Guide to ISB Essay Topics 2026: Key Insights, Tips, and Strategies

If you believe that having a stellar academic record is enough to receive an admit from ISB, think again! Essays are the true game changers that can differentiate you from other applicants. This article will explain the ISB's 2026 essay topics, offer practical advice on how to approach them, and disclose methods for writing essays that will really make an impression and increase your chances of getting accepted. Prepare to write your way into the B-school of your dreams!

What’s New in the ISB Essay Topics for Class of 2027?

ISB's essay prompts for 2026 reflect a subtle yet important shift in what they're looking for. While core themes have remained consistent, the focal point has evolved.

Essay 1: From "Personal Journey" to "Leadership"

Previous Year (2025-26): "Contemplate situations that have shaped your personal journey. Present what these situations have taught you about your strengths and weaknesses, and how they have shaped your personal and professional journey."

This Year (2026-27): "What unique experiences have shaped who you are? What have these experiences taught you about leadership and the kind of leader you aspire to be?"

Change in Focus: The previous year was broader, spanning your entire career and personal journey, including your strengths and weaknesses. This year, leadership is the main focus of the essay. ISB is particularly interested in learning about your leadership potential as well as how your prior experiences have shaped your leadership style.

Takeaway Advice: Don't just narrate stories. Make a direct connection between them and leadership lessons. Consider instances in which you exercised initiative, impacted people, overcame obstacles as a leader, or even failed in a leadership position and gained knowledge. Don't simply list examples; demonstrate the type of leader you are and want to be.

Essay 2: Consistent Focus on "Intellectual Experiences”

Previous Year (2025-26) and This Year (2026-27): "What intellectual experiences have influenced your approach to learning and have led you to pursue an MBA? Please describe using anecdotes from your own experiences."

Change in Focus: Nothing has changed! The essay prompt is still the same. This indicates that your intellectual curiosity, learning style, and how these relate to your decision to pursue an MBA are highly valued by ISB.

Takeaway Advice: This is your opportunity to demonstrate your motivation for learning in ways other than grades. Consider classes, assignments, studies, publications, or even conversations that had a significant influence on your way of thinking or altering your viewpoint. Explain these experiences with concrete examples and make a clear connection to the reasons why earning an MBA is the right next step in your journey ahead.

Essay 3: Focus on "Intellectual Pursuits" & "Community Contribution

Previous Year (2025-26): "Given your previous experience and future aspirations, how do you plan to use the PGP at ISB to fulfil your professional goals?"

This Year (2026-27): "Share with us any intellectual pursuits, unique perspectives, or experiences that you pursued that have shaped your worldview, your growth through these pursuits, and how they could potentially contribute to our learning community."

Change in Focus: The optional essay is completely different this year! Last year's optional essay was a standard "Why MBA / Why ISB" question, giving you extra space to elaborate on your goals if needed. This year's optional essay is about your unique intellectual contributions and how you'll enrich the ISB community.

Takeaway Advice: Highlight a genuine quality about yourself that doesn't belong in the other essays in this space. This could be a specialized pastime, an odd endeavor, a distinct viewpoint you possess, or a passion that has profoundly influenced your outlook on life. It's important to demonstrate progress in these endeavors and, most importantly, how they will benefit the broader cohort at ISB. This is a fantastic chance to showcase your individuality and integrate in with ISB's cohort-driven atmosphere.

Official ISB Essay Topics for 2026-27 : A Comprehensive List and Analysis

We are providing a broad outline below to help you think about how to craft compelling essays for the 2026 ISB essay topics.

Essay 1: "What unique experiences have shaped who you are? What have these experiences taught you about leadership and the kind of leader you aspire to be?"

This essay explicitly invites you to examine your own development from a leadership perspective. Listing accomplishments isn't enough; you also need to ponder and gain insight.

1. "What unique experiences have shaped who you are?"

   • Beyond the Observable: Think about more than just official job assignments. While professional experiences are important, you should also assess extracurricular activities, voluntary work, personal struggles, family obligations, and even unique cultural exposures, if any. Ask yourself that in your life tale, what really sticks out?

   • Influential Experiences, Not Just Any Life Events: It's important to consider how an event affected you as well as what really occurred. In what ways did these encounters alter your outlook, your principles, or your way of living?

