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Mastering the Art of Writing ISB Essays: A Step-by-Step Guide

There is no doubt that the ISB admissions process is highly competitive. An integral part of this is the ISB essays. Through the MBA essays applicants can showcase their personality, and demonstrate their fit for the program. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of ISB essays and explore how to write compelling essays for ISB application.


ISB application deadline for 2024 is 10 September 2023. It's time to get started with your ISB essays! And we have brought you the latest updates and essay analysis for ISB essays 2024.



Unique ideas for ISB essays

Explore unconventional approaches such as:

  1. Narrating a moment when you triumphed over a challenge or adversity.

  2. Describing a situation where you faced a tough decision.

  3. Reflecting on a time when you gained valuable insights about yourself or those around you.

  4. Sharing a story about when you made a meaningful contribution to your community.

  5. Showcasing a distinctive experience or perspective that sets you apart.


Step 1: Understanding the ISB Essay Questions:

ISB Essays 2024:


ISB Essay 1, 2024 - Provide an honest portrayal of yourself, emphasizing your strengths and weaknesses. Highlight the key elements that have shaped your personal journey. Give relevant illustrations as needed. (400 words)


Essay Topic Analysis: Provide an Honest Portrayal of Yourself, Emphasizing Your Strengths and Weaknesses


The essay prompt requires you to present a candid and sincere depiction of yourself, focusing on both your strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, it asks you to delve into the key elements that have influenced your personal journey. This MBA essay provides an opportunity to reflect on your experiences, self-awareness, and growth, while showcasing your ability to assess your strengths and areas for improvement.


To effectively address this ISB Essay topic for 2024, consider the following five points:


1. Set the stage for the essay by expressing your commitment to self-reflection and growth. Highlight your personal strengths, showcasing your exceptional qualities, skills, and attributes. These strengths can encompass a wide range of areas, such as leadership, problem-solving, creativity, communication, or resilience. Support each strength with relevant examples or anecdotes that demonstrate your abilities.


2. Acknowledge your weaknesses or areas where you have room for improvement. Provide examples of situations where your weaknesses became apparent and how you have taken steps to address them.


3. Explore the key elements that have shaped your personal journey in this ISB application Essay. This can include significant life events, influential relationships, academic or professional milestones, challenges overcome, or personal growth experiences.


4. Incorporate relevant illustrations and examples throughout your ISB essay 2024.


5. Remember to maintain a balanced approach throughout the essay, avoiding excessive self-promotion or dwelling solely on weaknesses. Strive for authenticity and sincerity, allowing the reader to gain a genuine understanding of your character and personal development. By addressing the essay prompt with thoughtfulness and introspection, you can create a compelling narrative that showcases your strengths, acknowledges your weaknesses, and demonstrates your capacity for growth and self-improvement.


Get Essay assistance from an ISB admission consultant at GOALisB. Write to us at contact@goalisb.com or Whatsapp at +91 7719497187.

ISB Essay 2, 2024: Contemplate two distinct situations—one where you experienced success and another where you faced failure. Delve into the personal and interpersonal lessons you learned from these instances. (400 words)

The ISB essay 2024 prompt "Contemplate two distinct situations—one where you experienced success and another where you faced failure. Delve into the personal and interpersonal lessons you learned from these instances" prompts applicants to reflect on their personal experiences of both success and failure and analyze the lessons learned from each.


Here are our suggestions to effectively address this MBA application essay prompt for ISB admission 2024:


1. Success Story: We would suggest that you should vividly describe the situation where you experienced success. It is important to discuss the personal strengths, skills, and qualities that contributed to the positive outcome. Applicants should reflect on how this success impacted their confidence, motivation, and overall personal development.


2. Failure Story: Applicants should similarly describe the situation where they faced failure.


3. Personal Lessons: In analyzing both the success and failure situations, applicants should delve into the personal lessons learned. You can discuss how success taught you the importance of perseverance, strategic planning, or effective communication, while failure taught them humility, resilience, or the ability to adapt to change.


4. Interpersonal Lessons: In addition to personal growth, you can discuss how success or failure impacted your relationships with others, including team members, mentors, or family and friends.


This ISB essay 2024 prompt provides applicants with an opportunity to reflect on personal experiences of both success and failure and extract meaningful lessons from them.


ISB optional essay topic for 2024: Given your previous experience and future aspirations, how do you plan to use the PGP at ISB to fulfil your professional goals? Optional (250 words)

This is the first time that ISB admissions process has introduced an optional essay. The ISB application essay topic "Given your previous experience and future aspirations, how do you plan to use the PGP at ISB to fulfill your professional goals?" prompts applicants to articulate their career objectives, reflect on their past experiences, and outline how the Post Graduate Program (PGP) at the Indian School of Business (ISB) will support their professional growth.


Here are some aspects that you should consider while writing this ISB essay topic for 2024:

  1. Previous Experience: Discuss your relevant work experience and highlight the skills, knowledge, and achievements gained from your professional journey. This could include discussing specific projects, leadership roles, or industry exposure that have shaped their career path.

  2. Career Aspirations: Applicants should clearly articulate their long-term career goals and how they align with their passion and interests. This may involve discussing their desired industry, functional area, level of responsibility, or even entrepreneurial aspirations.

  3. Why ISB PGP: Highlight the unique aspects of the program that are relevant to their career goals, such as specific courses, specializations, experiential learning opportunities, and access to a strong alumni network.

