GmathubISB, one the most coveted b-schools in India, and offering arguable the best one year MBA program for working professionals in India, has made some small changes to the essays for the current application cycle. Also, with deadlines round the corner, let’s dig little deeper into what the essays are asking for and how to tackle them.
Essay 1: Contemplate situations that have shaped your personal journey. Present what these situations have taught you about your strengths and weaknesses, and how they have shaped your personal and professional journey (400 words)
As the essay states, ISB wants to know about your journey and through that, your strengths, skills, challenges and weaknesses.
Think of situations you faced that were challenging or where the outcome was not as desired. Here you can think of anecdotes that define the situation briefly and focus on the main aspect, the challenge you faced. It can also be something wherein someone else was given the opportunity or performed better than you because he/she possessed skills that you didn’t. Then, proceed with describing what step were taken by you to overcome those challenges, lack of skillsets etc. and how that changed things for you.
Or, it can also be a situation where you faced financial challenges, strict deadlines or some really challenging/new task. The idea is to present a situation that was really tough. Then mention briefly and crisply the steps taken to overcome that. Through this, you want to show your mental toughness and ability to find solutions in tough and new situations.
Essay 2: What intellectual experiences have influenced your approach to learning and have led you to pursue an MBA? Please describe using anecdotes from your own experiences. (400 words).
This essay essentially means: Why MBA.
It’s probably the first time ISB has mentioned explicitly to use anecdotes to explain the experiences that led you to think of pursuing MBA. Using anecdotes is a tried and tested way to structure applications for global b-schools. ISB, taking inspiration from those, is heading that way and they had to mention that to direct the applicant to take that approach.
There are 2 things that need be covered in this essay.
- What business problems would you be most interested to solve.
- What skills/knowledge is required to do that.
To answer these questions, first thing you need to do is finalise your post MBA goals (essay 3).
Once you do that, think of situations you encountered where you got the taste of those roles. It may be that you know someone who is into those roles. You can mention about your interactions with that person.
If there is no direct experience of that role, think of situations where you saw other aspects of the business which you were unaware of earlier and how those aspects elicited curiosity in you. This is always a good way to show your interest in the desired role.
You can also mention your ambition to grow in corporate world and how an MBA can help you do so. Although important, this aspect should not be the first point of the essay.
Essay 3 (Optional): Given your experience and aspirations, how do you plan to use the PGP at ISB to fulfil your professional goals? (Optional – 250 words).
Again, the question here is: Why ISB.
Also, the answer should start with you goals given what you have done in your professional life.
Then you may mention about some specific courses that will help you gain specific knowledge for the desired role. Also, do not forget to mention about what skills you can bring and help the cohort.
Given the 250 words constraint, the answers need to be very specific and there is no scope of elaborating it more than what is desired. Most of the global b-schools have strict word limits for “Why MBA and Why this college” question.
Given the elaborate scope of the essays, generally 15-20 days are required to get the compelling stories. However, as less than 10 days are left for ISB R1 deadlines, one must start with the first draft immediately and try to get 3-4 drafts before submitting. Avoid stretching it to the final day.
