The 28+ professional and social clubs of ISB are the biggest value addition to the flagship PGP. After all, the onus of personal grooming, professional upskilling and a happening social life for all PGP candidates is borne by these clubs.

Students can choose to be a part of these clubs either as members or be at the forefront of club activities as part of the core team. The core team of each club is led by a President and Vice President and consists of 5-6 other functional positions of responsibility like Marketing & Communication, Alumni Relations, Learning & Development and Event Planning coordinators.

The top brass (President & Vice President) is elected by a meticulous election process that begins with the preparation of a manifesto. The candidates then embark on extensive campaigns and field tricky questions from students before finally being elected as the club president. The candidate with the second-highest number of votes becomes the vice president. On the other hand, the core team is decided by a detailed application review and personal interview process by the club president and vice president, often with inputs from student board (GSB) president.

Professional Clubs

The 15 diverse professional clubs at ISB play an extremely crucial role in prepping the cohort for their dream post-ISB careers

Professional Clubs lie at the center of the ISB learning experience and are responsible for the complete immersion of their members in the industry/domain they represent. Right from keeping the members abreast about the latest industry trends and disruptions to organizing expert talks – there is not a free day in their calendar! So much so that many a times students find themselves spoiled with choice with 3-4 club sessions scheduled at the same time.

How professional clubs at ISB help in placements?

Professional clubs become especially active before the placement season as they are responsible for ensuring their members are well prepared for the cut-throat competition and grueling challenges that await them. Club leadership works overtime to schedule study treks, resume reviews by alums, guidance workshops for those looking for a career-switch amongst other regular events.

To read more about placements at ISB, check this article – ISB Placements.

How many clubs can you join at ISB?

While all students who cast a vote, have de facto membership to Net Impact Club and Women-in-Business Club, over and above this they are allowed to take membership of a maximum 3 professional clubs. Having said that, most club events are open to all PGP students – regardless of their membership but with a preference for members if there are limited seats available.

As of 2022, there are 15 professional clubs at ISB, each of them described in detail below.

15 Professional Clubs at ISB

Business Technology Club

With technology having become an indispensable part of our lives and digitalization having revolutionized every industry in the world, Business Technology Club has emerged as one of the most important clubs at ISB. BTC works round the year to upskill and groom their members to help prepare them for the 100+ big tech firm and startups that visit ISB for placements. Some of the key focus areas for BTC include Telecom, IT Products, IT Services, IT Consulting, Product Management and Business applications of Technology.

August 2019 saw the successful launch of ISB’s first Product Conclave. The conclave was spearheaded by the Business Technology Club (BTC) and was a blast for all tech/product enthusiasts on campus. With an impressive lineup of speakers and enthralling discussion about the challenges in SaaS space amongst other things, the 2019 ISB Product Conclave set the benchmark high for upcoming batches.

Consulting Club

Working as a consultant with the Big 3 is a dream majority of MBA aspirants across the world nurture. Same is true for ISB candidates, in fact, ISB enjoys an unparalleled reputation of furnishing some of the best consultants in the country every year. It should come as no surprise then that the Consulting Club at ISB registers the maximum membership in every batch.

With about one-fifth of a typical class at ISB joining the consulting industry, the club plays an instrumental role to help students prepare for their dream jobs. The Consulting Club is especially known for its case prep sessions where alumni fly down to the campuses and help students prepare for case interviews. This starts as early as Term 2 (June / July) and continues till Day 0 placements (November). The sessions are immensely helpful since alumni are able to help share their own experiences and help students avoid common mistakes in the interview.

Energy Club

Energy club is a niche club comprising of members with either a background in or a desire to join the energy and other complementary industries. The sessions focus on industry-level knowledge creation and awareness about the growing opportunities. The club leadership further helps in ELP (experiential learning program) assistance along with closely monitoring the placement of all its members.

Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital Club

The Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital (EVC) Club at ISB aims to inculcate an entrepreneurial spirit in the students. One of the most popular clubs at the school, EVC typically has 30% of the class as its members. It facilitates interactions with entrepreneurs/industry experts and the approximately 400 ISB alumni who are running their own ventures. An immensely active club, the EVC organizes various engaging events all year round.

Finance Club

Finance Club is one of the largest clubs at ISB, with members representing a healthy mix of all financial sectors and supplementary industries like Banking, Corporate Finance, Trading, M&A and Private Equity. One of their most impactful initiatives is the industry trek in which students get to visit top investment banks and Private Equity funds such as Blackstone, Axis Capital, Matrix Partners etc. in Mumbai.
The annual flagship event of Finance Club is called Artha. Artha is an annual capital markets conclave that brings together prestigious names from the banking and finance industry and is the only cross-campus event of the year. Students from Hyderabad and Mohali work in close proximity to pull Artha off. In a first, Artha 2019 was launched by the Lord Mayor of the City of London and further positioned ISB as the leading name in financial industry circles.

Healthcare Club

The Healthcare Club’s members come from diverse backgrounds such as medicine, pharma, life sciences, finance, consulting, and analytics. Through networking, events with industry stalwarts, peer-to-peer learning sessions, industry treks to leading pharmaceutical firms, resume reviews and mock interviews, the club help students explore opportunities in healthcare.

Healthcare Club is also responsible for organizing Catalyst, ISB’s annual healthcare innovation meet, that brings together esteemed leaders, alumni and current students to engage in stimulating discussions on issues and trends of the healthcare industry. The club with its myriad initiatives truly lives up to its motto ‘Healthcare is for everyone’.

