ISB Essays

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ISB Essays ( for Class entering in 2021)

There are two essays to be submitted for 400 words each. The topics are as below:

ISB Essay 1: Describe with examples the most important personal quality that you possess which significantly enhances your prospects of being successful as a leader?

ISB Essay 2: What are your short term and long term career goals? How will Post Graduate Program at ISB assist you in achieving your goals?

Previous years ISB Essays (for class entering in 2020)

You are required to respond to the following two Essay questions. If you are a re-applicant the third essay additional essay would be mandatory.

ISB Essay 1: There will be 900 students in the class of 2021. Why should you be one of them? (400 words max)

ISB Essay 2: What will you be doing in 2025 and 2030? How will the ISB PGP programme help you to achieve these goals? (400 words max)

ISB Reapplicant essay : If you are a re-applicant, it is mandatory to submit Additional essay. You may highlight significant changes in your profile from the time you applied last time.

Evaluation/ Recommendation: An evaluation is required as part of application.

Previous years ISB Essays (for class entering in 2019)

The ISB applications are now open and the essay topics for admission to Class of 2020 are out. Just like last year, there are only two essays, and the optional essay has now been removed. There is an additional third essay which is mandatory for re-applicants. The underlying theme for the two ISB essays remains same - Why you & your goals/ Why MBA.

ISB Essay 1
At ISB we value diversity as it enhances both the in-class and out of class learning experience. Tell us how would you contribute to the same? (400 words max)

ISB Essay 2
Enrolling in a Business School is an important career decision. Critically look at your career to date, the choices you have made, the key influences behind those choices, your goals for the future and how do you think ISB's PGP can help you in achieving your goals? (300 words max)

Previous years ISB Essays (for class entering in 2018)

The ISB applications are now open and the essay topics for admission to Class of 2019 are out. Deviating from previous years, ISB has introduced a change in the essay pattern. There are now only two essays, and the optional essay has now been removed. While the underlying theme for the two essays remains same, it has become more crucial than ever for both first-time applicants and re-applicants to use the word limit optimally to showcase their profile. Here are a few guidelines on how to approach the essays:

ISB Essay 1
If we were to admit just one more candidate to the Postgraduate Programme (PGP) at the ISB, why should it be you? (Max 500 words)

Objective: Simply put, the essay should answer the question ‘Why you?’. The admissions committee expects you to clearly articulate what value-add do you bring to the Class of 2019, both in terms of in-class and beyond class learning.

How to approach:
Look at your resume and identify strengths and attributes that differentiates you from your peers. On the professional side, have you worked successfully in teams? Have you taken initiatives? Were you able to make a business impact? On the extra-curricular side, are you passionate about an activity or a cause? Have you been able to contribute meaningfully to society? ISB, like most top B-schools, looks for candidates with multi-faceted and well-rounded personalities and you should be able to demonstrate these effectively.
The essay should intrigue the reader and make him/her want to know you better. Therefore, each of these attributes should be backed by real-life examples. It is also worthwhile to try and link these with clubs and activities conducted at ISB to demonstrate how exactly you will contribute to the off-classroom learning at ISB.

What’s changed:
ISB now gives you an extra 100 words to differentiate yourself. In our viewpoint, this increases the emphasis on the extra-curricular activities and the significance of a well-rounded profile.

Our advice to Reapplicants is that they must use these 100 words to actively address what has improved in their profile since their last attempt.

ISB Essay 2
Describe your short and long term career plans. How does the PGP fit in with those? (Max 300 words)

Objective: This essay requires candidates to answer the ‘Why PGP’ and ‘Why ISB’ question. The essay should clearly articulate where you are in your career trajectory, what are your post MBA goals and how the PGP will help you achieve those goals?

