How to get into ISB YLP: Application essays, success story, fees, acceptance rate, placements

Assuming you aren’t accustomed to both of the 2 3-letter acronyms, we’ll begin with the fundamentals. The total type of ISB YLP is ‘Indian Faculty of Enterprise Younger Leaders Programme’. Fairly a mouthful? Let’s break it down.

ISB YLP is the deferred MBA choice for the Submit Graduate Programme – the bschool’s flagship program equal to an MBA.

Methods to get into ISB YLP

Eligibility

It is advisable be in your ultimate or pre-final 12 months in any undergraduate or postgraduate diploma to use. A profitable admission would get you a assured seat to ISB PGP while you’re nonetheless a university pupil.

ISB YLP Acceptance Price

Whereas ISB doesn’t particularly point out the proportion, from anecdotal proof one can assume that the acceptance fee for ISB YLP is within the 20% to 25% vary.

However statistics such because the selectivity fee (even when genuine and correct) don’t paint the total image – since what applies to others might not apply to you.

The one facet in your management is to grasp the YLP software course of and submit the very best software. Extra on that later.

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Utility Course of

There are 3 levels to finish. Right here’s what it’s good to do in every stage and the deadline.

However there’s a number of floor to be coated, so don’t wait until the previous couple of weeks. We’d advocate you to get began a number of months earlier than the YLP deadlines, to make sure you aren’t submitting a sub-optimal software.

How the ISB YLP course of works

When you get an admit, you’ll have to do two issues:

1. Achieve at the least 20 months of labor expertise earlier than you may be part of the PGP class.
2. Attend all of the obligatory on-campus studying weekends. This could additionally assist you work together with college, present PGP college students and change into accustomed to the campus.

Utility Charges

We’re unsure why the official web site doesn’t point out this. However for anybody who’s curious – the appliance payment for ISB YLP is ₹3,000.

That’s decrease than the appliance payment for his or her PGP (₹5,000 to ₹7,500 relying on the admissions spherical). Contemplating the target market for YLP (college students who aren’t incomes but), they could have determined to decrease the entry barrier to encourage extra purposes.

Placements at ISB YLP

Many ask us in regards to the placements and common package deal at ISB YLP. Recruitment occurs at PGP, not after a YLP admit. YLP is only a stepping stone to the principle program that pulls the highest recruiters throughout industries starting from consulting to finance, and every part in between.

For placement and compensation particulars, learn this: ISB Placement Success Tales and Wage Statistics

Let’s transfer on to listen to from Samdeesh Mahajan, who cracked the ISB YLP admissions course of.
 

How I received into ISB YLP

by Samdeesh Mahajan

I’m a pathetic author.

I fall in need of phrases each time I attempt to pen down my ideas. Therefore, articulating my ideas into essays (and even this de-brief) was not solely a mammoth process but in addition a complicated problem.

Hello everybody. My identify is Samdeesh Mahajan. I graduated from KMC, Delhi College in 2021 having finished my bachelors in Physics. I scored a 750 on my GMAT and was not too long ago provided a spot within the ISB YLP (Co’24). Right here’s my story.

I’ve at all times been a sensible, hands-on studying individual. The kind of one that would mount a desk fan on high of his father’s automotive to see if a rotating fan can gentle up a bulb related by a dynamo when he received to learn about A.C. turbines in his class tenth science textbook.

This pragmatic nature, coupled with the enterprise case research that my father (a businessman) dropped at the dinner desk each day, formed my enterprise acumen at a really younger age.

Since I used to be extremely taken with Physics, I selected a B.Sc. (H) diploma at Delhi College over the coveted B.Tech. levels at DTU, NSUT and different prestigious NITs and IIITs.

Other than my aversion to engineering, one other secret and delicate purpose for this alternative was that I understood how enterprise faculties worth range.

Since I knew I needed to ultimately get right into a enterprise college to hone my enterprise abilities, I made a aware resolution to not be a part of an over-represented class of candidates.

