Indian School of Business (ISB) has announced its application deadline for Round 1 of the admissions cycle, which stands at September 15th. Along with this, ISB has released the questions for the admissions essays, which we aim to touch upon in this post. One look at the essay questions makes it clear what ISB is aiming to understand through these essays. If we were to summarize it, it could be captured in three words:
✨'Who', 'Why', and 'How'✨
Let us explain. The questions make it clear that ISB aims to evaluate who you are as a person, why you feel the need to do an MBA, and how you believe an MBA can help you achieve your goals. With this understanding, let's dive deeper to explore what ISB seeks to evaluate with each specific essay question and how you, as a potential applicant, can respond impactfully.
✅ Essay Question 1: Personal Journey
🌟"Talk about situations that have shaped your personal journey, and how they have helped you cultivate your strengths/weaknesses (400 words)."🌟
Similar to last year's application process, this question is designed to help the admission committee understand you better as an individual. This essay provides an opportunity to reflect on your personal journey, identify aspects that helped you develop certain qualities that eventually became your strengths, or setbacks/failures that helped you identify areas for improvement.
This question gives you the freedom to narrate your life story creatively while staying true to yourself. Showcase how you stand out as an individual. However, ensure that the strengths or weaknesses you discuss also highlight your professional capabilities to make your essay relevant and impactful.
✅ Essay Question 2: Intellectual Experiences
🌟"Elaborate on the intellectual experiences that have shaped your approach to learning and have led you to pursue an MBA (400 words)."🌟
This question is an interesting twist compared to last year's, which focused on highlighting your strengths and weaknesses. 'Intellectual experiences' can encompass a wide range of experiences, but it’s critical to center your response around the most relevant ones.
To best answer this question, reflect on your educational and professional journey. Consider what motivated you to pursue your studies or what excited you about your current role. Think about the learnings that shaped your experiences and led you to realize that an MBA could help you advance your career. Our career journeys often make sense in hindsight, and this essay is the perfect opportunity to tie it all together, leading up to your motivations for pursuing an MBA.
✅ Essay Question 3: Professional Goals
🌟"How will the ISB MBA help you achieve your professional goals (250 words)."🌟
Even though this is an optional essay question, we strongly recommend taking the time to craft a response. This essay provides a platform to express your clarity of thought regarding your career aspirations, short and long-term goals, and how ISB can help you achieve them.
To answer this effectively, delve into your motivations for pursuing an MBA. Reflect on the career outcomes you expect to achieve through the MBA program, linking your prior experience, the skills and knowledge you aim to acquire at ISB, and how this will help you achieve your desired career outcomes.
Final Thoughts
Crafting the perfect essays takes time and attention. We recommend that aspirants start by putting together their rough thoughts, which can then be polished into impactful essays. We are here to assist you through all steps of your application process and are eager to understand your profiles better and support you in the best way possible.
Please feel free to book a free profile evaluation session with us at: https://calendly.com/reachusfly/15min
Let’s embark on this journey together and bring you a step closer to your dreams!🚀
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