   • Be authentic: Pick events that truly speak to you and highlight a distinct facet of your journey or personality.

   • The BFSI segment accounted for roughly 10% of total offers with key segments being Investment Banking, Venture Capital and FinTech.

   • FMCG and E-commerce also contributed to roughly 10% of the offers with popular roles being Business Strategy, Brand Manager, Marketing, Corporate Planning and Leadership Programs.

     
     

2. “What have these experiences taught you about leadership?”

   • Leadership in Action: Even if you didn't hold a formal leadership or managerial position, describe how leadership was still an important part of each event you selected in the first part. You could touch upon aspects related to proactiveness, conflict resolution, influencing a group, making difficult decisions etc.

   • Implicit Strengths & Weaknesses: Although this year's prompt does not specifically ask for strengths and weaknesses, your anecdotes should inevitably highlight these aspects.

   • Have Specific Learnings: Don't merely state, "I learned about leadership." Instead, provide specific learnings. For example, substitute with: "This taught me the importance of empathetic communication during a crisis"

3. "What kind of leader do you aspire to be?"

   • Link to Lessons Learned: Your goals ought to be derived directly from the learnings you have gathered. For instance, you might want to be a collaborative leader who creates inclusive workplaces if you learnt the value of teamwork in one of the experiences mentioned previously.

   • Values-Driven: Elaborate on the fundamental principles that will guide your leadership approach? (for instance, sustainability, empathy, collaborative attitude etc)

   • Beyond the Title: Explain the difference you wish to make as a leader, not merely the role you wish to occupy. Articulate the positive effects that your leadership will have on your company, sector, or community.

Essay 2: "What intellectual experiences have influenced your approach to learning and have led you to pursue an MBA? Please describe using anecdotes from your own experiences."

With the second essay, you have the chance to demonstrate your intellectual curiosity, your distinct learning style, the experiences that have shaped your career and how these factors contributed to your decision to pursue an MBA. It's important to consider not just what you have learnt but also how you have learned it and why it is important for your future.

1. "What intellectual experiences have influenced your approach to learning?"

   
   

Beyond Academics: Don't confine yourself to formal training or college courses alone. Think creatively! You might want to include:

• Work initiatives that present challenges include solving a hard problem, learning a new technology, or making a strategic decision that calls for in-depth analysis.

• Self-learning projects that include acquiring a new skill on your own, working on a passion project that involves a lot of research, or delving deeply into a topic just out of pure curiosity.

• Working on a group project that requires you to combine various ideas from different team members.

• Personal interests that include reading widely on a certain subject, participating in thought-provoking discussions, or investigating a new area that has expanded your horizons.

Focus on the "Intellectual": Highlight the mental challenge, the problem-solving skills, the critical thinking, and the conceptual knowledge you acquired.

Developing Your Method: Describe how the experiences you navigated have altered your learning style. Explain how it improved your ability to analyze, synthesize information, learn from mistakes, or be resilient in the face of complex data. Demonstrate your awareness of your own learning process.

2. “Led you to pursue an MBA?”

   
   

This is where you connect your past intellectual journey to your future aspirations and the need for an MBA. You can discuss how:

• These experiences revealed a gap in your knowledge or skills that an MBA can fill

• They sparked a new career interest that requires a broader business understanding

• They made you realize the importance of a structured, comprehensive business education for your long-term goals

The connection should be logical and should not appear forced, demonstrating that the MBA is a natural and necessary progression for your journey ahead.

3. “Please describe using anecdotes from your own experiences.”

• Specific Examples: Generic statements won't cut it. Provide vivid, concise anecdotes for each intellectual experience.

• STAR Method (Situation, Task, Action, Result): Briefly set the scene (Situation), explain the intellectual challenge or task (Task), describe your thought process and actions (Action), and then detail what you learned and how it influenced your approach to learning (Result).

• Personal Reflection: Conclude each anecdote with a clear statement of the intellectual insight gained and how it shaped your learning philosophy.

  
  

Essay 3: "Share with us any intellectual pursuits, unique perspectives, or experiences that you pursued that have shaped your worldview, your growth through these pursuits, and how they could potentially contribute to our learning community."