Manufacturing & Operations Club

With Manufacturing being offered as a standalone specialization by ISB, there is an increasing interest among students in the fields of manufacturing and operations. The ManOps club organizes various events during the year to help students gain exposure to the vast fields of Operations. The role of the club becomes even more important as a large number of start-ups and corporates hire specifically for logistics and supply chain roles during the placement season.

The club is especially known for conducting certification programs like Lean Six Sigma – green belt and CIISCM Pro and even facilitated the visit to Dr Reddy’s and Honeywell campuses in 2019. The ManOps club also organizes a case competition called Zenith in association with the Munjal Institute of Global Manufacturing (MIGM). Zenith tests participants’ ability to analyze real-life Operations issues and is organized as part of ISB’s annual management festival called Advaita.

Marketing Club

Marketing club is one of the most loved and celebrated clubs at ISB and brings together the smartest and most creative minds from the batch. The topics of discussion in club meetings, peer-to-peer learning sessions and industry workshops vary from disruptions in the industry to deep-dive into some of the best marketing campaigns by leading companies like P&G, HUL, Nike, etc. The Marketing Club also have to its credit a vast industry exposure, with members representing industries such as Advertising, Research, Sales, Brand communication, Digital Marketing, Media, and Public Relations to name a few.

September 2019 also saw the Marketing Club host ISB’s first-ever marketing conclave called Marketing Gambit. The two-day event saw a notable speaker lineup, exciting workshops, leadership representations from brands like Google, Big Basket, LinkedIn and a whole lot of Marketing gyaan.

Net Impact Club

ISB understands the importance of building socially conscious leaders and hence all students have de-facto membership to the Net Impact Club. The club, which is led by students enthusiastic about driving positive social impact by using their skills, has secured the prestigious “Gold Chapter Status” for 4 successive years. Gold status is awarded only to those Net Impact Club chapters globally which go above and beyond in providing their members with opportunities for professional development, create community impact and maintain sustained engagement with the global network.

One of the most noteworthy initiatives led by Net Impact Club is called Bandhan. Bandhan is an annual flagship initiative where 500+ students from various low-income neighbourhoods are invited to both the campuses of ISB. The children are then engaged in fun activities throughout the day by the student body to create a memorable experience while also encouraging them to push through the challenges of their lives. Another important initiative is the ISB Impact Forum (IIF), which is ISB’s flagship social impact conference and aims to encourage dialogue amongst thought leaders and young business professionals about sustainable change and social impact.

Other activities shouldered by the club are blood donation drives, pro bono consulting and volunteering at non-profits.

Public Policy Club

The Public Policy Club leads the charge at ISB in organizing the most stimulating discussions around major policy changes across the country. It aims to integrate a comprehensive understanding of public policy within the larger business landscape and help interested members explore career opportunities in the domain.

Every year in March, the Public Policy Club organizes ISB Policy Conclave which is an annual summit that brings together visionaries from the public and private sector to engage in and spark conversations around various policy issues and loopholes in the country. The conclave also helps strengthen ISB’s position as a thought leader.

The club is affiliated with the Bharti Institute of Public Policy whose main objectives are to promote high-quality research to guide policy formulation and implementation in India and counts Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University as one of the partner schools.

Retail and E-Commerce Club

Initiated in 2007, Retail and E-Commerce Club focus on enriching student understanding about the intricate workings of the retail and e-commerce industry. It plays an extremely important role in grooming students for a career in these high-growth and fast-paced industries.

Speaker sessions with industry experts like Kishore Biyani (Future Group), Sanjiv Mehta (HUL), Siva Kumar (ITC) and Ankur Warikoo (Nearbuy) over the years have ensured exceptional exposure to various industry touchpoints like logistics management, sourcing and procurement challenges, adapting to e-commerce and cost-efficient merchandising.

Senior Executive Club

The Senior Executive Club is an exclusive club at ISB, open only to students with more than eight years of work experience. The club aims to build careers in senior management by strategically engaging with various administrative bodies at ISB like CAS (Career Advancement Services) and SEAL (Student Engagement and Applied Learning). Each member profile is unique in SEC and hence they are rich representations of the diversity that ISB is known for, with members from domains like technology, media, defence, healthcare, finance, entrepreneurship, and oil & gas.

The club also ensures regular interaction between the members across both campuses. This results in the exchange of ideas and ensures that the experience of members at both campuses is similar – key takeaways from each session shared in the monthly meetings.

SREI Infrastructure Club

SREI Infrastructure is an industry-specific club with a focus on sectors like Real Estate, Infrastructure and Construction and enjoys the largest budget amongst all professional clubs at ISB. With their continued emphasis on expert sessions by CEOs of Fortune 500 Companies and regular domestic and international study treks to real estate giants like CBRE, OYO, Lodha, JLL etc, the club has won multiple best club awards at both Mohali and Hyderabad campus. Due to the importance and constantly evolving nature of the industry, the club attracts members from all professional backgrounds.

Toastmasters Club

One of the most active and exciting clubs on campus, Toastmasters Club constantly endeavors to nudge its members further in their leadership and communication development journey. The club is known to collaborate with corporate TM clubs of companies like HSBC and Capgemini. Being a part of ISB Toastmasters Club also opens the door to a global network of more than 3.5 lakhs members across 143 countries.

Women in Business Club

Like Net Impact Club, Women in Business Club or WiB enjoys a special status that extends all ISB students a de-facto membership. WiB aims to empower and enable future leaders at ISB to create a gender-equal culture in their respective organizations. A large part of it is achieved by sensitization workshops that open dialogue on the topic. It also works towards expanding the scope of opportunities for women candidates at ISB through networking events and mentorship initiatives.

By making conversations about gender-gap mainstream, WiB works towards eradicating the problem from the root of business.

