ISB Essays 2011 for class of 2012

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ISB PGPMax

About the program

ISB PGPMAX is the new executive MBA program initiated by ISB. It its targeted towards senior executives with 10 to 25 years of experience. The program is designed for minimal disruption in work and the participants can get quality management education without quitting their jobs.

Requirements

· Bachelors degree

· Minimum of 10 years of full-time work experience

Application Details

The Application Fee is INR 10000 or 200 USD

You can download the ISB PGPMAX Application Form here

Other application requirements

· Color photograph

· Latest resume

· Scanned copies of the documents listed in below

1. Passport copy

2. Bachelors degree mark sheets and certificate

3. Any other education mark sheet and certificate if applicable

4. Proof of income

5. Business card

6. GMAT, TOEFL/IELTS scores, if applicable

· Two evaluations from current/previous supervisors

Fees

Amount( INR) Amount(USD)

Admission Fees (non-refundable) 300000 6500

Tuition Fees (refund policy applies) 220000 47300

Total 2500000 53800

Application Dates

Applications Open Dec 03, 2009

Application Deadline Mar 15, 2010

Decision Release Apr 30, 2010

Offer Acceptance Deadline 30 days from release of offer

Essay Questions

1. What has been your most significant achievement to date? Please explain why you consider it to be so. (500 words)

2. What is your motivation to pursue a Post Graduate Program in Management for Senior Executives? (500 words max)

3. You have been asked to be a part of ISB's PGPMAX admissions committee. What are the criteria for selection you would use to admit participants to this programme and why? (500 words max)

Program Structure

Pre Term Courses

· Quantitative Methods: An Online Introductory Course

· Financial Accounting: An Introductory Online Course

· Finance: An Introductory Online Course

· Spreadsheet Modeling

Basic Skills

· Uncertainty and Decision Making

· Accounting Information for Managers

· Management Accounting for Decision Making

· Economic Analysis for Managers

Core Courses

· Financial Decision Making for Managers

· Management of Organizations and Leading for Change

· Marketing Management

· Competitive Strategy

· Managing Global Operations

Advanced Courses

· Financial Strategies for Value Creation

· Capital Markets and Strategic aspects of Fund Raising

· Customer Focused New Product Development and Launch

· Pricing Products and Services for Profitability

· Competitive Marketing Strategy

· Strategic Alliances & Organizational Growth Strategies

· Stakeholder and Crisis Management

· Strategic Negotiations

· Innovation, Intrapreneurship and Entrepreneurship

· Using IT for Competitive Edge

· Building High Performance Teams & Talent Management

· Leaders and Sustainable Development

· Enterprise Risk Management

· Global and Emerging Market Strategies

International Immersion program

2 week trip to US and Brazil

For more details visit: http://www.isb.edu/pgpmax/

For PGPMax application related discussion visit: http://goisb.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1315&sid=e0e2caff847901eb9ec3f3c8c557107a

For PGPMax Interview related discussion visit: http://goisb.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1319&sid=e0e2caff847901eb9ec3f3c8c557107a

ISB Alumni Speak -Important tips for ISB interview preparation

Continuing the compilation of tips from ISB alumni on “How to prepare the ISB interviews/ how to handle the ISB interviews”, here are opinions of some more ISB alumni

1. Be honest with the interview panel....making up things while answering is very easily caught and would lead you down a spiral path
2. Rehearse the answers for the common interview questions and come prepared
3. You can lead your interview in the direction you want to by carefully choosing answers that lead to more relevant questions that you want to answer. Be smart and bring up points that you want to highlight. Needless to say- please do not overdo it.

By, Nidhi Gupta, ISB Co 2008

1. Showcasing your strength in all dimensions (academics, professional and extra-curricular front)
2. Writing the essay in your own style
3. Being HONEST

By, an alumnus, ISB Co 2007

1. Give answers in a way that they generate enough curiosity among interviewers to ask subsequent questions
2. Know yourself, your job, your industry and ISB well.

By, Sanjay Sharma, ISB Co 2008

1. Your focus should be to be able to bring out instances in your professional/personal life which demonstrate leadership skills or anything unique to your personality that would add value to the ISB community.
2. The interview would generally revolve around your resume and application (unlike other Indian B-Schools where GD and general awareness are a significant component), so be ready to support what you've written with your experience.
3. At the end of the interview you are given the opportunity to ask Questions if you have any. Any question you ask should in some way show that did a thorough research of the school.

By, Nitin Goyal, ISB Co 2008

ISB Alumni Speak - Tips for ISB interview preparation (by ISB alumni)

Interviews are the real test of your candidature. Also, at this stage, things become more competitive. It is hence imperative to take ISB interview very seriously and prepare in a planned manner.

Nobody can predict what you may be asked by the ISB admissions committee (which comprises of ISB adcom members and ISB alumni) however, the following “ISB interview tips” by ISB pass-outs will definitely help.

1. Remember your essays well. The last thing you will want to happen is to say something contradicting your essays in your interview

2. "Tell me about yourself" is the most crucial question. Use this answer to lead the interviewer towards your strengths

3. Be natural and friendly and maintain your composure and of course "look good :)"

4. Before the start of the interview, you might be given a topic for a short essay. Just remember what you have written, you might be asked to discuss

By, Supriya Singh, ISB Co 2008

1. Be extremely thorough with your application. The interviewer will catch words from your application and ask questions on the same

2. Be yourself, do not bluff in the interview.

3. If you do not know the answer to a question, say "I do not know" rather than making a blind guess

By, a current student, ISB Co 2010

“I have only one tip for ISB interview preparation...Be yourself. Just be sure about who you are and what your aims are. And why you want to go to ISB.”

