"Rushing to the Library in the wee hours to grab a book on Economics... Or taking a dip at the Campus Pool" Life is a full circle at ISB at its Mohali Campus. One has to admit that a quality MBA education should develop an individual into a well rounded human being. This is called the transformation that one goes through once in a lifetime. The Indian School of Business sets itself apart from all other B Schools in this regard that it makes you live a life which is unparalleled. With its rich blend of students coming from diverse backgrounds, ISB is a panorama of brilliant minds.
At its Mohali Campus ( part of the One school two campus theme of ISB), the institute boasts of 280 students coming from some of the top notch academic institutes of India and the world. You will find students from reputed institutes such as IITs, NITs, NSIT, DCE, Presidency College, St Xaviers, SRCC, St Stephens, Goenka College Calcutta and Foreign Universities such as University of Pennsylvania, UT Austin, HKUST and the likes. Not only this, the class has diverse work experience backgrounds and this is what sets this institute apart from all others when it comes to the selection procedure. This was one of the biggest push for me too when I decided to apply for ISB. The fact that I will be interacting with my batchmates who come from varied industries from diverse sectors was a boost in itself. ISB is a place where you would not find a fresher just out of college doing an MBA , but it is a place where everyone has something to bring on the table and the experience varies from 2 years to 20 years and above.
MBA is not only limited to knowledge gained from reading the books but also it should entail experiences from the work life and practical field work. From Doctors, Engineers, Chartered Accountants, Regional Managers of Banks to Artists, Musicians, National level Sports personalities, Entrepreneurs you will find achievers from all walks of life .
Ranked amongst the top 30 B schools across the Globe (as per the prestigious Financial Times Global MBA Rankings 2016) ISB (Indian School of Business), has been able to carve a niche for itself. If one is able to crack this tough nut, an amazing experience awaits to unfold.
As per reports, ISB receives the 4th highest applications amongst all B Schools in the world who take applications through the GMAT entrance exam, and has one of the stiffest admission processes. In India, like all aspiring MBA aspirants it was a dream for me too to walk through the hallowed portals of this prestigious institute. Apart from ones GMAT score which is also averaged at a staggering 710-720 (range being 610-780), one needs to showcase brilliance in various facets of work, life, academics and should bring in genuine and honest recommendations to get this cracking. There are students who keep trying and are reviewed as re-applicants the next year of the year in which their applications didn’t make the cut. One word of advice I can give to aspirants is that one has to be serious with the essays in the application as that is the mirror which gives the true image about what you are as an individual. All significant achievements in one’s career can be highlighted through the essays thus they are very very important and have a significant weightage in the final selection. It doesn’t matter if you have not done well in one of the domain, your ability to bring out the best in some other domain is what decides you crossing the line and making it here.
Another big advantage of ISB is that it draws the top faculty from top notch global institutes like Wharton, Kellogg and likes. It is a mind blowing experience to learn from such stalwarts. Academics at ISB is an intellectually stimulating experience and one will have the opportunity to go through Case based learning which is very interactive. Apart from academics ISB has many student clubs which are the professional and social clubs. For example, you will have the Graduate Student Board and Senior Executives Club and on the other hand you have the musical club, sports club and many more. ISB provides you with unparalleled opportunities to bring out the best in you.
All of this culminates into the strong placements that happen at ISB and in 2016 the record breaking 1100 plus offers to its 812 students stands testimonial to this fact. With companies coming from all sectors and Consulting being the most sought after, ISB is one of the favourite hunting grounds for the recruiters for years now.
My one piece of advise to all aspirants would be to work hard on the application and give it your best shot . Yes it is a herculean task to crack ISB but if one has the grit and the determination then ISB will turn into a reality... Live it for a lifetime.
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About the Author:
Rahine Bose
PGP Student of 2017 ,
Indian School of Business
Last Industry Role – Chief Manager & Regional Head Sales at ICICI Bank Ltd.