Social Clubs

With PGP being a full-time residential program, Social Clubs are one of the most integral part of the ISB experience. Responsible for all things happy, fun, and eventful at the campuses, the workings of these social clubs are more relaxed as compared to the professional clubs. The leadership team selection for Social Clubs follows the same process as their more serious counterpart, Professional Clubs do. However, there is no limit to the number of social clubs one can join.

One should not underestimate the contribution of these clubs as there are countless stories of students having discovered/groomed their hidden talents like dancing, stand-up comedy, quilling, pottery making, singing, drumming, photography amongst others simply by the interventions organized by these clubs.  Clubs also become an important platform to meet other like-minded individuals and develop a stronger personal network by obsessing over similar passions.

Whether it is the evening jam sessions by music club, early morning nature photography trek by photography club or bone-tickling roast sessions by Stand-Up Club – social clubs truly bring students together!

The ISB currently has the following 10 social clubs:

If you still feel there is not a club representing your interest, you are absolutely free to start your own Special Interest Group or SIG – after showing support of at least 50% of the batch. The class of 2020 alone had 8 SIGs, with the most popular addition being the Media & Entertainment SIG.

PS: If your SIG remains intact for at least 3 years, it is bestowed upon the status of a permanent club!

FAQs

The post Professional & Social Clubs of ISB appeared first on ISB Mantra Blog.

ISB follows a “One School, Two Campuses” approach with its state-of-the-art, sprawling campuses across Hyderabad and Mohali. We bring you a detailed piece busting the myth around differences between two campus and elaborating on their cultural uniqueness

“One School, Two Campuses” is the mantra implemented in letter and spirit for ISB PGP candidates across both Hyderabad and Mohali campus since day one. Everybody within the ISB family is well aware of the architectural and cultural uniqueness of both campuses, and also understands that both campuses are at par in terms of academic and extra-curricular prowess. However, same isn’t true for the general public at large. They often tend to believe that Hyderabad is the base campus and Mohali an independent secondary one.
To bust the myth, we have we have put together a detailed overview breaking down the life and amenities at both campuses –

CAMPUS

Both Hyderabad and Mohali have to their credit a state-of-the-art ISB campus enveloped in lush green natural beauty. ISB Hyderabad Campus was inaugurated in 2001 while Mohali Campus was founded in 2012 after increasing demand from MBA aspirants in the country.

The Hyderabad Campus is spread over 260 acres and has a classic signature sandstone construction. Housed in the middle of the campus is the Academic Centre, a towering 5-floor building which includes Lecture Theatres (LTs), classrooms, faculty offices, Learning Resource Centre (ISB Library) and a 500-seat auditorium named Khemka. One of the most picturesque and iconic locations of the ISB Hyderabad campus is its open-air courtyard on the ground floor, referred to as the atrium. It is a common meeting place for students to catch-up, have study group sessions or brainstorm about upcoming events. It is also where most events and festivals are celebrated and is a delight to walk through during the monsoon season. The atrium is surrounded by Goel’s (popular in-school food court), merchandise store, mailroom, stationery shop and other juice and café pop-ups.

The newly built Mohali campus is more modern in its construction and feels. It is a self-sustaining campus spread over 70 acres and was designed by famous New York-based international architecture firm, Perkins Eastman. In fact, Mohali campus meets the famous LEEDS gold sustainability criteria with fixtures like rainwater harvesting, energy-efficient mechanical and electrical fittings etc that minimize the carbon footprint. Similar to the Hyderabad campus, Mohali campus also has a central academic block called Academic Square, but it brings together separate buildings under a common parasol roof. The Academic Square is connected to the Administrative Block (faculty and staff rooms) via the atrium, which is a central open and extremely airy space where students spend most of their free time. ISB Mohali also has to its name four institute partnerships, namely Max Institute of Healthcare Management, Munjal Global Manufacturing Institute, Bharti Institute of Public Policy and Punj Lloyd Institute of Physical Infrastructure Management.

The most iconic and arguably student favorite location of Mohali campus is the infinity corridor – a uniquely designed passage lined with stunning columns on both side – it connects the academic square to the food court, student café and leads to in-campus merchandise and stationery stores amongst other facilities.

CAMPUS AMENITIES

LRC: ISB understands the importance of a great library and the role it plays in giving a leading edge to academic institutions across the world. For this very reason, The LRC at both Hyderabad and Mohali is iconic as well as futuristic in every sense and caters to both academic and research needs of the students. Hyderabad LRC is housed in Bajaj Auto Library at Hyderabad campus and in the Academic Building (second floor) at Mohali Campus. Both LRCs are completely Wi-Fi-enabled and have multiple meeting rooms, along with a magazine lounge, silent reading room and media room. ISB LRC boasts of over 60,000 printed books, 2500 e-books, 2000 journals and 6800 AV resources!

RECREATION CENTRE: The Rec Centre, as it is popularly called by ISB students, brings together world-class facilities such as fitness centre, swimming pool, badminton court, tennis court, table tennis and squash court. Students often blow the steam off enjoying a game of Pool or Foosball, over and above sweating it out in football and cricket grounds.

The Hyderabad and Mohali Rec Centre also have dedicated in-house salon setups – both for men and women.

LECTURE THEATRES: The lecture theatres at both Hyderabad and Mohali are contemporary and sophisticated, well-equipped with latest AV and video-conferencing facilities such as overhead projectors, LCDs, strong Wi-Fi connectivity, and touch-pad systems. The delicate hanging mics ensure an interactive and enjoyable learning experience in these classrooms designed to accommodate up to 70 students each.

