In the second part of this continued article, we discuss recommendations and scholarships, two aspects of the ISB application that are very important for potential candidates.
Recommendations – how/who/why/and when?
A recommendation is a personal, privileged statement. It is supposed to be a fair and honest assessment of your abilities sent by your recommender, unseen by you, to the Admissions Committee. Unfortunately some applicants see this as merely a formality – they feel it is okay to prepare a ‘draft’ recommendation, and get it approved by your recommender before asking him/her to send it across. If you think this way too, then beware. As a former member of the ISB Admissions Committee, I can tell you that the school scrutinizes recommendations on various fronts. If there is at all a doubt about the integrity of your application, it can mean a permanent rejection, no further questions asked. Therefore, make sure that the recommendation is an honest one. On occasion, you might find your recommender requesting you for a list of your achievements and significant projects – it is okay to provide this to help jog his/her memory. The best way is to ask your recommender if he/she needs any information to help prepare the recommendation. If the answer is yes, provide just the facts.
Next, who should you ask for a recommendation? Make sure that the person is professionally (and not personally) related, is superior to you in the professional hierarchy, and is someone you have personally worked with. Getting a recommendation from the CEO will not do much good if he/she has not worked with you personally and cannot specifically comment on your abilities. While it is okay to get recommendations from clients, it is preferable to get them from someone who has known you over a longer professional span – this will usually be your manager. Former managers are fine as well, provided your association with them does not go too far back (getting a recommendation from someone who was your manager five years ago will not make too much of an impact).
Further, why is the recommendation important? It is important because it talks about your abilities from a professional perspective. It is a confirmation (or rejection!) of the professional achievements stated by you in your application. Just like a strong recommendation can bolster your application, an ambivalent one can weaken it.
Finally, when should you ask for a recommendation? We advise that you give your recommenders at least three weeks to prepare the recommendation and send it across. Remember, your recommendation is not a priority in your recommender’s life – make sure that you give your recommender enough time to carefully think through and give an honest and comprehensive evaluation of you.
Scholarships – merit or need based?
A common doubt that applicants have when applying to ISB is whether applying for a scholarship affects their chances for admission in any way. They are apprehensive that the school would give them admission only if they do not ask for a scholarship but may reject them if a scholarship is sought. Let me put these doubts to rest – the scholarship decision made by the school is independent of the admission decision. Therefore applying for a scholarship does not affect your chances of getting admitted!
Scholarships are awarded on two criteria – merit or need. If you are applying for the scholarship on a need basis, then clearly bring out reasons related to family income and financial responsibilities. However, do not forget to also express your abilities – remember, you will not get a scholarship just because of the financial criteria but because the Admissions Committee sees you as an individual with great potential, who deserves admission based on merit and financial help as a facilitation to study at an institute which has high fees.
About GyanOne
GyanOne is an educational services firm focused on premium GMAT coaching, application advisory (with a focus on ISB applications), and interview preparation for B-school admissions. GyanOne operates in the New Delhi region of India and has top global B-school alumni with a minimum score of 770 on the GMAT, as instructors. All GyanOne counsellors are professionally trained top B-school alumni with an experience of 100+ MBA applications behind them.
About the Author
I am Atul Jose, Founding Consultant of F1GMAT, an MBA admissions consultancy that has worked with applicants since 2009.
For the past 15 years I have edited the application files of admits to the M7 programs: Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Wharton School, MIT Sloan, Chicago Booth, Kellogg School of Management, and Columbia Business School, together with admits to Berkeley Haas, Yale School of Management, NYU Stern, Michigan Ross, Duke Fuqua, Darden, Tuck, IMD, London Business School, INSEAD, SDA Bocconi, IESE Business School, HEC Paris, McCombs, and Tepper, plus other programs inside the global top 30.
My work covers the full MBA application deliverable: career planning and profile evaluation, application essay editing, recommendation letter editing, mock interviews and interview preparation, scholarship and fellowship essay editing, and cover letter editing for funding applications. Full bio with credentials and admit history is here.
I am the author of the Winning MBA Essay Guide, the best-selling essay guide covering M7 MBA programs. I have written and updated the guide annually since 2013, which makes the 2026 edition the thirteenth.
The reason I still write and edit essays every cycle: a good MBA essay carries a real applicant's voice. Writing essays for F1GMAT's Books and Editing essays weekly is how I stay calibrated to what current admissions committees respond to.
Contact me for school selection, career planning, essay strategy, narrative development, essay editing, interview preparation, scholarship essay editing, or guidance documents for recommendation letters.