Now that the first round results of almost all the b-schools are out, we get regular queries about which b-schools to join. There is rarely any confusion about A, B, and C but after that, it seems as if aspirants are having a lot of trouble choosing between the IIMs L, I, and K and other top b-schools such as FMS, XLRI, MDI, and others. How does one go about making the right choice between the IIMs and other top schools? One of the terms thrown around a lot these days is ROI.
How you should really calculate ROI
A few years back, an aspirant I was speaking to after an ISB info session said
- Sir, these days even IIM-A does not offer a great ROI, the average salary and fee are close to each other.
A lot of aspirants tend to use ROI to evaluate colleges. They tend to use ROI in conjunction with batch size to decide which college to join where ROI is simply taken to be the Average Salary/Cost of Education.
Well, once you do an MBA you will realize that more than an ROI, the better tool to use will be a Cost-Benefit Analysis since you are not investing in a purely financial instrument or land or gold.
Whenever one does a cost-benefit analysis one has to consider not just the tangible but also the intangible costs as well as benefits.
The intangible benefits or the benefits to which you cannot put a number are the ones that most aspirants on the verge of joining an MBA program, those who are doing their MBA and those who have just graduated are unaware of. This post will deal with all of these intangibles that might help aspirants to make a decision.
The three letters I-I-M carry more weight than you can imagine
Firstly, no aspirant should forget that the second-most prestigious & valuable prefix that an institution in this country can carry is IIM. When most aspirants start preparing for the CAT, they do not tell themselves that they want to crack XL or MDI or FMS, it is always the IIMs that are on most people minds.
The same holds true for the rest of the business management fraternity — the word IIM carries a lot more weight than you can imagine. People evaluating you at your workplace are more likely to pull down an IIM grad at the slightest hesitation saying “How can this person be from an IIM-grad”.
The IIM-tag predisposes people to think positively about you
When you introduce yourself as an IIM graduate, people’s perception of your ability becomes vastly exaggerated. People will tend to treat you as being good unless you yourself prove them wrong. Whereas those from other brands are viewed neutrally and they have to prove themselves. It goes without saying the same applies when people look at your resume.
An MBA is about a lot more than your first job
The problem with the ROI method is that it places unduly high importance on the short-term result — the first job you get out of campus. Don’t you think that is barely any return! Good investments yield returns over a longer time period and a good MBA is also supposed to do the same.
You might not get your dream job even at IIM-A
On-campus recruitments are very unlike recruitments off-campus and this difference is key to understanding the long-term value of an MBA.
During placements on campus, recruiters are constantly comparing you with a huge list of other candidates they have at their disposal. For recruiters it is like a buffet with many awesome things to choose from but with one constraint — time and competing recruiters!
So what do companies do? They start using various filters to ensure that they look at fewer people and somehow get the people they want before their competitors get them. What are the filters that get applied? They vary from company to company but to name a few
- the brand of the college you graduated from (everybody wants to get into McKinsey but they can’t possibly interview everyone, so they use the college brand as a filter)
- leadership positions held (so guys with big leadership roles on campus get filtered in over may be people with a better CGPA) etc
So intense is the competition among companies that one year a prominent consulting firm at IIM-A was even willing to forego the final interview round if the people who they shortlisted so far were still not picked up by others. Imagine, they were scared that by the time they finish their process, they will no have candidates left!
Compare this with an off-campus process. Firstly, it is not a 3-day affair, so companies are not in any hurry to shortlist and interview people as fast as possible. So you will end up getting a fairer shot and enough time to make a good case for your candidature.
Companies do not need people only at the time of campus placements. In fact, most fresh MBA graduates quit their first jobs within a year! There is a constant need for people all year round and they scour various portals and recruitment agencies to get resumes.
So you do not need to worry about the campus placements being final summit or crowning point to reach. In fact, it is just the beginning of the climb.
What the MBA gives you is a platform to reach the top over the course of your career.
It’s your peer network that will get you jobs in the long run
Campus placements last only a few days but your peer network, network of immediate seniors and alumni network will be the ones that will be getting you jobs over a longer period.
When you graduate from an IIM, you graduate with access to a network of people working in the best companies in the country. You will not come to know of openings only through job portals but from your alum network.
Also, you get access to platforms such as IIM Jobs through which candidates and recruiters find each other. A student who recently graduated from IIM-A told me that after graduating this March he was approached by three companies via IIM Jobs.
Can you place a monetary value to the opportunities that this network will open up for you?