Over and above these amenities, both Hyderabad and Mohali campus also boasts of dedicated yoga rooms, infirmaries, day-care centres, children’s play areas and on-campus supermarket/grocery store. Hyderabad campus also has an exceptional music room, while the one for Mohali campus is underway.

ACCOMMODATION

It will not be an exaggeration to claim that ISB is almost as famous, (or maybe even more!) for its accommodation as it is for academic proficiency. A running joke is that ISB PGP is like an MBA at a 5-star resort because of ISB’s famous 24×7 on-campus housekeeping service. A student does not have to worry about making their bed or cleaning the room as the moment they are back to their quads or studios after early morning classes, all have already been taken care of by the housekeeping. Ask any ISB alumni what they miss the most about ISB and the answer will be the hospitality and warmth of housekeeping staff.

The accommodation at each campus is in the form of Student Villages (ISB version of student hostels) that comprises of both shared and individual accommodations. The shared accommodations are called quads, which are essentially 4 BHKs with fully functional modular kitchens, comfortable common areas replete with flat-screen TV and sofas, 2 bathrooms, spacious rooms with air conditioner, Wi-Fi connectivity, study desks and sturdy bed and furniture. The individual studio accommodations are like 1BHKs, mostly chosen by married students living with their partner and kids.

The Mohali campus, because of newer construction, has more spacious and ultra-modern apartments. At the Hyderabad campus, there are four Student Villages (SVs) to accommodate approximately 600 students and are equidistant in all four directions from the central academic block. On the other hand, the student and faculty residential blocks in Mohali are spread across the campus in clusters. Each SV in both campus also has an independent laundry room with a locker allocated to each student.

Given the fast-paced nature of the residential PGP course, ISB strives to minimize student distraction in non-academic activities and chores and all of these facilities enable the school to accomplish this magnificent feat.

FOOD

Both Hyderabad and Mohali campus has an on-campus food court managed by Sarovar Hotels that offer vast delectable food options at student-friendly rates.

There are also other mini cafés on both campuses. While Hyderabad campus has a Subway, a juice shop, an Amul parlour and a Country Oven outlet, ISB Mohali students have a lot to gloat about with their Café Coffee Day outlet and Juju’s – a café open till 4 am every day.

The Hyderabad campus also has provisions to allow registered cooks to work in quads and studios.

With late-night submissions and 24×7 buzz on the campus, Swiggy has emerged as a saviour to students of both Hyderabad and Mohali. Most popular restaurants amongst ISB students on Swiggy are –

Bowl Company, Paradise Biryani, Sardarji’s and Istah Shawarma for Hyderabad; and
Shangs, Baba Chickem, La Pinoz and Bowl Company for Mohali.

LOCALE AND GETAWAYS

The locale and getaways are the only real difference between two ISB campuses, and quite honestly beyond the control of school because they are purely geographic in nature.

Hyderabad is a perfect blend of modern life and traditional culture. ISB is located in the newer and more posh part of Hyderabad that has all metropolitan offerings, but students are equally drawn to and even mesmerized with culture-rich old Hyderabad when they visit that part of the city. Hyderabad also definitely tends to a more South Indian food palate, with piping-hot dosas, idlis and vadas being breakfast regulars for ISB Hyderabad students. The Hyderabad campus is at close proximity with leading salons, restaurants, clubs and shopping malls, with B.Dubs, Resign Sky Bar, Fat Pigoen and Inorbit Mall being the most popular.

On the other hand, the Tri-City area of Mohali, Chandigarh and Panchkula also makes Mohali campus the perfect place to spend the most memorable year of one’s life. The culture-rich area in Northern Part of India leaves a lasting impression on the minds of the ISB candidates. At the heart of Chandigarh is Sukhna Lake, another attraction of the tri-city, offering peace and tranquillity. One would find several ISBians going there for a jog to rejuvenate post a hectic week at ISB. Unlike large cities, Mohali masters the small-town vibes with clean roads and pollution-free air. Some of the popular hangout places around ISB Mohali campus are Elante Mall, Pal Dhaba, Chawla’s, Whistling Duck and Peddlers.

Weather-wise also both cities have their charm. The winters in Hyderabad are not as chilly as Mohali but the summers in Mohali are more pleasant than their drier Hyderabad counterpart.

Popular getaways for ISB Hyderabad students: Hampi, Nagarjuna Sagar, Golconda Fort, Belum Caves, Coorg, Gokarna and brilliant airport connectivity also mean trips to Goa in term breaks.

Popular getaways for ISB Mohali students: Mohali wins this round hands down with proximity to travel wonders like McLeod Ganj, Shimla, Kasauli, Dalhousie, Triund and Kasol.

To reiterate, except cultural and geographic differences, both campuses are identical in academic and extra-curricular experiences. In fact, ISB randomly assigns either of the campuses to shortlisted students using an internal algorithm, which especially focusses on preserving the professional diversity on each campus. Moreover, most teaching faculties are common across Hyderabad and Mohali and ISB also follows a common placement drive process where students from one campus fly to another.

The post Demystifying the two ISB campuses – Hyderabad and Mohali appeared first on ISB Mantra Blog.

A lot can happen in a year, and ISB PGP is a living breathing example of that. It is one thrilling roller coaster ride involving endless assignments, competitions, speaker sessions, marquee events, alum bonding, sleepless nights, grilling placements season and parties – LOTS OF PARTIES!

Constantly ranked as one of the top business schools in the world by numerous independent rankings, ISB offers the most competitive, rewarding, and sought-after global MBA equivalent program in the form of its Post Graduate Programme (PGP) in Management. Because the ISB PGP is residential in nature, candidates spend the year together at the 2 sprawling ISB campuses – Mohali and Hyderabad, which in all honesty deserve a detailed blog post of their own to cover their many magnificent offerings and 5-star resort feels.

