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Which exam to opt for admission in ISB hyderabad, GMAT or GRE?
Of the two entrance exams, GMAT and GRE, the former is a better option. ISB Hyderabad has recently started accepting GRE scores. This doesn’t mean that taking the GRE is a bad idea. Many business schools apart from ISB are now accepting GRE scores. The best part is that ISB won’t be converting your GRE scores to GMAT for comparison during the MBA admissions.
- GRE is suitable for students who are considering other PG options apart from MBA like MS or MA.
- For someone who is sure of their career in an MBA, the GMAT is a better choice because GRE is much more dynamic. GMAT shows your commitment to MBA and thereby increases your chances of admission in comparison to GRE which shows that you are open to various options.
- ISB Hyderabad prefers GMAT over GRE also because the former is a more quantitatively challenging exam than the latter.
- Certain firms may ask for your GMAT score before shortlisting you for your interview. These include the biggest firms in the corporate world like McKinsey
So from these points, we can safely conclude that GMAT is a better option for MBA students provided that you are sure of your course.
What should be a safe GMAT score for me to get selected for ISB, Hyderabad or any IIM through GMAT?
My brother was a student of the ISB Young Learners Program. He claims that ISB Hyderabad takes a holistic approach while evaluating your candidature.
Stage 1: Application form, One essay, and Application fee
Stage 2: GMAT / GRE score, Two essays & One Evaluation
Stage 3: Face-to-Face interview
The admission to this program comprises the above mentioned 3 stages designed to evaluate your
- academic background
- your personal attributes
- leadership qualities
Since your question specifically pertains to the GMAT score I will be elaborating on that part only.
Academic profile: Like any other B School ISB stresses a good academic background to ensure the candidates' ability to cope with the rigor of the program. It focuses the most on 12-class and Graduation scores.
As far as the GMAT score is concerned, the GMAT score range for ISB is 580-780. ISB considers only the highest valid GMAT score. It looks at the overall score and does not have any sectional cut-offs. The entrance test be it CAT, GMAT, or GRE are all just one of the many parameters to evaluate students. A candidate with a high score cannot with certainty get admission and similarly a candidate with a below-average score cannot certainly be eliminated. However, if you have below-average past academic records you can compensate for the same through these entrance tests.
ISB Hyderabad's 1 year MBA program or Top 25 US B schools 2 year MBA program? Which is worth in the long run in terms of opportunities and pay package?
You cannot logically compare US B Schools with ISB Hyderabad considering the difference in the quality of peer ground and overall education.
To give a better understanding, compare the ROI of both the B Schools. ISB Hyderabad MBA fees are around 24-28 Lakhs per year and considering the placement scenario, you cannot get a package of more than 15-18 Lakhs. On the other hand, the average fee of a US B School is around 120-200k Dollars and the salary one can expect from a B School is 120k. The ROI in the latter case is much better.
However, these ROI calculations have overlooked one part. As an International student, you'll need a job with a firm that sponsors h1b visas. This reduces 70% of coveted jobs. Now the hunt for a suitable job is tougher and you have to also hope that you win the h1b lottery. If you are unable to do so you might end up in India with a heavy loan of 80-90k Lakhs with an average salary of 15-20 LPA.
So we can say that US B Schools are always the better option than ISB Hyderabad but the risks involved are tenfold.
What is the approximate net expenses at ISB Hyderabad and in general how much of it is covered through scholarships?
The ISB MBA program has many expenses. The major cost components in descending order are
- Tuition and Housing fees: These fees are also stated at the beginning of the session. These expenses can be covered by the scholarships that are offered to merit students.
- Meal expenses: These expenses vary from person to person depending on their taste and preference. You can either opt for the meal options provided by the food or keep a cook that can make your everyday meals. Another way to survive is to eat outside and spend money.
- Personal expenses: Another cost head is your own expenses like eating or hanging out, phone bills, and transportation to and fro from your college.
- Books and Miscellaneous: Your study material and extra expenses account for the books, class content, and other stationery.
As far as the scholarships are concerned, ISB Hyderabad offers no Institute-based scholarships. Only need or merit-based scholarships are offered to almost 1 out of 3 students. But these scholarships cover only 20-25% of the total cost and the rest has to be covered through personal funding or loans.
Does ISB Hyderabad need work experience apart from the GMAT score?
Yes, ISB Hyderabad’s PGP program requires a minimum of 2 years of full-time paid work experience. This criteria came into force on 31st March 2016 and is still a necessity.
For candidates who lack in this aspect, there is a back door entry called the Early Entry Option or the EEOs. Under this, you can apply right away, go through the selection process, and receive the admission offer but join only after working for 2 years. This can also be referred to as Deferred admission.
I have got a CGPA of 6.5 in my first semester of BTech in IIIT-Hyderabad. Can I improve it till 8.5 for getting an admission offer in a prestigious management institute in IIMs or ISB?