One can if one we have the data to track the salaries of different cohorts over long-term time spans: median salary IIM grads with ten years of work-ex etc.
If you want to start your own firm, the tag is invaluable to attract investors
Investors are always taking bets on people as much as they are on ideas. Even before you pitch your ideas, investors will be aware of most of the hot ideas and opportunities that are present in the market. So, in essence, they are only evaluating the capability of the team and one of the things that goes a long way in boosting your credentials is the IIM-tag.
So keeping all of this mind how should you make your choices?
IIMs – L, I & K versus FMS, XLRI, S.P.Jain, MDI
Technically I would always place the old IIMs above all other schools purely for the reasons mentioned above.
The only exception can be FMS, for the almost low fees! How does one break this deadlock? Choose FMS over the others if
- If you have already done your graduation as a fully residential program from an IIT, BITS, NIT etc. and/or
- If you are sure you want to explore entrepreneurship options immediately after your MBA
What is the rationale behind this?
Firstly, If you have not studied at a premier national-level college, whilst staying on campus in the hostel, an education at FMS or S.P.Jain will be incomplete in terms of the experience.
You will do an MBA only once and the experience of studying in an entire awesome campus dedicated to MBA education as opposed to one building or a department in a college where the main program is not the MBA, which is the case with the FMS, S.P.Jain, NMIMS, and MBAs at IITs is something that you will cherish for life. You are not going to really enjoy life again (maybe for a few years after you graduate) 🙂
If you have already experienced the same during your graduation then you can go ahead and choose FMS, else the IIMs.
Secondly, if you want to start working on your own venture straight out of college then an education loan will always be an albatross around your neck, making FMS best option.
There is a case for choosing SPJIMR-Ops over IIM-I and IIM-K if you are really keen on getting the full range of core operations jobs to choose from, the IIMs might not offer you such a vast selection since they do not admit based on specialization.
You can choose other colleges over new & baby IIMs
When it comes to the choice between new IIMs and other schools, choose other top schools over them since you will get the benefit of the degree only over a very long-term, when they are no longer considered new.
Also, everything else right from campus, to college culture and placements will just be beginning to take root and hence leave you quite a bit on the back-foot in the short-term. There will also be no large network of seniors through whom you get access to jobs.
This caused a bit of agony to people who were studying at new and baby IIMs. I will be posting first-hand experiences of people who studied in-person at the new and baby IIMs.
In one of the those posts, Siddharth, who had also worked at IMS, wrote this as his reason for choosing IIM-U over IIFT-K:
I’m from Kerala, and I wanted to have some exposure from North India. This is not a significant criterion for decision-making, however, most of my decisions are based on what makes me feel good. I go by what my heart says, and that’s not always good, but that makes me always happy and fills the gap for any possible regrets. And that’s why I didn’t go to IIFT Kolkata because I had an unreasonable and petty obsession for an IIM tag. And I’m not ashamed of telling that aloud. Yes, I was obsessed and stubborn. Else, I would have regretted a few years later, and my brain will keep on telling me, “Sid, you should have gone to IIM.” Now I’ve happily satisfied my obsession and ego. Yeah, satisfying our ego is a good feeling.
You are not investing in a college you are also investing in yourself
Most view the expenditure on an MBA from the what-am-I-getting-for-what-I-am-paying lens, making it the college’s responsibility to deliver. Well, unfortunately, the college owes you nothing.
The college deems you suitable for a career in management and has offered you a seat giving you access to
- the learning that they can offer and
- the best firms in the country
You are investing this money to acquire this education and this network to maximize your potential and your career opportunities.
Most of the time what you study during the course will barely be used in the first few years of your life as an MBA. It will only start making sense when you come into big decision-making roles later in life (even those subjects which you will find most useless on campus).
You are not learning subjects that will help you do your first job better. You are learning and developing the skills to lead a company later.
So it makes a lot of sense to view things not from an immediate placement perspective but from the perspective of maximising your chances of leading the best firms or starting a successful firm of your own.
A few years back this post elicited a lot of aggressive responses.
People accused me of favouritism in placing L over XL since the former is my alma mater. People have pointed out the average salary at XL being higher than the one at L, and so and so forth.
Firstly, I live by Groucho Marx’s dictum — I refuse to join any club that will have me as a member. So, there is no special attachment that I have to IIM-L or any other institution. Wherever I have studied, it has always been a few teachers, the architecture, and the library that I have had an attachment to or fondness for rather than the school or college as a whole. It goes without saying that the moment I meet any person from IIM-L, I do not get particularly excited since that particular individual should be someone with whom I will get along (one has conversations with a person not a tag).