In this article, we aim to break down the year for all prospective ISB candidates and give them a furtive peek into what life at ISB looks like! Read on

APRIL

Every year in April, approximately 850 brightest minds of the country find themselves flying to Hyderabad or Mohali, excited to kickstart their year of transformation. What awaits them is a high energy induction week called Orientation Week or more commonly referred to as O-Week. O-week lays the perfect foundation to rest of the year for PGP candidates, with a healthy mix of induction sessions, team building & bonding exercises and parties – LOTS OF PARTIES

Before the core courses officially start, students are also introduced to an intensive three-day Leadership Development Program (LEAD), which uses integrated teaching methods to help students introspect and identify their strengths, weaknesses, and leadership style. LEAD further encourages them to chart out a plan and define their goals for the upcoming year to ensure a comprehensive learning experience.

As the temperature rises and the summer sun shines brighter in both Hyderabad and Mohali, ISB candidates spend the rest of April getting used to early morning classes and late nights, adapting to the academic rigour, exploring the hidden hangout spots in the campus and knowing their classmates and cohort better by bonding over shared passions – food, music, poetry, anything and everything!

MAY

May starts with PGP candidates having their first case study submission as a study group. The concept of study groups is enforced to encourage amalgamation of perspectives and experiences while creating a safe space for students to bond and learn. They are essentially groups of 4-5 students who undertake projects and class assignments together.

This case study usually comes as part of the Marketing Management class and has emerged as a memorable experience across PGP batches. Most submissions happen in the wee hours of the morning, with study groups pulling gruelling all-nighters trying to arrive at the best recommendation/solution to the case, while also navigating through the challenges of working with new people.

May is an extremely action-packed month at ISB, especially with GSB core elections being scheduled in the first half of it. GSB is a democratically elected team of student representatives who act as a bridge between the student community and school administration. GSB comprises of 7 student councils reporting directly to the GSB President. Candidates battle it out with promising manifestos, moving soapboxes and class-to-class campaigning, till the board is finally constituted. GSB elections are followed by professional and social club elections, which pretty much follow the same process.

Weekends in May are spent studying for Friday quizzes, planning Saturday-night section parties, and turning in challenging end-of-week Sunday submissions. On the professional grooming front, May is also when the first of the series of alum mentoring sessions are organized, called PDP or Personal Development Plan. PDP sessions match each candidate with an alum from the professional area of interest to the PGP candidate to help plan their year better.

PS: Barring the year 2020, May is also the time when India is gripped by IPL fever – ISB students in Mohali and Hyderabad make the best of their proximity to cricket grounds to catch the teams in action…

JUNE

With June, Case Competition season officially begins! One of the most interesting experiences of B-school life is fighting it out in interschool case competitions and business simulations. ISB students, often with Dare2Compete (D2C) as an intermediary, are exposed to a multitude of opportunities to showcase their talent and edge over other b-schools like IIM – A/B/C, XLRI, NUS & NTU, Singapore among others in the form of these competitions. And ISB students are known to make the best of these opportunities by leveraging the diversity and competence of their student network.

While Hyderabad campus gears up for a delightful Eid celebration, replete with Sufi songs and Nawabi feast (of course, there is lip-smacking Hyderabadi Biryani), Mohali campus undertakes preparations for AIKYA in June. AIKYA is a unique initiative by ISB to connect its students with the leading and influential business families of respective host cities (Hyderabad and Mohali). The host families are welcomed to the campus with splendour and warmth for an evening of bonding and celebration.

Further, since diversity and inclusivity are extremely important cornerstones of the ISB PGP, June holds an even more special place as the International Pride Month. Both campuses take on the colours of the rainbow as the student community comes together to honour and rejoice Pride!

These celebrations are led by the LGBTQ+ clubs in each campus and have students broadening the dialogue with skits, musical performances, pride march and speaker sessions.

Also, both campuses spring to life as monsoon sets in, and zumba sessions, music jams poetry nights under a tree, become a norm despite so much happening in June.

JULY

Lush greenery, blooming flowers and picturesque skies become a sight for sore eyes at both ISB campuses as July brings with it the beginning of a very hectic Term 3 at ISB.
Both campuses are bustling with activity throughout the month of July –

⦁ The official bands of both campuses – The Juke Box Project of Hyderabad and Sector 81 of Mohali are constituted and launched
⦁ Students at both Mohali and Hyderabad campus also organize the first of multiple Bandhan weekends in July. Bandhan is an annual flagship initiative undertaken by the Net Impact Club where 500+ students from various low-income neighbourhoods are invited to both the campuses of ISB. The children are then engaged in fun activities through the day by the student body to create a memorable experience while also encouraging them to push through the challenges of their lives

⦁ Hyderabad campus is further seen coming together for its own AIKYA celebrations, the oldest marquee event of ISB
⦁ With 3 months already down, July also becomes the time for the first GSB Open House following the results of a governance survey. Governance Survey, undertaken by the Finance & Governance Council (FGC) is sort of a report card for all clubs, aimed at encouraging constructive feedback and dialogue
The rest of the month is filled with peer-to-peer learning sessions, industry expert speaker sessions and SV (Student Village – ISB’s version of student hostels) sports wars.

