Indian School of Business (ISB) Essay Topic Analysis 2009-2010 » Clear Admit: MBA Admissions Consultants Blog

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Below are the upcoming deadlines for admission to top-tier schools.
Feb 10: INSEAD R3
Mar 1: Michigan / Ross R3
Mar 3: CBS
Mar 3: LBS R3
Mar 4: Kellogg R3
Mar 8: Cambridge / Judge R4
Mar 8: CMU / Tepper R3
Mar 9: Duke / Fuqua R3
Mar 9: Penn / Wharton R3
Mar 10: Berkeley / Hass R4
Mar 10: Chicago Booth R3
Mar 10: Yale SOM R3
Mar 15: NYU / Stern R3
Mar 17: UCLA / Anderson R3
Mar 19: UNC / Kenan-Flagler R4
Mar 30: Cornell / Johnson R4
Mar 31: UVA / Darden R3
Mar 31: INSEAD R4
Apr 1: UT-Austin / McCombs
Apr 2: Dartmouth / Tuck R3
Apr 2: Oxford / Saїd R3
Apr 7: Stanford GSB R4
Apr 8: Harvard R3
Apr 14: CBS

Essay Topic Analysis
Below are links to our comments on some of the top programs' essay topics.
The Career Goals Essay
Berkeley / Haas*
Chicago Booth*
CMU / Tepper*
Columbia*
Cornell / Johnson*
Dartmouth / Tuck*
Duke / Fuqua*
Harvard*
Indian School of Business*
INSEAD*
London Business School*
MIT / Sloan*
Michigan / Ross*
Northwestern / Kellogg*
NYU / Stern*
Oxford / Said*
Penn / Wharton*
Stanford GSB*
UCLA / Anderson*
UNC / Kenan-Flagler*
USC / Marshall*
UT Austin / McCombs*
UVA / Darden*
Yale SOM*
* denotes '09-'10 commentary

Categories
Use categories to access all that has been written on each of the topics. We have categorized by school and by subject matter.

Interview Reports
A selection of interview field reports from fellow applicants posted to the MBA Admissions Wiki. Add your reports when you are finished with your interviews.
Chicago
Columbia
Dartmouth / Tuck
Duke / Fuqua
Harvard
Kellogg
Michigan / Ross
MIT / Sloan
Stanford
UNC / Chapel Hill
Virginia / Darden
Wharton
London Business School

GMAT Resources
MBA.com
Manhattan GMAT
GMAT Club
Princeton Review
Test Prep New York
Kaplan
Beat The GMAT
Knewton

Writing Resources
Guide to Grammar and Writing
The Internet Grammar of English
English Usage, Style and Composition
The Economist Style Guide
Paradigm Online Writing Assistant

School Rankings
Rankings are a good way to start your research on various MBA Programs. Keep in mind each uses a different methodology.
Business Week
Economist
Financial Times
Forbes
USNews
Wall Street Journal

Career Guides
The following resources should be useful to those who want to research the careers open to them after (or before) earning an MBA.
Vault.com
Wetfeet

Business School Resources
The following are business resources offered by a variety of leading Business Schools. It's useful to subscribe to these resources, especially for the schools to which you are applying.

MBA Programs: North America
If an MBA Program is not listed, please e-mail and we will be happy to list it.
Berkeley / Haas
Boston College / Carroll
Carnegie Mellon / Tepper
Chicago
Columbia
Concordia
Cornell / Johnson
Dartmouth / Tuck
Duke / Fuqua
Emory / Goizueta
Harvard
HEC Montreal
Indiana / Kelley
Michigan
MIT / Sloan
Northwestern / Kellogg
New York / Stern
North Carolina / Kenan Flagler
Notre Dame / Mendoza
Pennsylvania / Wharton
Queens
Stanford
Syracuse / Whitman
Texas / McCombs
Thunderbird
Toronto
USC / Marshall
UCLA / Anderson
Vanderbilt / Owen
Virginia / Darden
Washington University in St. Louis / Olin
Western Ontario / Ivey
Yale