This nonetheless stays a really questionable resolution to all my friends, however I went forward with my intestine. Saved me a 12 months and a ton of cash! :p

Ever since college, I used to be very actively concerned in extra-curricular actions. I’m a Hindustani classically skilled vocalist, an avid debater and an beginner theatre fanatic.

I began making ready for the GMAT in April 2020. I took GMAT prep providers from Jamboree. My fundamentals in quant have been already stable, however cracking verbal was a problem.

I went by a repertoire of questions from OG, Superior information, Manhattan prep collection and Veritas prep collection, constantly fixing 30+ questions a day for about 2 months.

As soon as I used to be satisfied of my fundamentals, I began writing mock exams on the Jamboree portal and ultimately took the Manhattan and Veritas take a look at collection. As soon as I aced them with a 750+, I booked my slot for the GMAT.

On the day of my GMAT, I developed a gentle fever. I ended up scoring 730. This was not my greatest.

This might not be the rating I submitted to worldwide enterprise faculties, particularly with an absence of massive names on my resume. Towards my friends’ suggestion, I made a decision to re-write the examination.

I ordered an in depth report from GMAC to analyse what went mistaken within the first try. Upon reviewing with my mentors, CR turned out to be the chink in my armour. I revisited my ideas and targeted solely on CR for a few weeks.

However as destiny would have it, I developed COVID 3 days earlier than my second try. The deadline for my first software was only a month away now. I wanted to take the examination as quickly as I may.

I took the examination simply 7 days after testing adverse for COVID. I bear in mind taking paracetamol through the break given between the examination. I managed to attain a 750.
 

Utility expertise

I used to be fairly confused firstly of the appliance course of. Nobody in my shut pals or household had utilized to worldwide enterprise faculties. I began researching the fundamental software course of and eligibility standards.

I used to be immediately bombarded with a mountain of questions –

• Will a three-year diploma be acceptable at enterprise faculties?
• How will I be capable to afford an MBA?
• Is getting an MiM a greater choice firstly of my profession, adopted by an MBA later?
• Does my profile stand any probability with candidates having IIT and McKinsey on their resumes?
• And most significantly – Is getting an MBA coherent with my long run purpose of organising my very own enterprise?

I knew I wanted assist. So I began attempting to find one of the best advisor for ISB YLP.
 

Greatest advisor for ISB YLP

There are a lot of consultants who deal with ISB YLP. However how does one resolve which one’s one of the best?

Phrase of mouth referral from a reliable supply will help right here.

One in all my acquaintances referred to Mr Shantanu Joshi from MBA Crystal Ball. Shantanu fitted my expectations good.

In our first name, we had an elaborate dialogue on my motivations to pursue an MBA. We brainstormed on the a number of doable profession paths that I may carve with or with out an MBA.

He requested me these proper questions, which for the time being I had no solutions to, however have been important in shaping up my MBA purposes.

Why worldwide enterprise faculties? Why not give CAT and get into IIMs?

Right here’s the factor. I need to pursue a profession in renewable vitality. I’m fascinated by the method of producing vitality and the affect it has on human civilization.

This, coupled with such magical theories as every constructing being a micro-grid producing sufficient electrical energy to energy itself by Professor Jeremy Rifkin in his e book “The Third Industrial Revolution” cemented my curiosity in working to offer equitable entry to distributed renewable vitality.

Now, renewable vitality, and particularly photo voltaic vitality, is a selected nascent business. There’s a enormous scope of studying from our European counterparts who’ve cracked methods to execute this imaginative and prescient.

Therefore, understanding profitable insurance policies and enterprise approaches at European or American vitality corporations made a number of sense.

At first, I attempted my probabilities at worldwide enterprise faculties. I understood that I had very slim probabilities. However I noticed this as my first shot at my dream college, with out having to pay the appliance charges (deferred MBA purposes are typically freed from price).

For worldwide faculties, I made a decision to work with a world advisor, provided that they’d adcom members of my dream college of their technique workforce.