AUGUST

Come August, pre-placement frenzy starts gripping the campuses. Early drafts of their resume, speaker sessions and industry deep-dive workshops keep students swamped through the month. These industry deep-dive workshops are organized by SEAL (Student Engagement & Applied Learning), often in partnership with industry experts. This is an extremely important intervention aimed at equipping students with an in-depth working knowledge of various industries
SEAL also releases the second round of ELPs or Experiential Learning Programs, with the first batch having been released in July. One can interpret ELP as a short-term consulting project taken by students in groups of 3-4 to help companies solve pressing problems across functions like customer acquisition, expansion, operations, supply chains amongst others. It is more strategic in nature, with companies executing the plan internally post approvals.

August 2019 saw the successful launch of ISB’s first Product Conclave at the Hyderabad Campus. The conclave was spearheaded by the Business Technology Club (BTC) and was a blast for all tech/product enthusiasts on campus. With an impressive lineup of speakers and enthralling discussion about the challenges in SaaS space amongst other things, the 2019 ISB Product Conclave set the benchmark high for upcoming batches.

August also marks the continuity of a series of case competition wins for ISB students and second Bandhan weekend at both campuses, especially to amplify the spirit of Independence Day on August 15th.

SEPTEMEBER

September officially marks the onset of placement season at ISB, and resume reviews by alums and mandatory presence in pre-placement talks mean every calendar is choc-a-bloc with commitments! So much so that the SLC (Student Life Council) planned a dedicated doggo-day when cute, furry friends took over the Hyderabad Campus to help students release the anxiety.

While the preparation for upcoming placement season goes into an overdrive, it does not deter ISB students from participating and thriving in extra-curricular activities.

⦁ Shadow-a-CEO is launched for both campuses: It is a unique initiative organized by ISB as part of Joy of Giving week and provides students of top Indian B-schools an opportunity to spend a day with the biggest CEOs of the country. Students can avail this opportunity via a bidding process, which usually happens in October and all proceeds from the initiative go towards charity
⦁ September brings with it the most-awaited and popular marquee event of the year at both Hyderabad and Mohali – ISB Leadership Summit (ILS). ISB’s annual flagship event, ILS is a 2-day conclave that brings together the brightest business minds from across the country to interact, debate and inspire. Some of the past ILS speakers include Dr. Manmohan Singh, N. Narayan Murthy, Adi Godrej, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Shashi Tharoor, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Sonali Bendre among others

⦁ ISB Mohali campus opens its doors to nostalgia with Equinox. Equinox is the annual alumni reunion of Mohali Campus, with its Hyderabad counterpart known as Solstice. The enthusiasm and euphoria during the Equinox weekend are unmatched, with party mania taking over the entire campus

⦁ 2019 was a year of many firsts and September 2019 also saw the Marketing Club Hyderabad host ISB’s first-ever marketing conclave called Marketing Gambit. The two-day event saw a notable speaker lineup, exciting workshops, leadership representations from brands like Google, Big Basket, LinkedIn and BigBasket and a whole lot of Marketing gyaan.

OCTOBER

Core terms come to an end and Term 5 (an elective term) begins in October. It also paves way for the inter-campus exchange program.

A very popular event of ISB is launched in October – ISB Super League or ISL. ISL is ISB’s take on the extremely popular IPL and sees student-owned franchises battle it out in a series of different sports from December to March. It is unlike anything held in any other b-school across the world, as real money is involved with likeminded current students and alums coming together to first bid on teams, and then later on players for their franchise. The four ISL teams at Hyderabad campus are Hyderabad Hurricanes, Titans, Hyderabad Nizams, and Raging Bulls, the three teams at Mohali campus are Sultans, Mavericks and Hukums.

Sponsors play a big role in the event since the ISL is professionally managed and inclusion of sponsors for teams help them recoup their investment. Team owners are instrumental in team performance as they are effectively co-founders of the business and manage a budget of up to 4-5 lacs. This massive budget clearly indicates the scale and popularity of ISL. The amount of money that is collected at the time of bidding from the four teams is pooled in and redistributed once the final results are declared. The teams are driven by this additional incentive as they stand a chance to win 65% of the total sum collected, ensuring an enviable ROI.

After BTC and Marketing Club, it now becomes the time for Finance Club to hold their annual capital markets conclave called Artha. Artha brings together prestigious names from the banking and finance industry and is the only cross-campus event of the year. Students from Hyderabad and Mohali work in close proximity to pull Artha off. In a first, Artha 2019 was launched by the Lord Mayor of the City of London and further positioned ISB as the leading name in.

With ISB has become a second home and the cohort our newfound family, festivals like Garba and Diwali are celebrated in all their glory and fervour on both campuses in October. Music, fairy lights, board games and scrumptious food livens up the atmosphere, and help students let go of the placement week panic for some time.

October is busy, both academically and socially. In 2019, October ended on the best high with Hyderabad students throwing a crazy Halloween Party that saw them channelling their fun side and turning up in the goriest but interesting costumes.

NOVEMBER

November makes way for Advaita – ISB’s in-house management festival consisting of a series of inter b-school competitions. Advaita is held at both ISB campuses concurrently. Run by an independent student body constituting the event core team, under the aegis of a Lead Coordinator, Advaita attracts teams of most competitive students from premium global b-schools to battle it out in various industry case competitions and business simulations.

Days seem to get shorter as the placement mania takes over the entire campus. Checking your email every 20 minutes hoping for a company shortlist update, running from one prep group meet to another to perfect your case study preparations, working on the 100th iteration of your resume and reaching out to alums for placement tips and company insights – this is how the first few days of November look like at ISB. Especially so because students get almost a 15-day long study break before the arduous interview week, which is slotted in the second half of the month.

