My path to the ISB

ISB was the only Indian B-School, I decided to apply to when I wrote my GMAT. The others being Kellogg, Chicago GSB, Ross and Duke. My plan was to apply to ISB in R1 and depending on its result apply to the US B-Schools in their R2. ISB being a one year course, definitely had its advantages and the fact that I wanted to work in India made it my preferred destination. As I had decided to apply in R1, I started my application in July itself. But as my GMAT was scheduled for August end, I had not worked on my application in full earnest.

The fifteen day period after my GMAT exam (24^th August) was the time when I completed my essays and the application and reworked them. When it comes to the application, there is one thing that I would like to mention: Diversity. Yes, I know it probably is the most abused word in the B-School lingo, but when you think about it for sometime it makes sense. How would you consider the profile of a person with 750+ GMAT score, good academics, 4-5 years of work ex in IT industry with a couple of years abroad, a couple of promotions and some social service to boot? At first glance, it appears as a very decent profile standing a good chance to get into ISB, but imagine a class having 400 such people!! Each one has basically done the same thing as the other and the takeaway from such a class would be minimal!! Now consider another scenario where you have a good blend of folks from diverse backgrounds, each having a unique skill set and experience that none of the others have. Imagine how much interesting it would be to learn about each other’s experiences and perspectives over the course of a year. Of course this is utopian scenario and the reality lies somewhere in between the two extremes. Anyways, the point that I am trying to make here is that you have to sell yourself to the adcom and the best way to do it is to prove to them that you indeed do possess a skill set and experience that is one of its kind. You have three essays (four if you choose to write the optional essay) and some other parts of the application where you can entice the adcom to give you an interview call. So make the best use of it. I am from the telecommunication industry with an experience of 2.5 years, which is definitely on the lower side. So, I made a conscious effort to talk about Nirav, the individual and not Nirav, the professional. In fact apart from one essay where they specifically ask about work, I used all the Essays to highlight other aspects of my personality ranging from my really esoteric interests to my contribution to my father’s business. And do ensure that your application is complete and has no mistakes; both factual and grammatical. I finally submitted my application on the 10^th of September. Unfortunately, I had to change my interview location from Bangalore to International at the last minute as I had to travel to Europe for work.

A month later, I got the e-mail for a telephonic interview. It was scheduled for the 2^nd of November but at a time not very convenient to me! So I asked for a change of time and they duly obliged, giving me a new date of 12^th November. It gave me sufficient time to prepare as well. A few years ago, I had walked in to an IIMA interview with no preparation and got my ass whipped!! This time, things were going to be different. I made a list of all the questions specific to my profile that I thought were important. I also wrote down a few points about some of the most commonly encountered questions as well and went through my application several times trying to think of questions that can be asked from it. Finally, the interview date had arrived. I called them at 7 A.M local Europe time. (I am at my best in the early morning, so had specifically asked for this timeslot) There two people on the panel; Hema from adcom and Joseph an alum. I had a pen and a piece of paper next to me and noted down their names! (I am very poor when it comes to remembering names) I was asked to speak for sometime on the word “curiosity”. I took my time to think about it and talked for a while about it. The first question was why I involved myself in so many different activities. I was prepared for this and answered it well, linking it to the ‘curiosity’ that I had to know different things! The discussion then moved to our family business and my contribution to it. We discussed some problems encountered and how they were handled. Then Joseph asked about the tussle for spectrum in India. (I expected this question and had prepared really well for it) I gave them a detailed explanation as to why the entire issue has come up and the steps being taken by the government. Then all of a sudden, the other interviewer asked me a question in French!! (I had mentioned in my app, that I can speak French) It was a simple question and I answered it without any hitch. Finally they asked whether I had any questions. I asked them a couple. Then the lady was about to say good bye but instead asked me why I wanted to pursue an MBA and what was I looking for post MBA. Well… again I had anticipated these questions and gave them a very detailed explanation of my ambitions and how ISB fitted in to the overall scheme of things. Finally after about 25 minutes of pleasant conversation we bid our good byes!

A month after that, the R1 results were announced and I had been offered admission to ISB!! It was not too much of a surprise, as I was expecting it! But it always feels good to have actually got in.

This has been my path to the gates of the ISB.