Yet one more questionable resolution of my life – I jumped into getting costly consulting primarily based on the belief that adcom members will assist me draft a successful software with out checking my compatibility with the mentors.

I utilized to eight worldwide faculties – HBS, Kellogg, Columbia, Sales space, Darden, IESE, MIT Sloan and Yale.

Every software was an extended, tiresome means of:

• Going by the college’s web site with a fine-tooth comb.
• Determining what excites me about this specific college (golf equipment, particular networks, alum community, curriculum, professors and so on).
• Connecting with the college alums and present college students by LinkedIn or e-mail.
• Scheduling conferences with them to grasp specific sources at every college which shall be helpful in my profession path.

However greater than that, I needed to grasp the tradition and setting of every college. I used to be extra excited to know in regards to the Tech Treks that Darden college students set up, or the dance battles by the Hudson river organised by Columbia Enterprise Faculty college students throughout their orientation week.

To my shock, I received interview calls from Columbia, Sales space and Darden. However after being waitlisted by Darden for two months, I used to be lastly rejected in any respect 8 faculties. (rejected by 4 faculties on the identical day!)

On reflection, I consider there have been two main explanation why my software didn’t make the reduce.

Firstly, I had not finished sufficient within the area of renewable vitality on the time of my purposes, therefore I couldn’t present my curiosity within the area that I used to be keen about by my work expertise.

Secondly, I fell prey to following a template in my interviews. I had solutions ready to – Why MBA? Why Columbia? What are your brief time period and long run targets?

Although these solutions weren’t mechanical and have been principally conversational, I consider that pre-written solutions restricted the scope of opening up informal conversations with my interviewer.

The second spherical for ISB was in August. This gave me a much-required breather for 3-4 months.

I began working with a clean-tech startup the place I discovered loads in regards to the Indian Renewable Power business and the particular challenges that it faces primarily based on the demographics, shopper behaviour and authorities insurance policies.

Inside 2 months, my co-founders began giving me management positions within the firm, the place I needed to lead a workforce of 4 interns.

I doubled my firm’s ARR inside 2 months (it was not loads, to start with) and performed a pivotal position find the product-market match.
 

Tackling the ISB YLP essay and interview

I as soon as once more reached out to Shantanu from MBA Crystal Ball for his assist with my ISB YLP essay.

I liked the way in which he refined my essay and helped me put a greater construction to my writing. By answering the fitting prompts requested by Shantanu, I sailed by the second spherical of the admission course of.

Now, throughout my ISB interview in February, I had loads to speak in regards to the Indian Photo voltaic Business. Having led my firm’s Enterprise Improvement workforce for about 4 months, I had affordable insights into workforce administration and management qualities.

My interview revolved primarily round pitching the intense way forward for renewables in India to my interviewers and the way my firm would play an necessary position on this. The informal dialog ended with some humbling suggestions from the interviewers.

A few months later, I used to be provided a spot within the Younger Leaders Programme at ISB.

What labored for me?

1. Having a transparent, well-defined drawback assertion that I need to clear up in my profession. I’m keen about renewable vitality and cleantech. I consider an vitality revolution with renewables and sensible grids will change the way in which we take into consideration electrical energy. And I’m prepared to place within the effort of constructing one thing that can facilitate this revolution. Present, don’t inform.
2. Analysis in regards to the college – not solely from the college’s web site but in addition from its college students and alums. I spoke with 30+ alums from 8 faculties earlier than I put in my purposes. There are a number of issues I found throughout these conversations in regards to the faculties which made me really feel that the college matches proper with my expectations
3. Having an unconventional profile – A Physics honours undergrad, a Hindustani-classically skilled vocalist and a theatre fanatic, who’s extraordinarily keen about Renewable vitality (and never MBB!).
4. Shantanu Joshi and MBA Crystal Ball 🙂

Additionally learn:
– All in regards to the ISB PGP Early Entry Possibility
– All in regards to the ISB YLP Younger Leaders Program