The MBA Blog

ISB application essay 2011

2009-09-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

date : 20 November 2008 21:10
subject : ISB Admission Offer

The email : Congratulations! We are delighted to inform you that on the basis of a comprehensive and careful evaluation process, you have been offered admission into the ISB’s one year Post Graduate Programme in Management which commences on April 13, 2009.

15th September is fast approaching and you are lost. You really want the above email in your inbox - what do you do? here is a ISB guy who does a good job of analysing ISB essays better than many http://pulyanithinks.blogspot.com/

GMAT
I believe you have taken the GMAT and scored above 700 - a score below which chances of an ISB admit fade fast. There are quite a few people here whose scores are below 700, but in my opinion it is almost an expectation of the Indian IT Male to go >700. Obviously a low GMAT can be compensated by good undergrad grades. But with less than 10 days to go for the app deadline don't try to analyse the GMAT too much. With anything above 700 you are safe and above 740 adds to your profile [IMHO].

WORK EX
Once you have a work ex of more than 2 years don't worry about the "quantity of work-ex" - quality matters. International projects and big names matter. If you have been involved in customer facing roles or business development it really helps. If you have been writing software make sure you have a good understanding of the domain. Financial IT (such as banking software) should be leveraged upon. Promotions and awards are very common for my fellow students - so make sure you write about any recognition that you might have received.

If you have been working for more than 4 years then you need to show gradual improvement and examples of leadership. Nothing matters more than leadership at ISB. If you have been managing people at work, this needs to be brought forward very clearly. International work ex for IT guys is very common at ISB.

Entrepreneurs are really welcome - If you have been involved in corporate or private entrepreneurship make sure you highlight that.
Family businesses are another positive - but make sure you arent bluffing or lying in your resume.

Hobbies / Co-curricular
There are some really really talented folks at ISB. Sports, music, dance, sailing , flying, acting are a part of the culture at ISB. A lot of people have engaged[before joining ISB] in competitive forms of above - state team, college team, dance competitions, music band/competitions etc. Make sure you highlight these.

Leave me a comment if you have queries about your application

Bidding Points for Evening Classes ?

2009-06-09T13:59:00.001-07:00

I feel blessed .. Evening classes are ISB's gift to people like me who have spent most of their [morning] classroom life trying to stay awake
I honestly believed that the so called "Morning Person" was someone's imagination and that no one would want to wake up early. As it turns out, a lot of people are 'morning people' at ISB.
How about ISB come up with an option of choosing between attending morning or everning classes? Have the students bid from their pool of BIDDING POINTS for ELECTIVES... Works the same way as electives do. If you really want a particular time of the day you go ahead and bid points for it - whereas if you are indifferent you bid nothing.
I am not sure what is the current basis for forming the sections - but am sure not much difference in class composition will be seen if such a scheme is followed [after all we are a DIVERSE set, aren't we ? ]

P.S. If a student bids no points then they can be put in either basket [morning / evening] and this could be done in any ALTERNATE scheme. [PGID odd and even perhaps]

DO YOU BELIEVE IT IS WORTHWHILE FOR YOU TO SACRIFICE A FEW BID POINTS TO OPT FOR ONE OF THE TWO CHOICES?
DO YOU THINK MORNING / EVENING TIMINGS MAKE A LOT OF DIFERENCE TO YOU?

leave a comment or mail me mailto:vivek_jhunjhunwala2010@pgp.isb.edu

Soap Box Disaster - Scheduling Error ?

2009-05-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

1. Statistics Quiz - Due tomorrow [5 marks]
2. Accounts Assignment - Due Saturday [25 marks]
3. Economics Assignment - Due Friday [15 marks]

On top of it there were stats tutorials and a Prudential Pre-Placement talk.

Now the question is - when 87% of the student body does not make it to the Soap Box .. Is the student body to be shouted and blamed at? Or is there something for the management/schedulers to think about .. ? Perhaps it needs to be done with a better schedule. You ought to sense the pulse of the student body - instead of blaming the junta at large you have to look at more efficient methods. Could we really not have pushed it a week later ? The day after exams end - Wednesday Afternoon? 60-70% of the student body would be on campus with hardly anything to do and better able to reflect on how Term 1 could have been more productive .. what changes are required etc.
--------------------------------
As an addendum:

What is it about higher grades that a few companies only invite those folks in the Dean's list? Are they measuring analytical firepower or are they measuring the ability to persevere with a uniform focus?