  4. Skill Enhancement: In this MBA Essay you can also explain how the PGP at ISB will help you acquire new skills, knowledge, and competencies that are essential for your desired career trajectory.

  5. Personal Growth: You can discuss how the PGP at ISB will provide a transformative educational experience that will not only enhance your technical skills but also develop your leadership abilities, teamwork, and your decision-making.


Whether you are writing the ISB Essay for any ISB MBA i.e. the ISB YLP, the ISB PGP, the ISB PGPpro, the ISB PGPMAX or the ISB MFAB program it is important to understand the ISB essay questions.


ISB Essays 2023:


Peer Learning is a major building block of PGP at ISB. Help us in understanding how will you be able to add value to the PGP peer group through your personal and professional qualities/capabilities?


This essay question focuses on the value of peer learning in the ISB program and how an applicant can contribute to it through their personal and professional qualities. The question is aimed at understanding how an applicant can add value to the program by sharing their knowledge and experience with their peers, thereby enhancing the learning experience for everyone involved.


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How to answer the ISB Essays 2023?


To answer this question, applicants need to highlight their personal and professional qualities and demonstrate how they can be leveraged to add value to the peer group. The "Peer Learning" essay question is an important component of the ISB application process.


What are your short term and long term career goals? How will Post Graduate Program at ISB assist you in achieving your goals?


This is a classic question and appears again as the ISB essay 2023 question that aims to understand the applicant's career aspirations and how they align with the program's offerings.


Step 2: Brainstorming before you start writing your ISB Essays:

Starting to write without a plan can result in wasted time and effort. By outlining your essay first, you can identify any potential issues and adjust your approach accordingly.


Brainstorming and outlining are critical steps in the essay writing process for the ISB application. By taking the time to plan and organize your thoughts, you can ensure that your essays are well-crafted and effectively communicate your strengths, goals, and potential contributions to the ISB community.


Step 3: Outlining before you write your ISB Essays:

Tips on how to generate ideas for your ISB Essays and organize them effectively:

  1. Review the essay questions several times and consider what the admissions committee may be looking for in your response.

  2. Conduct research: Research the ISB program thoroughly, including the curriculum, faculty, and alumni.

  3. Consider the impact that each idea could have on the admissions committee and the overall message you want to convey.

By following these tips compiled by GOALisB, you can generate ideas for your ISB essays and organize them effectively.


Step 4: Writing Tips and Techniques for Writing Strong ISB Essays


How do you start an ISB essay?


Starting and Ending the Essays Effectively:


Starting with a strong opening statement and ending with a powerful concluding statement is crucial. Writing with clarity and precision and showcasing strengths while addressing weaknesses are also important elements to consider while writing ISB essays. To understand the importance of the ISB essays you can read the feedback of numerous ISB applicants about their experience of the ISB admissions process.


Step 5: Standing Out in Your ISB Essays:

  1. Revise for clarity: Read through your essay with an eye towards clarity.

  2. Avoid using jargon or technical language that might be confusing to your reader.

  3. Refine your language: Go through your essay and identify any awkward or redundant phrases. Replace these with more precise language that conveys your ideas more effectively.

  4. Whenever possible, use active verbs and avoid passive constructions.

  5. End with a strong conclusion: Your conclusion should summarize your main points and restate your thesis in a memorable way.

  6. Avoid simply restating your introduction, and instead try to leave your reader with a powerful final thought.

An MBA admission consultant can help to ensure that you present excellent essays.


By doing so, you will maximize your chances of getting accepted and embarking on an exciting new journey in your academic and professional life.


Contact an ISB admission consultant at GOALisB at contact@goalisb.com or call us at +91 7719497187 for application assistance.


Sample ISB Essays


Peer Learning is a major building block of PGP at ISB. Help us in understanding how will you be able to add value to the PGP peer group through your personal and professional qualities/capabilities? (400 words max) The ISB essay topic explores the importance of peer learning in the Post Graduate Program (PGP) at the Indian School of Business (ISB) and asks the applicant to reflect on their personal and professional qualities and capabilities that will enable them to contribute to the PGP peer group. The essay prompt consists of two parts. The first part highlights the significance of peer learning at ISB, indicating that the program places great emphasis on peer learning as a crucial component of its curriculum. This sets the context for the ISB essay sample as we have shared blow and requires the applicant to demonstrate an understanding of peer learning and its relevance to the PGP program. The second part of the prompt requires the applicant to reflect on their personal and professional qualities and capabilities that will enable them to contribute to the PGP peer group. This part of the prompt is more specific and demands a self-assessment of the applicant's abilities and skills. To respond effectively to this essay prompt, the applicant needs to demonstrate an understanding of the PGP program's philosophy of peer learning and how it fits into the broader context of the program's goals and objectives. Additionally, the applicant needs to identify specific qualities and capabilities that they possess and show how they will contribute to the peer group's overall learning experience. This may involve highlighting their interpersonal skills, including communication, teamwork, and empathy. The ISB essay sample here provides a thoughtful and well-crafted response that shows their understanding of the PGP program's philosophy of peer learning, their personal and professional qualities, and how they will add value to the PGP peer group.

Check our services for more personalised ISB Essay assistance. Get In touch with an ISB admission consultant. You can also get in touch with us at contact@goalisb.com or Whatsapp at +91 7719497187.


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