The placement week brings to life the ‘One School, Two Campus’ spirit when Mohali students fly down to the Hyderabad campus for a combined placement process. Also to ensure fairness at all level, the school refrains from revealing the campus of students to recruiters. The student community comes together in the most beautiful ways during the week, constantly working to not just secure offers for themselves but foster a mutually uplifting environment for everybody. By the end of it, the campus is brimming with happy smiles, warm hugs, even stronger friendships, and some goodbyes as Mohali students fly back to their campus, while some students from Hyderabad fly back to their homes.

DECEMBER

With placements out of the way, December officially inaugurates party time at both campuses. The campus vibe is much more relaxed and academic commitments become less time-consuming, thus allowing students to let their hair down.

⦁ ISB Super League (ISL) starts with a grand opening and the first of its many sports competitions
⦁ Hyderabad students lay out the literal and figurative red carpet for dear alums with their version of the annual alum meet, called Solstice. A running joke within the ISB circles is that Solstice is just one big 3-day long party! Over 1000 alums fly down every year to spend the weekend at the campus, reliving their own time – some even sharing their old quads with current students and trading memories. The event usually comprises fun activities, performances by the current class and even musical night by celebrity singers. Some of the key names to have performed at Solstice and Equinox in the last few years are Shalmali Kholgade, Armaan Malik and Vishal-Shekhar amongst others.

The campus comes alive during the 3 days and in true ISB style, never sleeps. The SV lawns are littered with alums lounging with buddies and reminiscing old memories or recounting them to the current class. The quads are alive with parties while popular spots like the Atrium and Dam are frequented by both alums and students. One of the traditions of the re-union is for the current Class’ Jukebox (the ISB band) to collaborate with the previous Class’ Jukebox to deliver the most popular musical performance of the year. Similarly, the current class takes on its alumni on the field – at Football, Ultimate Frisbee, and Basketball to claim bragging rights

⦁ ISB is a global business school in every sense and so one just cannot graduate without a Prom Night! The Great Gatsby Ball was Mohali’s take on the popular United States school ritual. Organized on a chilly December evening, the Ball sees MoTowners turn up in their fanciest and best black-tie looks – with boys looking sharp in tuxedos and girls dazzling in cocktail dresses!
⦁ Secret Santa hats are donned with much warmth and zeal within the sections at both campuses as Christmas inches closer, with the Christmas Eve being celebrated with games, wine and a delectable potluck spread

⦁ While some students choose to fly to their families to celebrate New Year’s, a vast majority of students choose to stay back on the campus for what becomes the most epic New Year celebration!

JANUARY

After partying and celebrating New Year’s Eve till wee hours in the morning with people you cannot believe you met less than a year ago, many students in small and large groups fly across the map for a well-deserved vacation. Goa is one of the most popular annual haunts amongst ISB students for a New Year break, with Sri Lanka, Andaman & Nicobar, Bangkok, and Indonesia not far behind – the world truly becomes our oyster!

Lohri, Pongal and Makar Sakranti are celebrated with love and grandeur at both campuses as the penultimate term, Term 7 begins in January! Also as chilly winters grip both campuses, especially Mohali, impromptu weekend trips also become the norm. While Hyderabadis flock to Hampi more than ever, Mohali students are found enjoying the hills in Shimla and Manali
The rest of the January is filled with continued fierce competition amongst different ISL franchises and increased activity by Social Clubs. Theatre Club and Music Club are at the forefront – both putting mesmerizing performances during the weekends.

FEBRUARY

February brings with it the realization that this crazy, exhilarating and extremely happy ride called ISB might be coming to an end soon. Students look to maximize the time spent with each other before having to step back into the corporate world. Weddings and engagements in the ISB world also go into overdrive now that placement season is long over.

The most awaited ISL events – track and field, along with Football and Cricket – see insane turnout from current students as well as alums.

Stand-up Club (also known as The Support Group) put up their most-awaited, bone-tickling performance on the placement experience, as Theatre Clubs of both campuses put out a grand production in February.

With Mohali students leaving Hyderabad students envious with The Great Gatsby Ball in December, Hyderabad soon catches up with their own Harry Potter inspired black-tie rendition called The Yule Ball. The Yule Ball 2020 was a massive success and had students set the dance floor on fire with Salsa moves that The Dance Club had them perfect in weeks leading up to the ball.

MARCH

In March, students of both campuses are found eternalizing the memory of every corner of their stunning campus in photographs. It is also when the much-awaited annual Yearbook photoshoots are organized by the Marketing & Communications Council (MCC) of both Hyderabad and Mohali campus.

The last of annual marquee events – ISB Policy Conclave and ISB Impact Forum are also scheduled in March. ISB Policy Conclave is an annual summit that brings together visionaries from the public and private sector to engage in and spark conversations around various policy issues and loopholes in the country. ISB Impact Forum is ISB’s flagship social impact conference and aims to encourage dialogue amongst thought leaders and young business professionals about sustainable change and social impact. An interesting ISB tradition, that of live weekend performances by the official bands of both schools at the most happening clubs like Hard Rock Café and B.Dubs also takes place during the month.

While extracurricular commitments mentioned above keep ISB students on their toes, what really makes March memorable is the ISB Holi Celebration. Holi at ISB is looked forward to even before the year officially begins and believe us when we say students do not shy away from painting the town red – figuratively and literally! We’ll go as far as to say that fun, festive and laughter-filled Holi celebrations at ISB can put even the La Tomatina celebrations shown in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara to shame!

APRIL

End of March and the beginning of April constitute the popular ISB De-Orientation Week, which as the name suggests is a complete contrast with the O-week that marks the beginning of the year for ISB PGP students.

Called D-week in Mohali and Pegasus in Hyderabad, it essentially sees the cohort in both campuses come together post giving the final Term 8 exams to party and celebrate the successful culmination of possibly the greatest year of their lives.

