The ISB has emphasised the importance of diversity in the classroom right from the start. The School has made special efforts each year to attract a diverse student body. While 59% of the Class of 2008 comes with an engineering degree, (15 pc less than the last year), the remaining 41 pc come from various other backgrounds.
”Peer learning is a very important part of management education,” said Professor M Rammohan Rao, Dean, ISB. “We often simulate the real world in the classroom, where new situations are created and discussions with a diverse group lead to new perspectives. The experiences shared in the classroom add a lot of depth to the lessons taught by professors, and enriches the teaching overall.”
Unity in Diversity
Journalists, architects, scientists, advertising executives, IAS officers, film producer, MTV Model Hunt winner, Chartered accountants, people from the Armed Forces, entrepreneurs, radio jockey, and a host of other professionals make the Class of 2008 a very stimulating group of people to spend an intense and rigorous year of learning and competing together.
The number of Doctors in the Class of 2008 has gone up to 10 this year from 6 last year and so has the number of people from the Media industry. The Civil Services have also been well represented with IFS, IPS, and IAS officers joining the Class. Several academics have decided to join the management programme as well. This includes scientists who have published academic research papers in international journals and have several patents to their names.
“You need to go through the student experience here to really understand the ISB proposition. We talk about diversity in the student body, but to know how it really adds value, you have to participate in a study group. I am amazed by the varied perspectives brought to the table by an Army doctor, a journalist, an RBI manager and an engineer on the same topic,” says Aarti Kothari, an ex-business journalist with four years’ experience.
Women students increase to 25 pc
The ISB has made concerted efforts to attract more women students to its one year post graduate programme in management. This year, the number of women students has increased from 20% in the Class of 2007 to 25 pc in the Class of 2008, making the ISB a leading Indian B-school with the largest percentage of women in its class. Women students have received 19 scholarships during admissions. Companies such as Novartis and others have instituted exclusive scholarships for women students.
Increase in international students
The number of international students (students holding foreign passports) has also increased this year, from 1 pc in the Class of 2007 to 5pc in the Class of 2008. Students from countries such as Malaysia, Nepal, Trinidad/Tobago, USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and others have joined the Class of 2008. In addition to the 23 international students, the Class also has 15 pc or 63 NRIs.
“ I chose the ISB because I can get the latest and the best here in India at a fraction of the cost,” says Arun Pillai, who has been an entrepreneur and a Nuclear Analyst in Toronto, Canada. “My long term goal is to be an entrepreneur in India and ISB is definitely the best way to enter the Indian market.” Pillai has also opted to study at the ISB after declining offers from Oxford and Emory.
ISB nurtures entrepreneurs
One of the key differentiators for the ISB is that it attracts working professionals, including several entrepreneurs. The current class has over 20 entrepreneurs who have established businesses on their own. As compared to 2 pc in the previous Class, the Class of 2008 has 5 pc entrepreneurs.
“As an entrepreneur, gut feel and intuition have been my best friends, but as the stakes rise, I need to understand the science of management. At ISB I get the opportunity to meet with so many different people, learn from top faculty, and get an international exposure as well,” says Arihant Kothari who runs a chain of Live Pasta Stations in Delhi.
The Class of 2008 has an average work-experience of 5 years in a variety of industries and functions and the average age is 27 years. The average GMAT score is 707, which is comparable to the top 5 B-schools in the world. The range of GMAT scores is from 600 to 780; the ISB encourages students who come with a rich work experience and extra curricular achievements.