Secondly, yes, the average salary at XL is higher than that at L, but the fees at L is lower. Higher average salary does not mean that every student at XL will get a salary more than every student at L. Also, the average is a function of the denominator. If you take the salaries of the top 180 students at both colleges, I am sure the comparison will look different. Now if you feel that you will end up in the bottom 120, then it is a different matter altogether.
Thirdly, I am not sure if the everyone in the cream (the ones who score 99.5 and above on the CAT) of the test-taking population takes the XAT. IITians would always like to add a few more Is to their resumes instead of other alphabets. I myself eased off when taking the XAT since I was sure that I had aced the CAT. Also, XAT is verbal heavy than LR-DI or QA heavy, so the CAT ends up filtering out a different set of toppers. So as a batch goes, I feel the kind of peer group you are likely to find at the top at L might be different from the kind you will find at XL.
To validate my arguments we need to slice and dice a lot of data that only the b-schools can give us and they couldn’t care less. So readers can take “my take” with a pinch of salt and ignore it, instead of launching into tirades.
I am sure XL can be argued to be a better choice solely on the basis of its sporting rivalry with IIM-C and the events surrounding this rivalry. After a point, it always boils down to the premises that you use to reach your conclusion, with a different set of premises or criteria you can arrive at a different conclusion.
Since all of these colleges guarantee great outcomes, it finally does not matter one way or the other!
Another major accusation that a commenter hurled was that people like me perpetuate the Sharma Ji ka beta and elite college ke peeche bhaagne wala syndrome. Well, relying on labeling people en masse seems to be a major national malaise. It is any day easier to label and discredit rather than having to tease out the rationale.
Did I ever make a statement saying if you have to do an MBA, do it only from the IIMs? Nope. In fact most years, I convince students to take up NMIMS, SIBM and other schools instead of wasting yet another year running after an IIM without a job in hand. In most of my replies to queries on this blog, I always ask students to take not just the CAT but XAT, IIFT, NMAT and SNAP. So the commenter was attacking an argument that I did not make!
All I am saying is that if you have the luxury of choosing between the old IIMs and other schools, my personal vote would be for the old IIMs, which you are welcome to crumple and throw it in the dustbin.
The reason I am making these things clear is that I do not want to go through the drudgery of defending a personal opinion in the comments section. As Oscar Wilde said, people are either charming and tedious, one of my other dictums in life to avoid the latter variety as much as possible.
I hope this article goes some way in helping aspirants view things from a different perspective and resolve the queries in their mind.
P.S: Whenever you are stuck with respect to decision-making just remember one thing: you cannot maximise all variables at the same time.
If you could maximise, you would not be stuck in the first place.
So, instead of lamenting the situation and casting yourself as a modern day Prince Hamlet — To be or not to be a newIIM-grad, that is the question — choose one variable over the other, take a decision and make peace.
That is exactly what Siddharth did, he chose the tag. Others would have chosen average salary. Both are valid and right.
The CAT Writer 
Hello Sir,
I converted IIM Shillong(PGP’25) and MDI Gurgaon(PGDM’25). I am confused which one I should opt for? Both colleges seem to be at the same level now, with S rising rapidly.
Kindly help.
Thanks,
Aritra
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Hi Sir,
I also have the same query. IIM Shillong is neither an old IIM nor considered under new IIMs. Also, It has grown really well and stands next to MDI with competitive placement stats.
Considering the nontangible benefits MDI has a larger alum base compared to Shillong, whereas IIM Shillong has a coveted IIM tag. It is really confusing to select between the two.
Your opinion will really help!
Thank you,
Kunal
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Hi Kunal,
Same query, so same answer:
There is little to choose between the two schools. You will not lose out if you choose either. So you can choose based on whichever parameter is more important to you — IIM tag, campus, location etc.
My personal if all other things are equal will be be S for the tag as well as the location (I am someone who likes to travel, so I would rather travel the north-east during semester breaks than go home :-)).
Moral of the story: it’s personal choice, you won’t make a mistake with either.
All the best!
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Hi Aritra,
There is little to choose between the two schools. You will not lose out if you choose either. So you can choose based on whichever parameter is more important to you — IIM tag, campus, location etc.
My personal if all other things are equal will be be S for the tag as well as the location (I am someone who likes to travel, so I would rather travel the north-east during semester breaks than go home :-)).
Moral of the story: it’s personal choice, you won’t make a mistake with either.
All the best!