It also helps students realign with the real world and get ready to face real problems and challenges. The weeklong schedule includes events such as ISB Guilt Awards (an award night just like the Oscars wherein students dress like celebrities in their best suits and dresses and walk the red carpet). This event kick starts the D-Week/Pegasus at both the campuses which is then followed by an after-party at either the Legacy Lounge or the 08 Lounge. The entire week includes multiple parties and events (such as section wars wherein sections compete in different sports for bragging rights such as human foosball). These set of events help build deeper bonds in the class during the last few days on campus.

Goodbyes are always hard but the D-week, where days and night seem to merge together, makes them a tad bit less painful.

D-week finally paves way for the celebratory graduation in classic ISB style! Friends and family from across the country fly down to the campuses for the graduation day that starts very early (around 8 am). The students soon find their place in one of the multiple lines so as to form a procession for the graduation walk into the hanger. As the procession progresses into the hanger, it is introduced and applauded with a victory song and a standing ovation from parents and guests in the audience.

The ceremony then witnesses address by the dean, chief guest and deputy dean who also shares an overview report card for the year. Various awards like Dean’s List, Merit List, Torchbearer Award and Young Leader Awards along with graduation certificates are accorded to the students. Towards the end of the ceremony, the class toss their graduation hats as a final ritual and moves out of the hangar for one last photo session and long goodbye hugs.

PS: The calendar above resembles the regular PGP experience at ISB. However, due to COVID and subsequent modification to PGP 2.0 for co 2021, there might be a slight change to the timing of various events, but the broad experiences remain the same.

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No other business school in the country celebrates and expatiates more about diversity than the Indian School of Business does!

A master’s degree is the final foray into academics for most individuals, hence making the choice of school even more important. And when it is MBA that you are looking to pursue, student network should be at the top of your priority list.

The founders of ISB realized this two decades ago – back when great MBA meant going to an IIM and studying in a batch with more than 90% of engineers. And hence, diversity became one of the most important and defining cornerstones of ISB.

What does diversity look like at ISB?

Professional Diversity

ISB admits approximately 850 select individuals to the flagship PGP program every year. While most schools are still talking about diversity on paper, ISB has added a whole new dimension to it! A typical class comprises journalists, actors, film directors, army and merchant navy officers, entrepreneurs, chartered accountants, investment bankers and ex-consultants holding degrees in commerce, economics, humanities and, of course, engineering. What is even more fascinating is that even though the average work experience of the class is approximately 4.5 years, candidates come with as little as two years and as much as 20 years of professional experience

Gender Diversity

Business schools have traditionally and historically been plagued with skewed gender representation across the globe and hence ISB comes as a breath of fresh air with almost 40%-women representation in class. In today’s world, nobody can deny the discerning perspectives and empowering cultural change brought forth by women leaders and a gender-balanced classroom at ISB renders the learnings more comprehensive and impactful

Academic Diversity

The class is refreshingly diverse from a test score viewpoint as well. The GMAT scores for an ISB class range from as low as 640 to as high as 770. However, students with low GMAT scores often have other resume spikes to their credit, like but not limited to, higher than average work experience, non-traditional backgrounds or entrepreneurial profiles and a propensity to add tremendous value to the class through their varied experiences

Cultural Diversity

Students on exchange from far-flung corners of the world and cultures as diverse as that of Hong Kong, Canada, France, USA, UK, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Russia, China or Switzerland also bring in novel perspectives, enhancing the exposure of PGP students to different cultures and global best practices.

How does diversity elevate the ISB experience?

Attending lectures in the company of such a diverse group lends rich perspectives to the subjects being taught, as participants share their unique experiences and viewpoints with the class. For example, a financial valuation or marketing analytics course is significantly augmented by the invaluable, practical insights shared by a classmate who happens to have worked in the same domain. Or say, somebody who has worked in media and entertainment contributes by bringing a completely different industry perspective and anecdotes about influencer marketing.

How does ISB celebrate and encourage diversity?

Study Group Pairings

The concept of study groups is enforced to encourage amalgamation of perspectives and experiences while creating a safe space for students to bond and learn.  They are essentially groups of 4-5 students who undertake projects and class assignments together. While ISB pairs students with each other during core terms, they are free to form their own groups in elective terms.

End result? When an ex-consultant from a top-tier consulting firm, an English graduate, an ex-army captain, a doctor and a chartered accountant brainstorm a problem, one can be assured of the optimal solution, revealing facets of the problems that may well have been missed in a traditional like-minded environment

Peer Learning Sessions

Popularly known as P2P sessions, these are independent sessions that PGP candidates are free to organize to educate the rest of the class in the real-world workings of the industries/backgrounds they have come from. In fact, very recently the class of 2020 witnessed an extremely informative session on aeronautical engineering and plane design by an ex-Indian Airforce fighter pilot.

Numerous Clubs and SIGs

With over 14 professional clubs, 11 social clubs, and 7 special initiatives groups – ISB has something for everybody. To really understand the extent of this statement, know that there is one official MEME group as well. And if you still feel there isn’t a club representation for your interests, you are absolutely free to start your own Special Interest Group or SIG. The class of 2020 alone had 8 SIGs, with the most popular addition being Media & Entertainment. PS: If your SIG remains intact for at least 3 years, it is bestowed the status of a permanent club!

ISB’s continuous focus on and enforcement of diversity on campus has produced magnificent outcomes, to say the least. Not only are ISB graduates better prepared and more aware, but many start-ups have been born from enthralling conversations between people as unlike one another as mountaineers, Limca Book record holder artists, national-level sports players, wine connoisseurs and cartoonists, to name a few.

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