use the entire application to convey your key strengths using the examples that best illustrate these strengths. Our admissions philosophy is based on the fact that people succeed because of their strengths and not due to lack of any weaknesses. If you know your strengths - this demonstrates self-awareness which is a key leadership attribute. In addition your claimed strengths shall be verified through your application, evaluations and during the interview in terms of your depth & passion in these areas.

Extra-curriculars are important as they tell us about what else do you do besides working hard & studying hard. It is important for a leader to have a balanced perspective and healthy interest in areas not connected to their professional pursuits. We seek to understand whether you have any special interests that are important to you and to understand why you like to follow or be part of some other activities beyond your work.

Please take the GMAT before the deadline date and upload the unofficial score. So long as you have asked GMAC to send us the scores, you do not have to worry about when they will reach us.

We do not have a specialization in Telecom. You should be able to pursue this interest either through the IT specialization or depending on your specific area of interest within Telecom by also looking at marketing or other relevant areas. You also have the option of doing an independent course of study supervised by a faculty member if your interest cannot be addressed by an elective course. Treat the learning as a buffet from which you have to figure out how best to address your learning needs. We have several faculty from around the world who have experience both in research & consulting with major Telcos/MSOs around the world and can provide very valuable input to shape your thinking for your telecom interests.

@aravind154

Hi.

I'm Aravind from Chennai working in Amazon.com. Come June, I'll be finishing an year.

Is this the good time to apply for Early Entry option ? This is my only chance I guess. Before the applications open next year, I would completed 2 years.

ISB is one of my dream b-schools. My ambition in life is to become an entrepreneur after my 35+ age gaining as much experience as possible.

Profile : Xth - 93, XII - 97, B.E - 78. GMAT - Yet to take. (When is the good time ? )

Will my working company brand(Amazon.com) be an asset during admissions? Also, I'm into the technical side, will that be a hindrance? Also, kindly advice on the Early Entry option.

Thanks !

We tally your workex until 31 March 2014. So you would be quite close to 2 yrs. You are eligible to apply for Early Entry.

We look at your workex from the point of view of your takeaways. So being on the technical side is neither a positive nor a negative. Please focus on telling us what you have learnt from your workex about working in teams, making sure you deliver on the objectives set by your company & team leader, what have you learnt about yourself as a person and how your work related perceptions are developing, etc. If you have worked on a project where you have made a difference even if in a small way - feel free to tell us through your essays.

If your ambition is entrepreneurship, you may want to tell us the business idea you have in mind and how much homework you have done to plan your idea out.

@abhi.leo1980

@ISB.Admissions None of my recommenders have received the link for online recommendation even though I have received the confirmation email from ISB that the links have been sent. What can I do in this regard?

Please write to our app help team at app help @ isb . edu (NO SPACES) or call them at 040-2318-7472

@next_big_thing

@ISB.Admissions Respected Sir, ISB is definitely one of my dream colleges & I hope to set foot in the campus one day. Now my profile is as follows-->Class X- 92Class XII- 91.25Grad - 8.29 Work-ex- 20 months in DecemberGMAT- 720 (will be appearing again for a 750+ score)1) Now with this profile, do I have a realistic chance of converting ISB (for the Early Entry Option)?2) Since the average work-ex at ISB is close to 6yrs, won't I be at a serious disadvantage during placements? Won't the top notch companies prefer an experienced guy anyday over a fresh guy like me? 3) Since the fee of ISB is massive, what are the provisions made/available for a middle class guy who cannot afford such a mammoth fee? I heard that the scholarships are far & few, is it true? Plz reply to my query in detail & help me make up my mind.

Your GMAT is already quite strong. I would recommend you not ignore your essays and prepare for your interviews in case selected. The essays are critical in understanding your thinking process, your leadership potential and other personal attributes that are important to for an MBA candidate.

If a role for which a company is hiring requires a candidate with 6 yrs workex, then it is unlikely that will consider applications from those with 2 yrs wkex. And vice versa Each year good numbers of candidates with 2 years of wkex graduate from ISB and find meaningful (content & compensation) roles in industry. So you would not be the first candidate with 2 years workex to graduate from ISB.

Each year 15% of students receive merit or need based scholarships. You can find more information on this at following link:

Scholarship | Corporate | Sponsored | PGP | Indian School of Business (ISB)

In addition we also have multiple loan programs which are used by majority of students.

Please note that an MBA is a professional qualification and we are looking for mature candidates who understand that doing an MBA is a serious undertaking not just in terms of money but also in terms of their time, efforts and whether it aligns with their professional and life goals. Everyone need not do an MBA. Compared to similar overseas programs, ISB's PGP costs much less.