People usually have two opinions regarding MBA admissions. First, the admissions have little to do with numbers, second, CGPA and numbers are extremely crucial. My answer is here to support the second opinion and she’s light on the importance of CGPA.
Don’t decide on your next degree hastily before even completing the first one. You may want to explore more interests before deciding what you want to finally choose. Most people in IIT commit the grave mistake of not focusing on their Academics because they think that the ECE or IT sector is not their cup of tea. They forget that they are among the best computer science minds right now and do not make the best use of this opportunity. Identifying the opportunities offered by the institute is a crucial step before deciding on your future career. Even if after enough reflection you realize that the IT sector is not for you, you may explore other options.
Recently many alumni of IIIT Hyderabad have joined as graduates of IIMs after gaining work experience. But almost every alumnus I have looked up had an excellent CGPA, nothing less than 8.5.
So CGPA is not the only factor but is one of the most important factors during admissions at IIMs. One can get into an IIM even with an average CGPA but having a good CGPA will increase the plethora of opportunities definitely.
What are my chances of getting into ISB, Hyderabad?
I have no information about your profile and cannot define your exact chances of getting into ISB Hyderabad. The selection process includes aspects like
- Work experience: ISB Hyderabad admission requires the candidates to have at least 2 years of work experience. In case you have no work experience, go for YLP admission and then join after 2 years.
- GMAT score: You should have a competitive GMAT or GRE score to make it into ISB Hyderabad.
- Extracurricular background: ISB Hyderabad focuses a lot on your extracurricular background and offers decent weightage to it.
- Admission essays: Your admission essays should be convincing enough for the ISB Hyderabad admission team to save a seat for you
- Interview: The last factor that determines your admission is the interview which evaluates your personal attributes.
Since you have no work experience, aim for a higher GMAT score and add extracurricular skills to your profile to increase your chances of admission.
I would like to join ISB (Indian School of Business) Hyderabad for a business analytics course. Is it good? Can I get a good job opportunity through this course?
My answer is based on my sister’s comparison therefore is brutally honest and objective. Some people might still be praising the Business Analytics course but trust me it’s their see efforts to increase its market value only.
I personally am here to convince you against the Business Analytics course. My sister was a student in the same program and even after relentless efforts for 1.5 years, the results were nowhere near expectations. In Fact, she suffered throughout the course and her career was affected a lot in the process. The following points strongly support my opinion and might convince you of the same
Poor quality and substandard faculty who keep changing their rules
- The topics are covered very vaguely and no in-depth insight is offered. An entire topic is covered in 5 lectures that are technically just 10 hours.
- The assignments are not evaluated properly and you don’t receive any feedback from the professors that might encourage you to do better
- No placement assistance is offered to students in ISB Hyderabad
- The batch size is ever-increasing and has made ISB Hyderabad a money-marking Institute only.
- You don’t get to choose one area of Analytics that you want to specialize in and have to study irrelevant subjects that might be of no use to you in the future
- Despite the fees and everything, it’s just a Certificate program and not a degree or diploma
- The Certificate of Business Analytics is not approved by the Government of India and has little value officially
If you are really keen to pursue your career in Business Analytics, choose one area in analytics you want to specialize in and pursue that specific area only. For instance, you can choose a Big data or Machine Learning course and go through their concepts and look for jobs and internships in that area specifically. This is a faster and much more focused way rather than joining the CBA program.
How is ISB Hyderabad?
ISB Hyderabad is one leading B Schools in the country and It was ranked number one in India and 44 globally in the top 100 Financial Times (FT) Executive MBA 2022 ranking.
The PGP program is the only full-time program at ISB Hyderabad and requires a work experience of a minimum of 2 years. ISB has 2 campuses namely Hyderabad and Mohali. You aren’t allotted any specific campus but get to experience campus life at both in a balanced manner. Even the placements are neutral and are held in one place only.
A major highlight of ISB is its Career Advancement Services Department which aims at attracting the best roles on campus. It brings in top firms like
- MS
- FB
- MBB
- ATK-Deloitte-PWC-E
- Amazon
- Accenture
Another major highlight is the visiting faculty that comes from world-class universities like Wharton, Kellogg, and Duke. These comprise 50% of the total faculty on campus and raise the standard of education at ISB through excellent pedagogy. Almost every faculty member is a Ph.D. holder and is required to publish a given number in international journals, regularly.
Compare these areas with other B Schools and then make your decision.
How good is placement at ISB, Hyderabad compared to IIMs (since number of students are much more in ISB, leading to tough competition)?
When comparing the placements of the two, ISB and IIMs, the batch size hardly matters because both institutes market different products. The background and profiles of students of both institutes are too versatile to draw comparisons. If I roughly divide the ISB students and the kind of placement scenario they face then
- 90% of students get their dream jobs in the desired sector and company
- 10% of the students get jobs that are below their expectations but not worse enough to forgo the offers
So the batch size does not matter here and ISB Hyderabad placements are themselves quite satisfactory.
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