ISB Essay 1 Attitude, skills and knowledge differentiate people.

Elaborate with two examples on how you would differentiate yourself from other applicants to the PGP. (300 words max) Over the years the Differentiate Yourself essay has become the staple essay open er for the ISB application. This essay repeats itself in one form or another mos t years because it is a simple method for the ISB admissions committee to assess the desirability of your candidacy. An excellent preliminary exercise to unders tand the essence of this year's opening essay would be to peruse these older ess ays. One key difference this time is that the essay has to be held together by 'two e xamples' that show how your 'attitude, skills and knowledge' differentiate you. Since the real question is - why should the Indian School of Business bother wit h you when there are thousands of other applicants with comparable GMAT scores o r work experience or academics or whatever? - the two examples should convince t he ISB Adcom that your 'attitude, skills and knowledge' make you different, uniq ue and distinct. Differentiating yourself within the context of the ISB class profile will be cri tical. To write credibly about the differentiation you bring, the value you add to the Indian School of Business and where/why you fit in at the ISB you will re quire some knowledge of the ISB and the ISB student profile. Then, ask yourself what genuinely sets you apart. What are your greatest strengths? What are your g reatest achievements? What are the characteristics that you believe will differe ntiate you in a group of high-reaching professionals? What are the skills and at titude that have driven your greatest personal/professional accomplishments? Cho ose two examples that creadibly sell your candidacy. Whether you want to go with a single theme across both essays or multiple themes (attitude, skills and know ledge) across each story is entirely your choice. The current essay spotlight on your onal, choose them relevance to the . Choose examples and/or knowledge. prompt combines the historical focus on "differentiation" the achievements. While the examples could be professional or pers based on their overall significance in your life/career, their ISB application and most importantly on what it says about YOU that showcase your qualities, perspectives, skills, attitude,

As always, remember that this essay is part of a bigger package and write accord ingly. Please ensure that the qualities/achievements mentioned in this essay are complemented by the content in the other essays. Ensure that the chosen example s reinforce your stated goals in Essay 2 while avoiding overlaps with Essay 3. ISB Essay 2 How does the ISB PGP tie-in with your career goals? (300 words max) ISB Essay 2 Tips For the last four years the ISB essay pack has included a career goals and "why ISB" essay. This essay question is even more straightforward than the previous y ear's goals essay which had an arbitrary three year focus. The simplicity of this essay prompt is deceptive. Apart from precisely stating y our future plans, you will need to connect them to the ISB, while expressing a l ogical, credible link between your career thus far (and the skills, experience, knowledge gained) and your goals. As a first step reflect deeply (if you have not already) on your post-ISB goals. It is essential that you be totally realistic and as specific as possible while

