B-school admission depends on IQ, soft skills

Even as the Indian School of Business (ISB) has started taking freshers—it previously used to have programmes only for working professionals—the role of admissions consulting organisations such as ISB Mantra won't change.

- PRASHANT TIBREWAL, FOUNDER, ISB MANTRA

"Our aim is to match students with the right consultants who can give them the right guidance—be it for the PGP (for working professionals) or PGPYL (for freshers)," says Prashant Tibrewal, founder & senior consultant, ISB Mantra. In an interview with FE's Vikram Chaudhary, he adds that ISB Mantra has onboarded former ISB employees who can help students identify right career plans. Excerpts:

What's the connection between the ISB and ISB Mantra?

We are an independent organisation, with no direct or indirect association with the ISB. We are a company that helps students—who are targeting the ISB—identify the right career path. We, at times, also guide them on other institutes. But we do have former ISB employees working with us. For example, AM Kannan, who was the director for admissions at the ISB for seven years, is with us, as do Vikram Singh and Naveen Das.