IMHO we need to move away from grades not just to focus on overall academic / managerial development but also to make sure that we do not stress ourselves too much and that we don't burn out. 20 - 30 years down the line how satisfied you are with life will not only be based on how much money or financial success you have - but also [and largely] by how healthy you are, how much you cherish your social bonds and so on. I understand this is Arbit CP - but some of you may be able to get the drift :)

Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai??

2009-05-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

Seriously.. is this what B-School is supposed to be? Classes --> Assignments --> Food -->LRC -->Assignments

[btw..Sarovar served Aloo Tikki Chaat and Jalebis.. thanks Chef]

Where is the fun - this is like engineering all over again! Will the fight for grades lead to anything at all? Or are we still just trying to establish superiorities in a rat race which will lead to the crowning of a superior rat and nothing else?

Congress again !

2009-05-16T14:46:00.001-07:00

Is a stable government all that we want? Is it going to reignite the India growth story - Increase IIP and Retail numbers. papa and me discussed a year back that congress will pull inflation down to the zero mark right before the polls - BANG ON! And see what happened .. no one expected such a massive win. +76 seats over the last time and last one was a full 5 year term!
There is not much change at the centre then I guess - What is it with Rahul though.. how rich are those folks??
Stock markets should jump by about 650 - 800 points in initial trading. There isn't much reason for the market to swing. Except that this is the most obvious positive trading session - obvious enough for the operators to drag it down to negative?? We'll see..

ISB is a crazy place btw - till date one phrase defines it, PEER PRESSURE. I must study coz everyone else is. I must party because everyone else is. I played squash - at 2 in the morning. It was fun. Had injured my ankle so couldn;t play for a whole 9 days. Guess wat .. I had my mid-terms on the 8th ad 9th day of the injury. So am sure the injury added 5-10% to my total marks. Funny how things work. But it seems like I have a knack for squash. Aur kya - aaj Ohri's gaye section D ke 10 log. Was good fun for us but the birdday uncle may not be too happy. But hey we sang Happy Birdday for him.

Jassi Ashu and Co wanted to go to Necklace Road - and will someone please explain to people that exams are 2 weeks away!! Start studying !
Rohm and Haas due in 2 days, A/C assignment in 12..grrrrrr!

stocks of 400 cos rise 100 percent

2009-05-08T06:15:00.000-07:00

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/Indicators/Stocks-of-400-companies-rise-100-per-cent/articleshow/4497717.cms

What crap!

Suzlon energy went down from an average of around 250 rupees to 35 and then is trading at around 75 -- Is that what you call "giving a return of 100 percent" ?

Sesa Goa fell from an average of 300 to 60 ! Now it has risen to around 120 .. Is that what you call "giving a return of 100 percent" ?

Reliance Industries fell from an average of 2500 to 930 ! Now it has risen to around 1900 .. Is that what you call "giving a return of 100 percent" ?

Dish TV fell from an average of 100 to 16 ! Now it has risen to around 35.. Is that what you call "giving a return of 100 percent" ?

Are these folks assuming that an investor was waiting for Sep08 to happen and then pick up stocks ? And that he had no holding in these companies before Sep 08?

The truth is that the last 2 months have given a return of 35% - but that is after a wealth erosion of nearly 60% between Jan and Sep 08. So if someone had a net worth of 1 crore in Jan 08 - they were worth 40 lacs in Sep08 and are now worth around 54 lacs.. That is a net loss of 46% since Jan 08.

Of course Jan 08 is when the valuations were crazy in the other extreme - way too high i.e.

Twitter Blog - Haldiram bags v/s Go-Green

2009-04-24T22:45:00.000-07:00

So we have a no-plastic-bag policy on campus right? How do you explain the haldiram [yeah!] plastic bags given for carrying the folders ?

And how do you explain the 72 rupees individual meal plan v/s 75 rupees one time meal price ?

And how do you explain the no-shaded-areas-from-AC-to-SVs?

This is how you explain it - Relax. Things will improve

ISB ranked 15 on the FT times

2009-01-25T23:04:00.000-08:00

I was at the ISB over the weekend - little did I know the recognition awaiting ISB.

