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What are the things an MBA aspirant must look for in a B-School?

Vasudha

Most of the students think that college selection is a simple process of just focusing on rating and popularity. While it may be so for top of the league colleges, when it comes to the next level there are multiple factors that play a role.

These factors are driven by a student’s preferences and their ecosystem. For example, one student may be interested in Analytics or Big Data as preferred specialization while another student may be inclined towards traditional streams of Finance or Marketing.

The fee may be a matter of concern for some but not so much for others. Given below is a summary of certain vital parameters to be considered while making the important decision: 

Do accreditations have an impact on the decision-making process?

Students see various accreditations and affiliations of colleges that offer MBA courses, as it needs to be authentic when they go out in the market for a job.

Ok so let’s say than an MBA aspirant has narrowed down a couple of colleges. How must he differentiate the B-Schools now to select the right B-School for him? What all aspects are to be considered?

Having been in this industry for more than 17 years, I have noticed this dilemma takes place on many occasions. Students often get confused as to which B-School they should go for and things get all the more tricky when their options belong to the same category. So I suggest they differentiate the colleges on the following aspects to get a better view. This is more of an extension of the first question but with a broader perspective:

In India, you say MBA, and the first name that pops up is IIM. So after IIMs, which are the top colleges that MBA enthusiasts go for in India?

Of course, IIMs are top of the league, but frankly, if you ask me it is only the original names that carry the weight. When it comes to new IIMs, they are benefitting because of the brand but have yet to prove their mettle. Names like FMS, IIFT, MDI Gurgaon, etc have also carved out a niche for themselves.

It is after these names that students do not have much knowledge to conduct a fair analysis. There are a host of premier B-Schools like LBSIM, MICA, GIM, IMI Delhi, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Nirma University, MDI Murshidabad, Welingkar among others which offer quality education and impressive corporate exposure.

In fact, these B-Schools are putting in the extra effort to give relevant industry exposure to their students, running creative programs, and providing an ecosystem of excellence.

These B-Schools demand a CAT percentile above 80. Are there any decent MBA colleges in India where an aspirant can get a percentile score of less than 80? And is it really worth joining a B-School that accepts a CAT percentile score below 80?

CAT %ile is not an end in itself. It is a fallacy to believe that just because a student cannot score more than a certain %ile in CAT, he or she doesn’t deserve a good MBA education. In any college that takes students below 80%ile in CAT and other major exams, a candidate gets a platform to explore their talent and get launched in the real corporate world. All they need is more focus and little extra effort to shine. 

There are a plethora of B-Schools below 80%ile which offer worthy education and again, an ecosystem to develop the inherent talent of each individual. Following is a list of colleges wherein our students usually go.

We keep on taking feedback from students who are currently doing or have completed their MBA from these colleges. Feedback is tremendous and almost all the students shine in the real world when they step into. 

South India  North India West India East India 
IBA Bangalore: Ranked amongst top 1% B-Schools in India. IACBE Accredited Chitkara Business School: Placements in 96+ companies, Avg. salary- Rs. 6.2 lacs  S P Jain School of Global Management: A distinct multi-city MBA Program BGU: Belongs to the prestigious Birla Group. Supreme Infrastructure!
IBSAT: Curriculum aimed at producing the corporate leaders of tomorrow! Highest package: 50.23 LPA LM Thapar School of Management: Ranked 1st in Global Sensitivity, the Highest salary of Rs. 18.04 lacs  SDA Bocconi Asia Center, Mumbai: Study one semester in Italy & rest in India. Gain tremendous global exposure. Highest CTC:17.33 LPA IMI Kolkata: Prominent recruiters like HDFC, Airtel, BAJAJ Allianz and more. Highest package: 20 LPA
IFIM Bangalore: Industry-focused approach with tremendous corporate exposure. Intl Accreditation by AACSB. PML SD College: A comprehensive curriculum intended to produce corporate-ready individuals IMDR Pune: World-Class Institution, Workshops on Leadership and Innovation. Offers dual specialization MDI Murshidabad: One of the most preferred destinations for MBA aspirants in
ISBR, Bangalore: Industry tie-ups with Amazon, Deloitte, Citi among others,  Excellent Infrastructure SRM University, Sonepat: Growing with every passing year. Decent packages with a formidable placement record. ITM Mumbai: Consistently ranked amongst top MAT colleges with the highest package recorded being 17.8 lacs in 2019  
IMT Hyderabad: Supreme Infrastructure, distinguished alumni, and a host of top-notch recruiters. Highest CTC: 17.33 LPA World University of Design: An exciting institute to pursue MBA. Innovative approach and an impressive curriculum MILE, Pune: A highly interactive program aimed at developing the right set of management skills. 
NDIM New Delhi: Rated Best Industry Linked B-School of India by AICTE CII 
IILM Gurgaon: A growing Business School with decent corporate exposure
Taxila Business school: 100% Assured Placement support, IIMC training for students of 2017-19 batch.
FIIB New Delhi: Ranked 4th in North India, PGP Business Intelligence & Data Analytics
SOIL, Gurgaon: Unique curriculum with a distinct development plan for each individual. Co-created by 32 industry spearheads 
Bennett University: 

A good option for those looking to pursue MBA in Delhi-NCR
BIMTECH: 5th best pvt. B-school, Rs. 60 lacs Scholarships on offer

Any piece of advice for the MBA aspirants?

The purpose of students getting into an MBA college is to set them up for excellence in the corporate world. Transformation depends on initiatives and proactiveness shown by a student while they do their MBA program.

We have seen students who do not do well even when they pass out of top college because of their casual approach. A student needs to remember that primarily these are students who make any college a bigger brand. An average B-School today can outshine the top names if the alumnus of the college make a name in the industry and hence attract attention to the brand.

My final advice would be to put in your heart and soul in preparation and once the results are out, focus on your ultimate objective and not just the names. 

This article has been vividly written by Rakesh Rai – Head of Marketing at Bulls Eye. 

Mr. Rai is an expert strategist and psychometrician in the education arena having mentored thousands of students in different streams across various education verticals.  

With 17+ Years of relevant experience in this field, Rakesh has gathered a great amount of knowledge about colleges in India. Currently, he spearheads and leads – Sales and Service Team (pan India) of Hit Bulls Eye. Along with that, he handles multiple Bulls Eye physical classroom centers in the Chandigarh region. 

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