ISB permit undergrads to reserve seat

Students wanting to take up management education after gaining some work experience will now have the option of securing their seat in the prestigious Indian School of Business (ISB) while pursuing their graduation.

As a first-of-its-kind initiative in India, undergraduates will be able to secure their seats for future post-graduate programme (PGP) at the Hyderabad-based business schools through the Young Leaders Programme (YLP), which the institute launched in January.

"Students in their second year or pre-final year of graduation can apply for YLP and after two years they will be able to join PGP. In the meanwhile, they can get their work experience. We will make the students MBA ready in the intervening period by arranging a mentor from the institute,? said VK Menon, senior director, Admission and Career Advancement Services, ISB.

The admission into YLP, which is open till 15 March, is through a rigourous selection process comprising profile evaluation, analysis of academic and analytical skills, GMAT performance, essays, video presentation and personal interviews. The three-phased admission process will first consider essays and presentation after which the candidate's GMAT scores will be evaluated. The third phase will be of personal interviews.

?Candidates selected into the YLP will have to complete one year and nine months of work experience before joining ISB?s PGP. During this period, students will attend contact programmes at the ISB campus at the end of every six months,? Menon added.

Further, each admit will be granted a YLP scholarship of Rs 1 lakh, in addition to the existing need, merit and corporate scholarships which all PGP students contest for. ISB will take only 50 such students--around 10% of the PGP class size every year ? including the students who will join the institute's upcoming campus in Mohali which will be operational by 2013.