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Hello Sir,
I have converted XLRI Delhi and MDI Gurgaon (HR & IB) programs. Not much interested in HR program. I’m a bit confused between these two as XL’s Delhi campus is newly opened whereas there are some uncertainties and high fees (considering the one-year foreign stay). Can you please help me in choosing between these two?
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Hi Anshul,
The real choice is not between XL and MDI but HR and IB (which can be considered equivalent to a regular MBA).
This post should help you make the decision.
https://thecatwriter.com/2022/05/16/how-to-choose-between-an-hr-program-and-a-regular-mba-3/
Hope this helps,
All the best!
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Could you weigh in on the IIM Ahmedabad or IIM Bangalore or IIM Calcutta dilemma? Would love to know your thoughts?
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Hi Akanksh,
This is a better problem to have!
As far as A, B, and C go, at an aggregate level, there is little to choose between them when it comes to placements. All three were started more or less around the same time, so there is no difference in the spread of the alumni pool in terms of access to firms
At a domain level, the difference is that A and C get more Finance placements with the fight always being between the two of them and B is not really counted. So, if you want a Fin job, then the choice is between A and C (B attracts more Consulting roles given the work-ex slant).
The big difference between A and the rest of the schools is the rigour. The first year at A will be more difficult than those at B, C and L combined and I include L since L is modelled after A and would be second in the list in terms of rigour (20 people were kicked out at the end of the first year in my batch at L)
Students who are toppers in their graduation colleges have quit A after the first month, and this rigour has been something that is a long-standing tradition. I remember my friend visiting A (from C) to meet a friend and telling me that it is a different place altogether.
You are also most likely to find the toughest and most competitive people from across India end up there. So, it actually is the cauldron it is made out to be.
IIM-A believes that you represent the school that is A, and hence you have to be pushed to deliver what they feel the IIM-A brand should stand for. So in a way, they want to transform you, and they do. So if you feel that you can handle the heat, go ahead and join A.
I have advised students both ways. I advised one of the best students I have had to join A, and he survived it and did fairly well, but not with a gong through a breakdown in the process. But he is overall the better for it; I knew he had the strength to pull through.
I have advised students to join B over A since I felt that they will not be able to stand the heat, they will end up feeling miserable, and thus not making the most of their experience they are likely to feel better at B and thus do better at B.
B sits exactly between A and C, in terms of rigour. C feels that once you have the right to vote, you basically can make your own choices and are responsible for yourself; they are not going to force you to change; they will provide everything you need to be a great MBA, but the onus on becoming that is on you.
Both approaches you see are equally valid. There is no right or wrong choice; it just depends on you choosing which environment you are likely to thrive in.
If you tend to chill and do well only when pushed, and you have had a chill time at IIT and now want to push and can handle the heat, then choose A.
If you feel you do not tend to chill and always do fairly well but would not want an entire system breathing down your neck, then choose B.
If you have had a lot of pressure and for once want to chill and still rest assured that you will get a great job, then C.
Remember, it is not about your ego and pumping yourself up to be a Djokovic or a Kohli. If you are a Williamson or a Root, then you should choose an environment that is supportive of that kind of personality.
Hope this clarifies,
All the best!
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Sir, Could you be more elaborate about the academic rigour. More specifically, do people find it hard to digest the rigour because of the competition among the candidate pool or is it because of the course content/design/style itself or is it something else.
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The amount of coursework you have to, the compulsory reading, the marks for class participation and the way the faculty enforce it in the first year is pretty extreme.
Also, it is reported, by my students, that competition among peers is extreme; among those who aspire to the best jobs there is little co-operation. I cannot post everything here but suffice to say that my student who ended up finishing in the top 50 had a breakdown and came home. And as I wrote there is a certain number that cannot handle the sheer quantum of work and quit in term 1.
Again, what applies to a few need to apply to anyone. For example, if you can handle pressure and are not hell-bent on finishing top 75, cracking the best of the best jobs, then things will be manageable.
Hope this helps.
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Hi Sir,
How would you rate IIM L,K,I, recommending it to a non-engineer fresher from a not so well known university. What should be the paremeters to choose between these three? Which one to choose?
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Hi Prabhas,
Once you get an admit and you are on campus, it makes on difference whether you are an engineer or non-engineer — I have seen engineers struggle with accounts and non-engineers struggle with Math, from well-known or not well-known schools.
What matters is the skills you bring to the table during the two years you spend there.