This essay is shorter, so every word becomes even more valuable! It's about bringing out a part of you that might not fit into the other essays, highlighting your individuality and your potential to add value to the diverse ISB cohort.

1. “Any intellectual pursuits, unique perspectives, or experiences that you pursued…”

Think Creatively: This isn't about your work or your usual academic accomplishments; those are already discussed as part of the mandatory essays. You can think about:

• Niche Interests/Passions: Strong interest in a particular sport, art form, or cultural practice

• Unconventional Projects: Any research project, a startup idea, or a community initiative that piqued your interest

• Unique Life Experiences: Any unique childhood experience that shaped your perspective such as  living in a culturally dissimilar setting, or conquering a major personal obstacle.

• Deep Intellectual Dives: Studies subjects or researched domains unrelated to your academic or professional qualifications purely out of curiosity.

  
  

Here, "unique" is crucial. What distinguishes this viewpoint or experience from what the admissions committee could observe generally in other applications as well

2. “...that have shaped your worldview, your growth through these pursuits..”

• Worldview Shift: Explain how these events radically alter your perspective on the people, opportunities, issues, and world. Did it make you more empathetic, make you reevaluate your biases, or provided you with a fresh perspective on difficult situations?

• Personal Development: Be clear with the skills or competencies that improved as part of these experiences. Could be analytical thinking in a new field, creative problem-solving, cross-cultural communication, resilience - it should speak to the exact instances mentioned in the essay

3. “...and how they could potentially contribute to our learning community.”

• Connection to ISB: Make a clear connection between your learnings and ISB rather than just talking about yourself. Clearly articulate how your distinct viewpoint or experience could help your peers, group projects, club activities, or class discussions.

  
  

• Be specific: As opposed to making generic statements such as  "I'll bring diversity," state "My experience growing up across multiple states taught me how to bridge communication gaps, which I can apply to fostering collaboration in ISB's diverse study groups." or "My deep dive into Generative AI has given me a unique analytical lens that I believe will spark new discussions in tech-strategy classes."

  
  

• Peer Learning: ISB places a strong importance on peer learning. Demonstrate how your distinct experience will bring a new perspective to this collaborative setting.

Examples of Strong ISB Essays: What Works and What Doesn’t

After dissecting each essay, let's now examine what really makes an essay succeed and what makes it fail. Your writing can significantly enhance if you understand these distinctions. Thousands of essays are reviewed by admissions committees. Yours must be unique for the right reasons. 

Here are some essential components of effective essays and typical mistakes to steer clear of.

Essential components of effective ISB essays

• Authenticity: This is non-negotiable. Don't write what you believe ISB wants to hear or attempt to be someone you're not. Talk about your real-life experiences and learnings.

• Self Reflection: Self reflection involves considering not only what occurred but also why it was significant, how it impacted you, and the lessons you took away. Demonstrate your self-awareness and reflective skills.

• Clear Structure & Flow: Your essay will be easy to read and comprehend even if it has a word limit if it follows a logical flow from introduction to anecdotes to conclusion. Every paragraph ought to logically expand upon the one before it.

• Specificity & Anecdotes: To support your arguments, provide succinct, vivid anecdotes. Generalizations such as "I am a good leader" don't work. Rather, give an example of a time when you showed leadership.

• Stay on the Topic: Each section of your essay should directly respond to the specific topic of the essay. Don’t go off-track.

• Show, Don't Tell: Rather than telling that you have a certain characteristic, demonstrate it in your anecdotes by your actions and reflections.

• Conciseness: Every word must be justified, especially when there are stringent word limitations. Steer clear of nebulous fluff, repetitions, and jargon.

Common pitfalls of ineffective ISB essays

• Vagueness: The admission committee is frequently underwhelmed by essays that lack precise information, tangible examples, or obvious conclusions. Instead of a generic story, they want to see yours. For instance: "I learned a lot about leadership from my college project, which made me a better person." (Too ambiguous)

• Overuse of Buzzwords and Clichés: Phrases like "paradigm shift," "thinking outside the box," "synergy," and generalizations about being "passionate" or "driven" are overused and don't convey anything distinctive about you. For instance: "My ultimate goal is to be a dynamic leader who leverages diverse teams for synergistic growth." (Packed with clichés)

• Absence of Reflection: It's a serious red flag to merely recount events without describing how they affected you or what you took away from them. It lacks the "so what?" element. For instance: "I worked on a tough project, we delivered it on time, and it was a success." (No consideration of learning or personal development.)