How to approach:
This is a critical question and we have often seen that it can make or break an application. A well-articulated essay should be able to map your current strengths to your post-MBA goals with ISB clearly serving as a bridge.
The right way to approach the essay is to research about future career options and confirm if they are aligned to your strengths, interests and accomplishments. It is often a good idea to talk to alumni to ensure that you are realistic about your goals. While articulating this essay, it is important to show clarity of thought by narrowing down your goals with respect to industry, role and function.
The last part of the essay is about ‘Why PGP’. Researching on the school’s website can help you find course curriculum aspects that can help you plug skill gaps and initiatives such as ELP and club activities that are well-aligned with your goals.

Few general rules:
Keep it concise: Crisp beats wordy, at any B-school and ISB is no exception. If you can say it in fewer words, you make a better impression.
Define impact wherever possible: Wherever possible, certify examples by defining impact, not only quantitatively but also qualitatively.
Personalize, personalize and personalize: The essays should be about you. Read each line carefully to see if it adds value to you as a candidate.

Sample Essays

Read the essays below for better understanding of how you can present your case. You can find more here

ISB Essay 1: If we were to admit just one more candidate to the Postgraduate Programme (PGP) at the ISB, why should it be you? (Max 500 words)

Focus, perseverance, and competition are key ingredients of my psyche. I won first prize at Inter-school debate competition during my teenage years, and it left me with an elation I had not known before. From that day forth, I have set standards for myself and always aimed higher. I have always been among the toppers in my school and college. As a market research professional, I have always been rewarded for work - twice at TNS, once at Accenture. I believe in going the extra mile and contributing to a better world. I do my part by volunteering to develop others – Career counselor with an NGO, Language buddy for Japanese colleagues.

During my MBA -BT, I realized my passion for data and marketing research as it helps make products and services better for customers. I have worked my way from a small organization of 15 people to a global organization like Accenture with 4 lac employees. At my previous organizations, I have always stepped up and mentored 1-2 people in my team. I have also actively participated in creating winning proposals. At Accenture, the insights I draw from my research impact a large part of the organization and support the leadership priorities for the current fiscal year. My past experiences have given me a diverse knowledge of the functions and industries I have worked with- Telecom, Pharma, Industrial, Consumer and Learning & Talent. I intend to combine my experience with the knowledge from industry leaders and peer interactions at ISB to achieve my goal of becoming a consultant and decision maker in Learning & Talent development space.

Furthermore, my rich understanding of the various industries, data analytics, and research skills will enable me to contribute to the value addition driven culture at ISB. I’m a team player with creative thinking and an ability to draw actionable recommendations while keeping the big picture in sight which makes me an ideal entry for ISB’s diverse world of business managers

ISB Essay 2: Describe your short and long term career plans. How does the PGP fit in with those? (Max 300 words)

In the short term, I clearly see myself expand in terms of leadership skills, knowledge, exposure to challenges and disruptive solutions. I envision myself working in the consulting industry and developing leading and innovative learning strategies to solve complex management and business problems which will drive organizational capability. PGP will give me time to interact, observe and learn from the pioneers of the industry. I’ll have the opportunity to gather the challenges faced in an enterprise that can help me take a quantum leap in my career. I will not only get time to deduce problems but will also get remedies for disruption. PGP will acquaint me with skills like expertise in decision models and optimization which would pave way to become a Strategic Consultant in Learning & Talent development space making insightful decisions for my organization. PGP will also increase my depth of conceptual and analytical knowledge in the management field. I would know about the latest and greatest in the business- like Design thinking approach and innovative technologies which will help me make these sound insightful decisions.

In the long term, I see myself as a leader in the HR Strategy space that will lead to large-scale changes and as a decision maker, I will be driving those changes. I see myself leading a group of learning strategists who will be responsible for making those changes. I will gain these skills from PGP LEAP and by observing the industry leaders, I will be interacting with at ISB. This will also acquaint me with desired leadership skills required to mentor the next generation of learning leaders which relates to my vision of developing others to develop oneself.

Results speak: More than 300 admits to ISB in last 6 years.