I do not think there is too much to think, choose L. If you feel that the academic rigour at L, which tries to imitate A, might be a bit too much to handle, choose K. (I and K were established in the same year and thus the only real choice remains the campus, K’s is fantastic location, and the fact that K has had a lot of a good things going for it, in terms of placements for even its new programs).
Hope this helps,
All the best!
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Hello sir,
What should we give more preference to – specialization of choice or college brand?
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Why so cryptic, Shivali? Which college, which specialization?
In terms of specialization, for hard-core Ops profiles, who want to stick to it: NITIE and SPJIMR will be better choice than the bigger bigger.
In terms of brand, for example, there is no way you should XL, despite not wanting HR, since HR is a different line altogether.
Hope this helps,
All the best!
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Sir, I have converted SCMHRD -BA and my other options are TAPMI/SIIB,etc. (core programs). I have an inclination towards marketing but at the same time SCMHRD is much bigger brand and provides a much better starting package so, I am confused should what should I do?
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I think the latest post on the blog about choosing between HR and regular MBA should resolve your dilemma.
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Hello sir,
Can you please elaborate IIM K vs IIM I. Which to choose for a fresher?
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Hi Atharv,
Both colleges were started in the same year, and there is not much of a difference in terms of alumni network and stuff.
K has a great location and campus. And from what I heard from my ex-colleague who is doing his PhD. in strategy there, the placements for even all the new programs are great.
I would recommend K.
All the best!
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NITIE vs SJMSOM IIT B which college should I choose ? No specialization preference as of now.
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Hi Anas,
Honestly no difference at all.
You can choose either and you will not regret it.
All the best!
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SJMSOM IIT Bombay vs NITIE which college should I go for ? No specialization preference as such.
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Hi Sir, thank you for your insights. However, I am in a dilemma between choosing IIM Shillong PGP and MDI Gurgaon PGDM. Considering the growth that IIMS has been on over past couple of years and the fact that MDI in itself is a very reputed b-school in the country with a huge alumni network. Please guide me on choosing the school that would be an ideal fit for me considering I want to pursue a career in management consulting.
I am an engineering graduate from NIT Silchar with 3.9 years of experience (2.7 years in Software Engineering and 1.2 years in Tech Risk Consulting at one of the Big4s)
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Hi Anirban,
Given that you are from an NIT, an IIM-tag might probably in the long-run make more of an impact on your resume than other brands.
For that reason, I would suggest IIM-S.
The first job on campus is just a starter and most people end up finding their dream jobs off campus rather than on-campus.
So, whatever few firms you might miss out on by letting go of MDI, you can easily make up later.
Hope this helps,
All the best!
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MDI IB Vs IIM ASR/Vizag flagship MBA?
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Hi Sameer,
I would say MDI-IB if you can afford the fee.
Between AMSR and Vizag, I would say Vizag based on this post written by am alum who was angry at the way baby IIMs were viewed.
https://thecatwriter.com/2021/05/25/my-mba-journey-iim-visakhapatnam-3/
Hope this helps,
All the best!
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Hello Sir,
I have converted both the PGP LSM and Finance programs at IIM K. While I wait for the next list for the PGP program at IIM K, where I am waitlisted, I would like to accept either the LSM or Finance offer. However, I am caught in a dilemma when it comes to making a choice between the two programs. I have 34 months work experience in the finance domain and I did B.Com in my UG.
I have gone through the course structures and at first glance I found the finance course to be quite heavy on finance subjects alone whereas the LSM course doesn’t seem to dive deep into any subject as such.
Though I have worked in the finance domain up until now I do not have an inclination towards finance. Would it be wise of me if I were to take a detour and pick the LSM course over finance? Is there an advantage in choosing the finance course given my work experience and graduation?
Would appreciate it if you could weigh in your suggestions and insights.
Thank you,
Sai
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Hi Sai,
Well, the thing is that you are looking at two completely disparate programs, so choosing between them is like choosing two different food groups with a completely different nutritional profiles.
The IIM-K Fin program has been doing pretty well on the placements front (I have an ex-colleague who is doing his PhD. in Strategy there).
The IIM-L SM program is a very niche program since it is not even on the same campus, unlike the ABM program. This post by a student should give you a clear idea: https://thecatwriter.com/2021/05/30/my-mba-journey-iim-l-pgpsm-2/
You threw a spanner in the works right at the end by saying that you do not really like Fin. Not liking X does not mean that you are perfect for Y! (I am sure you have heard the phrase on the rebound)
I can’t make the decision for you. If you have an option for a regular MBA, even if it is not from an IIM, that might be the best option.