• Poor Structure & Disjointed Narrative: Your essay may be difficult to read and comprehend if your ideas are disorganized, you jump around a lot, or your narrative doesn't make sense.

• Overemphasizing Others: The essay is about you, even though teamwork is beneficial. Don't focus too much on what your team accomplished without emphasizing your unique role and lessons learned.

Additional Tips for Writing an Impressive ISB Essay

Here are 5 nuggets from the Preppie mentors to help craft compelling essays:

• Start Early & Think Deeply: Never undervalue the importance of self-reflection. Writing the best essays takes time. Spend weeks, not days, coming up with ideas, thinking back on your experiences, and figuring out why those times were important. Genuine insights are made possible by this in-depth thought, and these are essential for ISB's reflective essays.

• Draft the Outline First: Before you write, make sure you have a thorough outline. Structure is your best friend when you have stringent word restrictions. A solid plan ensures you cover all sections of the essay, maintain a logical flow, and manage your word count properly. This guarantees conciseness and avoids digression.

• Seek Strategic Feedback (But Not Too Much!): An outside viewpoint can help you identify mistakes, point out areas where your ideas are unclear, or offer better ways to express them. But receiving too many inputs can weaken your genuine voice so moderation is the key here.

• Polish, Polish, Polish! (Meticulously Proofread): Small mistakes can ruin a great story. The reader is distracted by typos, grammatical errors, and difficult language, which also reflect negatively on your attention to detail.

• Be authentic: The golden guideline is to always be specific and authentic. There is almost no chance of getting through with generic essays that seem like they might have been written by anyone. What will make you unforgettable are your distinct experiences, described with anecdotes and sincere reflection.

  
  

Conclusion

Although writing ISB essays may seem like a daunting task, see it as an amazing opportunity to share your story with the admissions committee in your own words. This is about a deep journey of self-discovery and expressing your goals, not just about getting into a business school.

Don't wait for the "right" inspiration or the "perfect" occasion. Just starting is the greatest way to get started. Write down your ideas, even if they are initially disorganized. Accept that drafting, refining, and reflecting are important parts of this process. You get closer to your dream with every word you write. Have faith in your individual experiences, your capacity for leadership, and your curiosity.

Your essays are your opportunity to demonstrate that you are the kind of person ISB is seeking for—someone who can make a significant contribution. Therefore, take a deep breath, have faith in your path, and begin writing your winning essays right now. Your future at ISB awaits you!

FAQs about ISB Essay Topics 2025

Q.1 Can I reuse my essays from other schools?

Although core themes or few anecdotes might repeat, direct reuse is strongly discouraged. ISB essays trigger in-depth consideration of individual experiences, leadership, and intellectual development in relation to ISB. To show real interest and fit, make sure every essay is exactly tailored to ISB’s value and philosophy.

Q.2 How should I approach the optional essay?

Use it to bring attention to any special aspects of your life that aren’t discussed elsewhere. Pay attention to how it changed your perspective, helped you improve personally, and—most importantly—how it will add value to the ISB learning community. Leverage the optional essay only when adding something genuinely novel.

Q.3 What if I don’t have strong leadership experience?

Leadership is more than your formal designation or titles. Think about instances in your life when you proactively took charge, influenced others, collaborated with a group to solve a problem, or handled a difficult situation. Mention about your actions, the learnings you had, and your leadership potential—even in non-formal settings.

Ready to Stand Out with Your ISB Application?

It can sometimes feel daunting to navigate the ISB essays, but you don't have to do it all alone! At Preppie, we specialize in mentoring aspirational candidates like you in creating distinctive and compelling narratives. Our skilled ISB alumni provide personalized guidance, from curating original ideas to helping edit every paragraph, ensuring your essays genuinely reflect your potential. For a free consultation with a Preppie mentor, visit click here. Together, we can make your 2026 ISB application one to remember!