2. Admission Process

How can one procure the application form for the various programs offered by your institute? What are the application submission deadlines?

Apply online at www.isb.edu/pgp or hard copy through mail against a payment of INR 1,000.

First deadline - November 30, 2005
Second deadline - January 15, 2006

Please explain the various stages in admission process for each of the programs offered by you (e.g., test, interview, group discussions, etc.)

The various stages are as under:

1) The Application - where there is special focus on the GMAT, Essays and Recommendations. The Application is then reviewed by at least 2-3 members of the Admissions Committee comprising the Director of Admissions, Assistant Dean, PGP, Faculty members, current students and Alumni.
2) Interviews for shortlisted candidates, conducted by a panel comprising the above members.
3) Offers of Admissions.

Interviews are held in December, January, February in all metros.

What is the most important stage/aspect of the entire process (with maximum weightage)?

Both the Application and Interviews are equally important.

What are the skills/qualities you want to test during exam, interview and GD?

Written Test: N.A.
Interview: Academic and Work pedigree; Leadership potential and qualities; Diversity in terms of work and educational backgrounds; extra and co-curricular activities; articulation and presentation skills.
GD: N.A.
Others: In the Application, the Essays, Case-study, and Recommendations.

How do you ensure the diversity of the class?

By recruiting more people from non-traditional backgrounds like doctors, members of the armed forces, people from the Humanities and Arts discipline, so long as they meet the other requirements.

Academic Background

Are engineers more preferred over non-engineer?

No.

Is there a separate cut-off for engineers and non-engineers? Do you evaluate the two types of candidates differently?

No.

How important are grades in the selection process?

Quite important as the course can be demanding, being so intensive.

Do you take an applicant's undergraduate alma mater into consideration?

Yes, to some extent.

Work Experience

How important is work experience for the selection?

We look for profiles with at least two years of post-qualification work experience.

What kind of work experience is preferred?

Any experience that has been full-time with no bar on any industry/sector.

What is the school's ideal amount of work experience?

4-5 years.

Are applicants with one year of work experience evaluated differently than candidates with five years under their belts?

Yes, we look at the quality of their undergraduate education even more closely, especially with regard to the quality of their projects, and any other special assignments they have undertaken. We also look at their extra and co-curricular activities to be able to judge whether they suit our selection criteria.

How much professional experience is too much? Is a candidate, say, with 12 years of work experience, going to fit into the program?

In our opinion, no experience is too much. A person with 12 years of tenure in the work place should be able to adapt to the programme as well as a person with 4-5 years of work experience, but his reasons for doing the programme so late will be probed.

Interview

What kind of questions can an interviewee expect to hear during an interview?

About his/her achievements during school and college. His/Her achievements in his job and career, and also his/her extra and co-curricular activities.

What attributes are you looking for when you interview candidates?

Leadership and diversity in all aspects of his/ her academic, work, and social life.

How long do your interviews last?

20-30 minutes.

Is a long interview better than a short interview?

There is no thumb-rule of such kind that we follow.

Group Discussions

N.A.

Wait-list

How many applicants are placed on wait list?

About 60-70.

And how many eventually make it off?

The top 10%.

Ultimately, what is it that separates accepted applicants from the wait listed and denied folks?

The wait-listed candidates' applications and minutes of their Interviews are looked at once again by the Admissions Committee, in case of any vacancy after the final offers are made.

The denials are rejects either at the Application stage itself, or after the Interview.

General

How can applicants show you and your staff that they're a good match for the program?

By being focused, exhibiting clear-cut thinking on why they wish to do our PGP, are well researched, apart from meeting the other criteria in terms of education, work experience, etc.

What's the worst thing an applicant can do during the selection process?

Not being focused and not knowing what they will gain out of the one-year PGP at the ISB.

Fill in the blanks:

Applicants should apply to your program if they're interested in... in getting really good education in the field of Management studies and are enhancing their knowledge and skills to keep up with the constant changes in the world of business.

And on the other side of the coin?

MBA candidates should not apply to your program if they're interested... only in acquiring the initials MBA after their names, as a stepping stone to better jobs.

Well, what characteristics is the B-school looking for?

Sound academics, good work pedigree, leadership potential and qualities, very good team skills, innovation, creativity, adaptability and the willingness to change, diversity in any aspect of their lives.

What does the school want to learn through the admission process? Are there things that people do that are more appreciated by the admissions committee?

The School wishes to learn about the candidate's ability to think laterally and creatively, and his/her ability to be able to take initiative and ownership for what needs to be done. Whether he/she is innovative in whatever it is that one does, be it the workplace, socially, or life in general. Whether he/she has the capacity to be able to transform creative thinking into positive and effective action. A leader for us is a person who can work with people and influence them, is a good team player, thereby bringing in positive synergy and dynamism into the situations he is in. It also would translate into being able to change things for the better, both qualitatively and quantitatively. We also look for diversity in the profiles of our applicants.

Which aspect of the application should an applicant be most concerned with to make himself/herself a competitive player?

The Essays and the Recommendations.

Contd... 3. Placements Details

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