I am not going to judge or comment on the ranking - rather just put the facts and hear the opinion of the readers

Indian School of Business India -

Salary today (US$)
Weighted salary (US$)
Salary percentage increase
Value for money rank
Career progress rank
Aims achieved rank
Placement success rank
Employed at three months
(%)
Alumni recommend rank

145,727 salary today
148,339 weighted salary
160 increment
27 value for money
18 career progress
65 aims achieved
28 placement success
100 ( 93) students% placed (data available for students)
77 alumni reco

The one comment I have is - ISB's placements this year SEEM TO ME to be way way way better than that of other schools in the ranking - so am expecting a top 10 rank in the FT a year from now :)

Is an MBA more than a "placement"

2009-01-21T10:13:00.001-08:00

Let us be truthful here - many of us have been blindly pursuing the MBA dream without stopping to think - WHY MBA?
I am not really talking about middle level managers or team leads - the target junta for this post is 0 - 3 years of work ex wallas. Every day for the past 5 years we have heard about some friend's friend "Yaar usne IIM-ahmedabad nikaal liya" or some report in the media "ISB[/IIM] graduate gets 1 crore salary".
Then papa starts telling you "Beta, tum bhi CAT GMAT kyun nahi likhte - Raju uncle ka beta dekho IIM jaa raha hai". class 11-12 mein IIT ke taane sune, ab IIM aa gaya.

Is the entire pursuit of an MBA just about one word - PLACEMENT ?

I'll be honest - I was sh*t scared of the B-School placements this time around. [For those who don't know "maine ISB nikaal liya hai"]. I don't even want to think how sad it is going to be if I can't get a good job post-MBA. During my engineering days, I appeared for the MINDTREE interview process and couldn't make get in. And I therefore know how it feels to think that you might be a failure in life.

But is a CAMPUS-JOB the game,set and match of a prestigious MBA? Is that how we measur the success of an MBA? Atleast as a to-be-MBA I should be able to look at it from the long term perspective - be patient and believe in my skills and abilities. But here's the bottomline - When it comes to ME, it is going to be impossible to rise above the situation and be okay with it.

Over the past 5-6 years we have always heard of all of India's top B-Schools "placing" all their students. And this year the tradition has already been broken. But for those who have not found their "dream" jobs - or any job - we need to look at what happened in 2001 with the engineering graduates. Many of these guys - even the very good ones - had no jobs. But today, a lot of them are project managers, delivery managers, etc with the leading MNCs of the world.
At times we just have to believe in ourselves and tide over the bad times with nothing else but patience.

And wishing all the 2009 graduates all the best :)

BTW numbers from ISB day 1 placements don't look too bad - Consulting firms and other top firms have hired albeit in lesser numbers

2008-12-31T05:58:00.001-08:00

ISB

2008-12-22T22:06:00.000-08:00

Wow .. I have read almost every famous - and some not so famous - blogs about getting into the ISB, life @ ISB, placements @ ISB, partying at ISB and what not. I finally get to write about my ADMIT to the school of my dreams - But why ISB? WHY .. ISB? Why is it the school of dreams for so many of us? If you have read quite a few blogs about the journey to the ISB you will realise the passion with which an admit to the ISB is pursued. Years are spent introspecting and finding the right answer for "Why MBA" , "What after MBA" and so on. Some people have their AHA! moment during the interview and yet get rejected - who gets into the ISB ? Why does a person gets accepted ? I believe the answer to this is simple - How badly do you want to get into the ISB .
Think about it - do not create that negative to this theory saying "If this is what gets someone an admit then I would have got it last year". I am sure if you look at how much effort you put in regarding reading about ISB, improving your "profile" etc - you will realise that you wanted ISB and you worked towards it. And that is why you know this blog exists.
My journey -I was just sitting at the Browsing Center in RVCE and looking for arbit MBA crap. I first came across the ISB when I read Nitin Pulyani's blog :). I was like - "yeh kaun si college hai" ? Then I went on to their website and started exploring the school - they had those navigable images and I explored what I now know is the LRC. I read about the campus , saw the pictures - and fell in love. I went on to read about the admission requirements and fees. Two heartbreaks - 1 - 13 lac as fees. 2 - minimum 2 years of work ex preferred. (I graduated in 2006) Hmmm.. :( So I lay low for the first year at work - realising that 2 years of work ex is essential for any good B-school. I worked hard and got the Best New College Grad award. When I told Dad about this award this is what I said " Aaj Applied Materials ne mujhe ISB mein admission de diya". I had no college achievements - a meagre 71%. So this was my big ticket to ISB - and that is why this award meant so much. I have lost the trophy - but I have the certificate :).
Then I took the GMAT - 3rd October - 670 with a week's preparation. Nah not good enough and I knew it. 2nd attempt - 6th November--- 740!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh I am so going to the ISB!
But it was not to be - I grossly underestimated the quality of applications at ISB. Interview bhi nahi kiya :(
Then came June 1st 2008 - midnight. I opened the website in the middle of a bachelor party at my house and saw the application for 2009-10 was up. Well that was the end of all the drinking for that night :) By morning I had written the Zumba essay!! Life went on and I could only submit my APP on 14th September - waited and waited and waited.