MBA Programs: Rest of the World
As there is some variety in the length of international MBA programs, we have denoted the length of the program next to its name (1 = one year; 2 = 2 years). If an MBA Program is not listed, please e-mail and we will be happy to list it.
AGSM (Australia) 2
Cambridge / Judge (UK) 1
CIEBS (China) 2
Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (China) 1
Cranfield School of Mgmt (UK) 1
ESADE (Spain) 1 or 2
HEC (France) 2
Hult (UK) 1
IESE (Spain) 2
IMD (Switzerland) 1
INCAE (Costa Rica) 2
INSEAD (France) 1
IPADE (Mexico)
ISB (India) 1
London Business School (UK) 2
Manchester Bus. School (UK) 2
Melbourne (Australia) 2
Oxford / Said (UK) 1
Rotterdam (Netherlands) 1
Tsinghua IMBA (China) 2
University of St. Gallen (Switzerland) 1

Additional Resources
Here we link a host of additional resources available across the web. E-mail info@clearadmit.com to have resources added to this list.
AACSB International
Association of MBAs
Beyond Grey Pinstripes
EFMD
gradschools.com (worldwide)
Infozee
International Student Loans
mba.com (GMAT Scores)
MBAInfo
mbaleague.blogspot.com
MBAzone
MBA Jungle
TOEFL
Top MBA

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Thursday, July 30, 2009

Indian School of Business (ISB) Essay Topic Analysis 2009-2010

Today we’ll be taking a look at this season’s essay questions for the Indian School of Business. The application requires that candidates respond to three questions about their backgrounds, prior experiences, and professional progress and goals. There’ s nothing out of the ordinary here when it comes to essay topics, though the narrow 300 word limit for each of these responses requires that applicants pack a good deal of information into a mere 900 words.

Let’s take a closer look at each of the school’s essays:

Essay 1: Give 3 reasons as to why you should be selected to the class of 2011. These reasons should ideally differentiate you from the applicant pool and should be backed with some data. (300 words)
The ISB admissions committee is likely wondering two things in asking this one question. The first might relate to what an MBA from ISB would mean to the applicant, and to the industry or community that is the focus of his or her professional goals. Candidates with professional aspirations that are especially high-impact or unusual with respect to the applicant pool might choose to mention them in this essay. If an MBA would carry great personal significance – for example, if an applicant were the first in his or her family to complete an advanced degree – this could also be appropriate to mention briefly.

The above reading, though, will apply to a relatively small portion of the applicant pool. The second (and more obvious) interpretation of this prompt is: “What’s in it for us?” In responding to this question, candidates will want to highlight aspects of their candidacies that will set them apart from other applicants, and that also translate to some contribution they could make to the ISB community and the experience of their classmates. The door is wide open to all manner of qualities, interests and skills from the professional, academic, extracurricular and personal realms, so take some time to reflect on what truly makes you unique, and what impact that will enable you to have at ISB.

Essay 2: Describe a challenging assignment you have handled (at work or outside) to date. What were the challenges and how did you handle them? What were the personal lessons you derived from this assignment? (300 words)
This prompt asks candidates to recount a time they rose to the occasion to take on a difficult task. There’s a good deal of ground to cover in this situational question, so economy of language will be important. Setting the scene up front and providing all of the context and challenges at the opening of the essay will enable you to take the reader through your actions in the situation and illustrate the lessons you learned.

As you think on examples you might cover in this essay, think about experiences that have led to significant growth or the learning of an especially important lesson. A range of situations could be appropriate, so a focus on a positive outcome and lessons learned could help in identifying the most effective topics.

Essay 3: Briefly assess your career progression till date along with your assessment of your future career goals. Discuss how your career goals will be met by the ISB’s one year program. (300 words)
While this is a standard career goals/why MBA essay in terms of the topics touched upon, ISB requests that applicants respond in s considerably fewer words than do many other b-schools. With so little room to work with, candidates might begin their writing process by devoting 100 words to each of the three topics (career to date, goals, and the preparation ISB will provide). The key may be to keep the focus narrow, zeroing in on the elements of one’s work to date and aspects of ISB’s program that are most relevant to one’s stated goals. Note that the prompt includes the information that the program is one year long; very effective essays will acknowledge this and comment on how the duration of the program has influenced the candidate’s decision to apply and constitutes a fit with his or her career path.

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