4 reasons to choose ISB over Harvard

by Arun Jagannathan

Here’s a teaser for you – What do George Bush, Tyra Banks, Ratan Tata and Stephen Covey have in common?

They all graduated from the Harvard Business School!  

So did dozens of other illustrious people who went on to rule nations and run companies in the past 100 years.

Here’s another –

What do Alok Goel (who was the CEO at Freecharge when it was acquired by Snapdeal for $400mn), Tarun Davda (the man who, as part of Matrix Partners, has invested in Ola, Practo and Stayzilla among many others), Neeraj Arora (the man who helped Whatsapp get acquired by Facebook for $19bn) and Viren Rasquinha (former Olympic hockey player and the CEO at Olympic Gold Quest) have in common?

They’re all alumni of Indian School of Business - a college that has seen meteoric success in a mere 14 years and broken into the top 20 of the Financial Times college rankings within eight years of establishment!

In recent years, we’ve seen more and more bright, passionate Indians set their sights on ISB, rather than Harvard – many of whom would have considered only a premier US B-school a decade ago. Let us look at some of the forces behind this trend!

1) Greater preference for home turf

These days, India is a great place to build a successful career. The booming economy and the enthusiastic start-up climate are enticing many NRIs back to the country and causing people to think twice before moving to foreign shores.

There are also many other reasons why people might want to settle in India – family constraints, cultural reasons, or simply, the comfort zone that one’s native country provides. These people may have earlier opted for an MBA from the US mainly because of the dearth of options other than the highly competitive space of the IIMs. The ISB is now a very attractive alternative.

Helpful Tip: If you are applying, or even contemplating applying to ISB this admission season, check out the comprehensive analysis of this year’s application essays!

 

2) “Closer to home” Networking and brand-equity

If you’ve decided to pursue a career in India, you would arguably benefit more from networking with other people who also plan to build careers in the same general region.  Here, ISB has much to offer. To start with, a brand that is recognised along the length and breadth of India, in MNCs as well as indigenous companies. More importantly, fellow-alumni who become your family of sorts during the one-year grind at ISB, and who can help open doors to various opportunities in your career.

 

 

3) Setting more realistic Goals

Many people are also choosing ISB over Harvard these days as they know that they can achieve their goals with an ISB. With the proliferation of MBA forums in the 2000s and 2010s, MBA gyaan is not hard to come by. Most applicants have already sought counsel from a host of alumni before they even start writing their admission essays. These people have figured out their trade-offs. They know that the Harvard brand may be more global but an MBA from ISB is sufficient to catapult them towards their career goals.

 

Helpful Tip: If you are wondering how you can know for sure that ISB (or any other B-school, for that matter) is a good fit for you, this free e-book could be the starting point you are looking for.

 

4) Better Return on Investment

If you’ve decided that you want to establish a career in India in the long term and earn in Indian Rupees, then maybe you would rather invest Rs 25 lakhs into your education than 1 crore. The cost of a Harvard MBA becomes rather prohibitive if you plan on packing your bags and coming back to India in a few years. While at 25 Lakhs, the ISB MBA is not what one would call a budget course, you’d definitely get a quicker return on your investment.

 

Helpful Tip:  Learn about various avenues to finance your MBA.

In the final reckoning, depending on your career-goals, location and financial standing, ISB could be just as alluring and beneficial a B-school destination for you as Harvard!

 

About the Author

Arun Jagannathan is the founder and CEO of CrackVerbal - a test prep company for GMAT, GRE, and Application Services.