Is ISB YLP Worth it ?

I saw this question on Quora. My first thought was – Well, if you think hard enough nothing in life is worth it. All you philosophy guys would know what I’m talking about. Cough Joker Cough Nihilism.

Rather than getting all philosophical about it, I decided to answer what I learned during my application stage. I will not compare the IIM vs ISB debate here. <I hope to never write about this one. I think both appeal to different market segments> Nor will I compare their entrance procedures here. <I will however write about this one in a later post> I will strictly adhere to sharing my views.

Going through different stages, I asked myself those really difficult questions. “What will success mean in my life?” “What are my long term goals?” “Would ISB genuinely help me in achieving my long term goals?” “If yes, is YLP the correct route to ISB?”

Such deep thinking was triggered by the essay components of the application. I still remember those nights where I would sit at my hostel rooftop, gazing at stars, introspecting about life and thinking what journey would be the most fulfilling. I knew if I wasn’t honest about my goals, I wouldn’t make it through. So this is the first major advantage ISB YLP Application procedure gave me over my college peers who didn’t apply.

GMAT gave me another advantage. I agree that the Quant part of GMAT is relatively less tough but there can be some really tricky ones. I really liked the Integrated Reasoning part of GMAT. I could clearly understand why IR was a part of GMAT. It resembled to actual MBA graduate work. You have data, interpret and suggest answers. Finally, the Verbal part was the most challenging. But it was fun. Especially the Critical Reasoning part. I felt like a lawyer sometimes. <Any Suits fans in the house?> GMAT prep helped me perform better in aptitude tests that recruiting companies conducted.

So there you have it. One long term advantage – Gaining a perspective about life's goals and one short term advantage – Better preparation for recruitment aptitude tests. These advantages are just from the application procedure.

I connected to other candidates who got an admit. <Thank You Quora> I soon learned that those admitted were much more awesome than me. I learned a little from each one of them and am still learning. These awesome people humble me and make sure that I don’t get too proud of my achievements. They also in a way give me a drive to achieve more in life. Finally, a competition which focuses on achieving life goals and not on achieving high marks. This is the advantage that ISB gave me.

So, if you ask me is ISB YLP worth it? My answer would be a Yes.