detailing your career goals. Be specific, both about the industry and the role you are seeking, and why. This essay is a test of the credibility, practicality and achievability of your dreams and you better construct a multi-point argument that leaves no loose ends. If your goals significantly shift from your earlier experiences or are more than ordinarily ambitious write in detail and with convi ction and credibility about those qualities/skills/learning/experiences that (wi ll) qualify you to make those goals a reality. Convincingly explaining "Why ISB" - why SPECIFICALLY ISB - is critical to your c andidature. Showcase the key aspects of the ISB program, community and setting t hat will help you achieve your goals. The objective is to implicitly and explici tly demonstrate that your application is a reflection of your serious and specif ic interest in the ISB: so please ensure that the points you mention do not appl y equally to other major b-schools as well! Go beyond cutting and pasting info f rom the ISB website, and personalize your answer as much as possible. Be specifi c while linking your career goals with the ISB PGP program, alumni, students, fa culty, clubs etc. Researching the school, speaking with students and alumni and explaining your fit with the ISB effectively in this essay can make a huge diffe rence to your candidacy. Having done all of the above your greatest challenge in this essay will perhaps be space - or lack of it. Length is always a challenge with the ISB essays, and we have no choice but to be concise. Keep it short. Goals, more than most essay topics, are more a matter of credibility and logic t han anything else. If you can add passion as well to the mix, you might have the recipe for an effective, successful essay. ISB Essay 3 Pick the most significant achievement (professional or personal) you have had an d elaborate on the key learning you took away from it. (300 words) ISB Essay 3 Tips This is a new essay for the ISB application. So let's think afresh! You have several accomplishments in your roster - personal, professional and aca demic - and choosing just one might prove daunting. The two key factors that wil l help you make the shortlist are: overall significance in your life/career and relevance to the ISB application. The final selection criteria for the achieveme nt would not be what but WHY: what you learned from the achievement and how the achievements showcases your qualities, strengths, knowledge, experience and/or a ttitude. Elucidate the achievement with special emphasis on how your actions and ideas im pacted other people. As usual the story is simple a medium to sell your candidac y to the admissions committee. Some of the obvious qualities that the achievemen t can reflect on are: Leadership, Initiative, Vision, Courage, Innovation, Teamw ork. The dramatic quality of the essay is essential to grab and maintain interest - a s in any narrative. Identify aspects and perspectives connected to the story tha t will make it interesting and dramatic. Be interesting while being totally cred ible. As always, remember that this essay is part of a bigger package and write accord ingly. The link with Essay 1 is unmistakable. Ensure that the general themes unc overed in the first essay are reflected her as well. Take care to underscore cha racteristics, traits, viewpoints and/or skills that enable you to be an effectiv e leader or entrepreneur who can achieve the goals set forth in Essay two. ISB Reapplicant Essay

How has your profile changed from the time you last applied to the ISB? (300 wor ds) The number of candidates who consider this essay an addendum to the other essays is surprising. So let me say this clearly - if you are a reapplicant this is yo ur most vital essay in the ISB application. Apart from an extremely low applicants versus accepted ratio, the ISB applicants are almost fully Indian. So the ISB Adcom is under great pressure to select the best candidates from a limited applicant pool. But there's still a door open fo r rejected candidates (even more so for waitlisted candidates). If you were reje cted (or waitlisted) last time, use these 300 words to tell the ISB Admission Co mmittee that there have been enough changes in your profile to justify a revalua tion of your candidature. Your aim will be to present the professional, academic and personal improvements that make you a stronger candidate for an ISB admission this year. State persua sively why you deserve a second chance. What steps have you taken to strengthen your ISB application? Stronger work expe rience, professional achievements, better GMAT, personal achievements, accomplis hments on the social front, international exposure or academic accomplishments c an all find place in the ISB reapplicant essay. Proactive ISB-specific steps tak en by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from the ISB, might prov e a trump card. Additionally, if required, please use the option of new recommendations and appl ication inputs to support your essays and "bring out different qualities or trai ts of your personality which may have gone unnoticed earlier". ISB Scholarship Essay [Optional] Why do you think that the ISB Scholarship Committee should consider you for scho larship? (300 words max) ISB Scholarship Essay Tips Applying for a scholarship is almost always advisable - you have little to lose and something to gain. A scholarship essay should tie in with your application a nd essay package, without contradicting any part of what you have already writte n about yourself. As the scholarship process is usually separate from the admiss ions process in most schools do not be afraid of repeating information that defi nes your strong candidature.

The ISB scholarship essay can essentially take two approaches - merit based or n eed based. Though merit based ISB scholarships are automatically considered, the crux of the need based essay would still need merit! The merit based approach c an explain why and how your candidacy is superior to that of the average ISB can didate. It might be a recap of parts of Essay 1 and Essay 2 with additional poin ts which might tie in with the ISB s stated aims (come on! go refer their website. now As the ISB admissions process is separate from the scholarship decision your sc holarship essay can repeat information already mentioned in mandatory essays. Th e need based approach reviews your financial position and explains the strain th at the ISB fees would be on you and your immediate family.