The student community at ISB PGP typically has an average work-experience between 4-5 years. Hence, applicants with higher experience, applying to ISB wonder if ISB they are at a disadvantage compared to people with lesser experience. The answer is no.
ISB values diversity, and diversity of experience is an important factor that is taken into consideration. Hence, a typical ISB-PGP cohort comprises students ranging from experience of just over 2 years, to students with 20+ years of experience. In fact, ISB has a thriving Senior Executive Club that serves as a platform for furthering the collective aspirations of students in the higher experience bracket.
Chances of Admission
While ISB does not publish a detailed experience-wise distribution of the students in PGP, ISB has historically had 10% to 20% of the students in the PGP, in 8+ years experience category. Merely 10-20% student-strength in the 8+ years experience category initially comes across as unnerving. Hence, many applicants in this experience category get nervous about their chances of an admit from ISB.
The truth is that while the percentage of student-strength in the 8+ years experience category is less, the percentage of applicants in this experience category is also less. Hence, if you have a decent-profile, your chances of an admit would not be any less than an applicant with lesser experience.
Things you should focus on, in the application
Applicants in the higher experience bracket, should typically highlight the following, in the application:
1) The skills that you bring: The years spent working, were not just an accumulation of time, but an accumulation of skills; that is the impression one should leave the ISB Admissions committee with. Hence, utilize the application to bring to the Adcom’s notice, these skills that are your differentiators.
2) The variety of your experiences: Your years in the industry would have taken you across companies, roles, and (perhaps) countries. Highlight this breadth of your experiences, since each experience adds to the building of your perspective.
3) Any leadership experiences: Unless you have been in a Government/semi-Government organization, chances are that you would have had promotion(s) at work. These promotions would have resulted in few leadership opportunities coming your way. Hence, apart from your technical skills, highlight your soft-skills and leadership experiences.
4) Your contribution to ISB: The combination of your skills and experience would bring value to classroom-discussions, since you would be able to bring real-life anecdotes to discussions and case-studies. In other words, fellow students at ISB would benefit from your experience, making you a valuable addition to the ISB PGP cohort.
5) Your post-ISB goals: After such prolific experience, your post-ISB goals should also reflect a vision that is commensurate with your pre-ISB experience. Ideally, these should be roles in leadership or as a Senior Consultant. On the other hand, roles such as those in Founder’s office or Analyst are not typically suitable for candidates with a higher work experience.
Bottomline
Applicants to ISB with 8+ years of experience should stop fretting over whether their profile is good enough to apply to ISB. A decent GMAT/GRE score, a well-crafted application that does justice to your skills & experiences, and career-goals that are consistent with your experience, will make your candidature very strong for an interview invite.