Hope this helps,
All the best!
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Thank you Sir, sorry if I wasn’t clear earlier but I would like to clarify that I have converted the Liberal Studies Management program at IIM Kozhikode and it’s not the sustainability program at Lucknow.
So now I would have to choose between the two programs at IIM Kozhikode itself.
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Hi Sai,
I read your query late at night and replied in the morning!
I did a quick check with my source at K. He says that the placements are common and good, and the international immersion program is the highlight, according to the students.
You can join it without worrying much if it appeals to you more than Finance.
All the best!
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Hello Sir.
I want to build entrepreneurial skills and set up a business right after MBA. Since FMS has one of the lowest fees, it becomes the top choice. But since I have graduated with simple MSc from a local college, I do not carry any tag of sort which an IIM could provide.
On the other hand, from what I’ve heard, although IIMs lay a huge burden of student loans just after the course is completed, they are also the best to develop entrepreneurial skills. With dedicated entrepreneurship and incubation centers, like IIM-A, they provide an unmatched platform for budding entrepreneurs which other colleges, like FMS, may not be able to provide.
With both the concerns regarding student loan and ability of the institution to provide suitable platform to start my entrepreneurship journey, what should be my approach towards selection of college?
What are the colleges that should be on top of my list?
PS: I’m 30, married and working as Grade A Officer at a Govt. institution with 4.5 yrs experience.
Thanks in advance.
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Hi Mayank,
I am not sure whether you already have calls from the old IIMs and FMS or whether you are planning to appear for CAT next year.
Either way as I said, unless you already have loans, or if you do not have immediate entrepreneurship plans (you already have a solid b-plan and are only looking for your degree to give you the brand that will open doors), you should join an old IIM. Nothing beats the full residential IIM experience.
Hope this clarifies,
All the best!
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Thank you for the reply.
I’m planning to appear for CAT this year and will be targeting top colleges only as my current package is Rs.18 LPA (will be Rs.21.5 LPA on promotion this year) with a comfortable and secure govt. job. I assume that a good CAT score, my current job experience and Masters degree in Forestry might give an edge in interviews and help in securing a good college.
I currently do not have any skills for entrepreneurship and will be starting from scratch when I join an institution. Also, I have not decided what and where to start as an entrepreneur and do not have an idea or plan in my head. I’ll be completely dependent on the learnings from the institute that I join to provide a platform for starting my entrepreneurial journey.
I do not have a plan B. Quitting my job would be ultimate step with no turning back. Since I’m married, I do not wish to start with a huge loan burden after college, but if it does take a loan burden and some years spent with family support (may be just some rent and food) to secure the skills required, I’m willing to do so.
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Hi Mayank,
Since you have been in the Govt. Sector transition to the private sector is going to be an interesting challenge. I think only a fully residential program such as one at the old IIMs will help you achieve the transformation.
The key thing about the salaries post-MBA is not package on campus but the kind of jumps in the salary and role you will be able to make 7 years and later into your career. That is a kind of upside you will not get in other career paths.
So, unless you already have an EMI running, do not worry too much about the loan — no risk, no reward.
For now, forget about everything and just focus on cracking the CAT.
All the best!
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Hi sir,
My name is PON KRISHNAN and I am from chennai. I have converted both IIM RAIPUR and IIFT KOLKATA. I am having a hard time choosing between these two colleges. Some are saying to go ahead with IIFT KOLKATA and some are like, IIFT KOLKATA has combined placements with IIFT DELHI and generally IIFT DELHI students are given higher preference and some companies don’t even come for IIFT KOLKATA. There is talk that from this year onwards IIFT KOLKATA is going to have separate placements, though this has not been confirmed yet from IIFT. Can you give me your suggestions in choosing between these two colleges.
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Hi Ponkrishnan,
One of the things I learnt from my MBA is the concept of EVPI — Expected Value of Perfect Information. EVPI is always very high because perfect information is almost impossible to get.
The same is the case with the conundrum of IIFT Kolkata placements vis-a-vis Delhi and all that stuff.
So you have to make a choice based on your interests or gut-feel or aspirations and not on average salary calculations.
IIM-Raipur is a good school and will give you a good start. So please understand that in choosing either you will not be making a huge mistake.
I really like the perspective Sid provides in this post on why he chose IIM-U — https://thecatwriter.com/2023/05/15/my-mba-journey-iim-udaipur-3/
You have to similarly lay down some principles and chose.
The rest, as the wise man (me) said, is FOMO!
Hope it helps,
All the best!
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