I was sitting with my boss - yeah - and decided to F5 my Inbox on GPRS.
"ISB Admission Offer" -> BLURRRRR -> 7 long seconds to open the mail -- 3 reads of the admission offer -- -- a couple of calls trying to control my emotions -- and moving around for an hour like I had a hangar in my mouth later --- it started to sink in. I am going to the ISB. The place of dreams.

Oh yes about the shortcut to ISB!
Well once you get to the interview stage..
What do Menon and Hema and the alums look for? Is it destiny - nah. I believe that once a person is shortlisted they look for a) Achievements at work b) Opinions about world events and stuff in general c) Family background d) Ability to take heat
Obviously this is true for younger applicants.

Have the "Writers" always had it wrong?

2008-08-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

Have the "Writers" always had it wrong?
Do we like to read more about "ourselves" than say, about Angels and Daemons? or even about Romeo and Juliet?
This thought is inspired by the increasing popularity of blogs as well as that of writers like Chetan Bhagat, Karan Bajaj and TheDeviantCynic :) . Maybe it is a passing phase, maybe it is here to stay..

What is it that makes us watch CRICKET?

2008-04-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

Kabhi Kabhi mere dil mein khayaal aata hai.....What is it about cricket that keeps us glued to the TV? Why are cricket scores given preference over virtually any other news? I am tempted to quit writing this and just get back to my IPL match between DELHI and RAJASTHAN, but I really want to understand why it is that I want to watch them? IT is not even the INDIAN team that is playing ..
Does the IPL deserve to be a success in INDIA?

Sorry baby, I guess my blog just had to be in black !

2008-04-13T15:19:00.000-07:00

Do I actually still like this colour? There was a time when all (ALL) my clothes were black. I guess it happens to every average looking guy. Well it happened to me.
No I did not create ths blog to write this ! So wait, do not run away
First let me tell you about my dilemma , it goes by the name of "job-or-mba". Is it a disease? Is it infectious? Do people tend to spread this at their homes( read : OFFICES ) .. In Chetan Bhagat's (he sure can write) words - If it is infectious, I am the perfect example of this infection.
It has been around 4 years (since my 3rd year at CSE , RVCE ) that I am trying to find a solution to this infection (pun - ).
Been working at Applied Materials for around 2 years now and probably figure in the top 10% of my class ( by salary ) & yet TRYING_MBA
typedef TRYING_MBA "write CAT , XAT , GMAT every now and then"
Let me try representing my problem in C++

----------LIFE STARTS HERE---------
ENGINEERING_SKILLS = 0; // class 12
do
{
if(! ENGINEERING_SKILLS)
ENGINEERING( & ENGINEERING_SKILLS); // did my engineering
if(ENGINEERING_SKILLS>1)
-- ENGINEERING_SKILLS ; //u know what I am talking - right?
keep TRYING_MBA; //TRYING is typedef'ed above
} while ( ! MBA_HAPPENS)

--------
I wonder when my MBA will happen - I have a 740 @ GMAT and 96 %-ile @ CAT - and I do hope that either NUS or NTU would want me to make their average students look better.
Meanwhile (haha , there is always a meanwhile loop in bangalore - aint it?) I am trying for a few positions which look beyond my reach, viz MICROSOFT, YAHOO, AMAZON.
Now - what if I had to choose between a)MICROSOFT / YAHOO and b) NTU MBA in TECHNOLOGY ?
If I were given such an option , what would I do?
I would take a 15 day vacation,cherish the moments - and toss a coin at the end of the 15th day.
I dont think any ENGINEER - MBA knows where he would have performed better. I mean, how can you? You only lead one life ! I guess everyone reaches their highest level of competency after they start freaking out and start saying things like "money is not that important in life"
I think I have spent so much time trying to figure out what to do , that I might actually be losing out on doing what I am supposed to do ( remember I have a pretty good job at AMAT - RefleXion LK ). Now let me tell you why I am losing interest here.
Consider a knowledge stack of APPLIED MATERIALS TOOLS and one of PROGRAMMING SKILLS. I am scared I have a diminishing (hairline and) PROGRAMMING SKILLS stack while I add to my AMAT TOOLS knowledge.
This is my reason of switching jobs , if i were to NOT DO AN MBA.
Meanwhile, i went to see this play with Sonam (and her friends). An adaptation of "5 . someone" @ ranga shankara and put together by EVAM and MADRAS PERFORMERS(or something similar) .It was good, not brilliant.
Incidentally, today is when 3.2 lac victims appeared for the IIT-JEE. Am I lucky not to have gone to IIT?