By,Jayati Talukdar, ISB Co 2008

1. Know your application very well. Try to rehearse all possible questions that may follow from your application.

2. Be updated of the current affairs.

3. Be absolutely sure on how to answer "Why ISB" and "What after ISB?" questions.

By,Abhinav Jain, ISB Co 2008

I think what matters most in ISB interviews is as follows:

· Do a very good homework on what you have written in the application. You should be able to talk with details if any point is asked from the information you have provided in ISB application / essays.

· Be prepared on your extracurricular activities. You may be asked to perform (if something can be performed in an interview setup)

· Have some knowledge about the industry/ company you work in. For example if you work in IT sector, you should know about current issues and trends, some future projections, your company’s turnover, key competitors and challenges

· Also prepare on how to solve guesstimate cases. Try to build an approach in your mind. It does help a lot.

· ISB interviews are very conversational in nature. “Be what you are”

By,Nitish Jain, ISB Co 2008

ISB Alumni Speak-The most important factor(s) to be kept in mind while writing essays for ISB

When it comes to seeking the best advice for writing essays in you MBA application, alumni provide the most genuine, candid and practical tips. While individual components of essays such as language, content, storyline, flow and fit with the b-school are important, there is something else which makes a set of essays stand out from others.

Here is a compilation of what some ISB alumni say as answer to "The most important factor(s) to be kept in mind while writing essays for ISB is…….."

“1. Be yourself. Different people will give different suggestions. But the essay should say clearly what you are.... and not what you wish to be.

2. Give the essay to an 8th standard student to read. If he can understand exactly what you wish to say, means it is a good essay"

By, Varun Kumar Jain, ISB Co 2008

“The most important factor to be kept in mind while writing essays for ISB is to make sure that the personality attributes and traits that you want to showcase come out very clearly and unambiguously. Also, essays should flow like a short story that can influence the reader in a much more impactful manner and leaves him with a desire to know more about you as an individual....”

By, Mohit Sharma, ISB Co 2008

"The most important factor is that each essay should highlight a particular strength in your personality, which should be in sync with what your overall story."

By,Varun Khullar, ISB Co 2008

“I believe it's important use the essays to position oneself as an achievement-driven and unique individual with integrity and the ability to make a difference in challenging environments. It is important to ensure that the essays are articulated in a lucid manner without exaggerating skills and achievements. A well structured essay which avoids spurious achievements, demonstrates clarity of thought and showcases relevant skills and experiences can go a long way in impressing the admissions committee.”

By,Kunal Soni, ISB Co 2008

“I am not sure of the most important but I can think of a few important criteria. If you have to select one, pick the topmost.

1. Qualities - I think the GMAT, past academics and work exp shows your intelligence. Use the essays to bring out your personal qualities through the essays - your leadership skills, your team work, your fun side, etc which will sort of differentiate you as well as make the admissions committee feel good about you and give enough to talk to you about during interview.

2. Truth - I think it’s a very bad idea to lie about the facts or portray yourself as someone who you are not. I think it would be evident in the interview process anyway. If not during admissions, by recruitment time it will. A small stupid lie can destroy your application.

3. Confidence - The essays should show some sense of confidence in yourself as well as the content. The same should follow in the interview. Make sure it doesn’t come off as arrogance. Some of the "what you will do in a particular situation" essay questions are more about your thought process and point of view rather than the "right" answer.”

By,Samir Desai, ISB Co 2008

“.......to make the essays look natural. Do not make them look like they are artificial. Do not lie or make up facts while you are writing the essays. Use your vocabulary skills to the right extent and don’t overdo it. “

By,Abhinav Jain, ISB Co 2008

A few things that you should do if ISB is your dream school

MBA application process is a high involvement and demanding process. This requires a lot of planning, research, studies (for GMAT) and conscious efforts to strengthen one’s profile. Considering the highly competitive environment within the applicant pool, one should not leave out any opportunity that helps you directly or indirectly in the entire application process.

Here are a few tips on what you should do as you get into ISB application mode. These tips are subsequent to the step of short-listing b-schools. I am assuming that you have done enough research and found a fit with the ISB PGP.

1) Participate in ISB information sessions: ISB conducts information sessions at numerous locations in India and abroad. Most of the cities in India are covered by via these sessions. The time and the nominal fee that you spend on such a session are definitely worth it. YOu get a chance to interact face to face with the representatives who may include Adcom members and alumni. Remember this is the ideal place/ event for genuine information.

Please have a look at http://www.isb.edu/pgp/IndiaLocations.Shtml for detailed schedule

2) Talk to ISB alumni: Alumni are probably the most candid and genuine source of information. They can also share the perspectives of student life at ISB as they have lived through it. goISB.com also provides you such opportunity through a number of alumni on its panel.

Through ISB alumni you can get information on the applications, what GMAT score should you target, how to go about writing essays, your fit with ISB, your prospects at ISB and fundas on life in general.

3) Visit the campus: ‘One needs to see it to believe it’. If possible, visit the campus. ISB conducts some sessions for aspirants. Also, you can look for an opportunity to actually sit through a classroom session at ISB (and hence get the real experience).

4) Research, read and discuss: Read about ISB, know about the activities and clubs, read through some blogs, be a part of some online communities. All of these activities will help you get perspectives and knowledge which will help you build up your case in a better way when you write the essays.

5) Devote sufficient time : Please note that essays form an important part of the profile and you must take it seriously. You have to devote sufficient time towards the essays in order for them to reflect your persona well. Options for professional review may also be explored as some direction and tips from experienced people always help.

ISB Interview tips

Basics for ISB Interview preparation

How to Crack the Guesstimate Case in ISB Interview

Do's & Dont's in ISB Interview