The Post Graduate Program in Management for Working Professionals (PGPpro) is a part-time Executive MBA program offered by ISB. Here, we present the ISB PGPpro essay analysis, to maximize your chances of admission to ISB PGPpro.
ISB PGPpro Application Deadline
Round-2: February 8, 2026
Essay 1 for ISB PGPpro (Statement of Purpose)
What is your motivation to do an EMBA at this stage of your career and how will PGPpro and ISB enable you to achieve your professional and personal goals? (400 words max)
Why EMBA is what this essay prompt is essentially asking you. This is basically the goals essay. This essay is best addressed along three major points.
a) First what you have done in life so far (primarily on the professional/academic front)
b) Second what you want to do in future
c) Third how does EMBA fit into the scheme of things
Clearly there are some experiences, attributes, and interests that you already have. This is your past. You have aspirations in life; you hope these aspirations to become your future. What is currently holding you back, from realizing your aspirations? This is where EMBA from ISB comes into picture.
Essay 2 for ISB PGPpro (Strengths & Weakness)
Contemplate situations that have shaped your personal journey. Present what these situations have taught you about your strengths and weaknesses, and how they have shaped your personal and professional journey (400 words)
Essay Tip #1 Treat essays no differently from critical reasoning: There should be a logical flow of ideas and coherent cause and effects. Statements loosely "hanging in the air" disrupt the flow of the entire essay.
Essay Tip #2 Even if you are not seeking professional editing services for your essays, make sure you send across your essays to at least two people, whose judgment and expedience you trust. Essentially it is important to get an Independent third-party view of your essays.
Essay Tip #3 Applicants should be wary of mentioning philanthropic activities or stipulate ambitions of Entrepreneurship, just in the hope of winning favor with Admissions committee. Unless you have a strong case to make, such claims actually have a reverse effect, making your entire application weak.
What a broad canvas ISB has handed over to the applicants, through this essay!
Start the essay by introducing who you are as a person. This is equivalent to ‘breaking the ice’ with the evaluator of your essay. Narrate significant influences that have shaped up your personality. This requires self-reflection into your growing-up years. For instance, if your Dad was in a transferable job, you would have changed cities, schools, and friends every few years, shaping you into a very adaptable and amenable person; if you are from a business background, you would have witnessed the vagaries that any business has to endure, honing your risk-taking abilities; if you were in a boarding school or had working parents, independence comes quick and easy; if you were a part of NCC in school or are from an army background, discipline becomes your forte; if you were the eldest sibling, responsibility comes naturally to you.
Each of these is your strength that has developed through your personal journey. You should now ideally tie those strengths to your professional journey. For instance, if independence is your strength, narrate an instance or two from your professional life, demonstrating how this strength has held you in good stead.
Since the essay title gives the candidates the flexibility to choose the number of strengths & weaknesses, we suggest depicting two strengths and one weakness. A word of caution on weakness: Weakness is not a personality flaw that will diminish your chances of admission; in fact, accepting your weakness is a sign of self-awareness and taking corrective action to mitigate that weakness, a sign of maturity. Depict a genuine weakness of yours. Weaknesses such as hesitation to delegate work, inability to take criticism, struggle with multi-tasking, or reluctance to freely express your ideas in a group-setting are all genuine weaknesses.
A word of caution: Do not try to pass off a strength as a weakness. For instance, qualities such as striving for too much perfection at work, consistently setting too high a bar for yourself, or expecting the same high standards from others as the standards you set for yourself, would not qualify as genuine weaknesses. The Admissions committee will easily see through your ruse and dismiss it.
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R-2: February 8, 2026 (R-2)
“I took help of ISBeacon for my application. My interaction with the team helped me understand and articulate my strengths and weaknesses. ISBeacon has a very friendly team, was just a phone call away to discuss the improvements and was always open to suggestions. ISBeacon played a critical role in increasing my chances of getting an admit. I am so glad to have availed its services and would happily recommend it to the aspirants.”
– Nisanth Mitta, PGPpro admit