I skipped ISB. Here's the full story
Updated: Apr 28
I had 3 MBA offers on 1st April 2025 — ISB, NTU, and XLRI.
And I still chose XLRI.
In hindsight, this is the question I get the most:
“Why didn’t you go for ISB?”
Fair question. On paper, ISB looks like the obvious choice. It has better brand recall, strong placements, global exposure: the usual checklist.
But decisions like these don’t happen on paper. They happen in your head but more importantly, in your bank account.
The answer lies in one thing: What outcome did I expect from my MBA?
For me, the MBA wasn’t a trophy. It was a tool.
I wanted three things:
A strong network
A credible degree
Psychological safety (read: not losing sleep over EMIs)
Let’s break that down.
1️⃣ The Network Argument (or “Do I really need to pay for access?”)
I come from BITS Pilani, which already gives me access to a fairly strong network.
Now, ISB’s network is great—no denying that But here’s the nuance most people miss:
A lot of BITS and ISB folks already overlap in professional circles.
So I had to ask myself: Am I paying ₹15–20 lakhs extra for incremental access… or redundant access?
For me, it felt incremental. Not transformative.
That doesn’t mean ISB’s network isn’t valuable. It just means the marginal value wasn’t worth the marginal cost—for me.
2️⃣ Psychological Safety (The least discussed, most important factor)
This was a deal-breaker.
I come from a middle-class family. In a few years, my parents would depend on me financially.
So taking on a ₹45 lakh loan wasn’t just a number—it was a commitment.
Let’s translate that into reality:
Higher EMI (₹30k+ extra per month)
Longer payback period
Lower flexibility if things go wrong
And things do go wrong.
Layoffs. Role mismatches. Market downturns. Bad managers. Existential crises at 2 AM.
I had built a small financial buffer during my job. I didn’t want to wipe that out chasing a slightly shinier logo.
I wasn’t optimizing for “best case scenario”, I was protecting myself from the worst-case scenario.
3️⃣ The Job Market Reality (Not the LinkedIn version)
Let’s be honest.
The MBA market right now was uncertain (think 2025-2026)
More MBAs than ever
Companies becoming more selective
Skills getting outdated faster
The narrative of:
“Do an MBA → Get 2x–3x salary”
was getting redundant faster than BPO jobs.
Even in India, the supply of MBAs has gone up significantly, which meant the perceived value fluctuated with the market cycle and the degree of rise in AI / Automation et.
This doesn’t make an MBA useless. It just makes it a pragmatic decision!
4️⃣ Why XLRI GM Made Sense
Once I removed the noise, XLRI GM checked my boxes better.
1-year program for experienced professionals
(Minimum ~3 years work ex → more mature cohort)
Smaller batch size
→ More interaction
→ More visibility
→ Less “lost in the crowd” feeling
Focused environment
→ Less chaos, more clarity
Compared to ISB, which also allows candidates with ~2 years of experience, the peer group here felt more aligned with where I was.
5️⃣ “But would you still make the same choice today?”
Maybe. Maybe not.
Decisions like these are highly contextual:
Your financial background
Your risk appetite
The job market at that time
Your current network
I actually asked a bunch of people what they would’ve done in my situation.
The responses? All over the place.
Some chose ISB without blinking. Some chose XLRI for the exact same reasons I did.
Reddit Post - Get to know what folk think about my decision now !
Final Thought (The part people don’t like hearing)
An MBA doesn’t transform you.
It gives you:
Access to rooms where important decisions are made.
What you do inside those rooms is still on you.
The uncomfortable truth:
The degree helps
The brand helps
The network helps
But in the long run:
Skills + execution + relationships > college name
And one question you should ask yourself:
Not:
“Which MBA is better?”
But:
“What am I optimizing for and what am I willing to give up?”
Because every MBA decision is a trade-off.
The only mistake is pretending it isn’t.
If you are looking for any specific guidance, check out my services section
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