ISB Interview

I had my interview at 9:10AM today. It lasted for 40 minutes. There were three people in the panel - Mr. Menon (Director of Admissions), a Lady Professor, and Mr. Vijay (alumnus).

The interview was conversational. It started with me talking about my background, the decisions that I took regarding my choice of college and course, the reasons for my long term goal and finally how ISB fits into the picture. Spent around 5-7 minutes here. Mr. Menon interrupted me and so I had to cut short my story and had to quickly link my past to my present and my goals.

Then followed questions on my extra-curricular activities, interests, leadership experience, financial crisis and a case.

Vijay: You have captained cricket teams in the past. How would you go about arranging a cricket match between your company's cricket team and the ISB cricket team?

Lady: Please mention an experience that made you a better person. It can be one that is professional or personal.
Me: I asked if I could give two examples - one professional and the other personal. The personal experience happened to be my experience as a young captain of a I Division League Cricket Team.

Menon: Staying with cricket, estimate the amount of popcorn that a vendor might sell at an ODI cricket match between India and England, here in Hyderabad.
Me: I asked him if the match is to be played on a weekend. He said that I can make my own assumptions. Therefore, I assumed that the match will be played on a weekend and that the stadium, capable of seating 45,000 people, would be packed to capacity. I also mentioned that popcorn is something that people from all age-groups enjoy and that it adds to the entire jovial atmosphere. Then I went about estimating the number of people who would bring their own eatables, who would prefer something other than popcorn, who wouldn't want to eat anything at all, who would have popcorn multiple times during the day - came up with a rough estimate for the number of cones likely to be sold and multiplied it by 200grams (popcorn served in a cone) and announced the result. People in the popcorn business would love my estimate for its sheer magnitude! (If there is a better way to tackle this problem then I sure would love to hear it.)


Vijay: You have mentioned that you love travelling and have visited Africa and the Middle-east. Why do you like travelling so much?
Me: I gave my reasons and also linked them to my interests in dance, music and culture.

Menon: Can you explain the financial crisis and possible remedies?
Me: I had just finished explaining the crisis when Mr. Menon stopped me and said that he is fine with the explanation and told me that I needn't talk about the possible remedies.

Menon: I think we should be done. (Confirms with the other members) Do you have any questions for us?
Me: I wanted to know whether it will be possible to lure some of my target consultancy firms to campus for placements. I also wanted to know more about the Wharton Global Consulting Practicum and whether it is possible to pursue the WGCP in addition to the ELP(the answer is yes). I also asked how a PGPM student typically contributes to the Wadhwani Centre for Entrepreneurship Development and how he makes use of the resources it has on offer. My questions were answered well.

Before the interview I was asked to write a short essay on the word 'Apply'. I chose to highlight my reasons for applying to a business school, and specifically ISB, in the essay.

Well, I think the interview turned out to be pretty decent - as is the case with a majority of the applicants. I have my fingers crossed...