Complete check-list before finalizing an MBA college

So, you have decided to join the MBA marathon. That’s very good. You know that you have to take a host of MBA exams like CAT, MAT, CMAT, XAT, CET etc. and clear your Group Discussions (GD) & Personal Interviews (PI) and make an impression on the panel, but once you have cleared all of that, then what? How do you know that THIS IS the right college for you? How do you ensure that this particular college will aid you in enhancing your skills and bring out the best in you, which will, in turn, help you secure a lucrative MBA career?

Well, here’s the catch. One of the biggest mistakes that an MBA aspirant can do is to not do enough research. What ensues then is a tell-tale of what friends, family & peers think is best suited. But ultimately, it is the student who needs to decide what’s best for him/ her and where he/ she would be most comfortable and learn and grow at the same time.

Here are some important pointers that we recommend every student to do before deciding upon an MBA institute.

• Degree or Diploma: Traditionally, students do not know the difference between an MBA degree course & an PGDM course. Any institute that offers a 2 years MBA programme gets an MBA degree, whereas a 1 year Management programme/ diploma is considered to be a PGDM degree. Also, MBA degrees are generally imparted by universities or colleges affiliated to a university, whereas a PGDM degree is awarded by MBA colleges which are autonomous & do not have any affiliation with any university. Indian Institute of Managements, ISB, Narsee Monjee, Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies and some other premiere MBA colleges offer a PGDM degree, which is valid and highly acknowledged in India.
• Infrastructure: Studying in a management college is expensive, so make sure that it has a tick mark against you check-list. What check-list, you ask? Well, make sure that all infrastructural facilities like modern, computerized and Wi-Fi enabled classrooms, a well facilitated library and resource access, clubs & societies that will strengthen your resume are present in the college. Also make sure that the infrastructure allows you to interface with industry and help you gain global exposure/ market exposure.
• Placement: It is mandatory for a B-school to have a well connected placement cell. The better the placement cell, there will be better chances of good companies visiting the college for placements. You can measure this but going through the history of placements done by the college and the average salary given to students year on year basis.
• Course fee: MBA aspirants across India will have different criteria to choose a college. For some it’s hostel, for others it maybe proximity to city. Some may look at placement history, while for some it could be the course fee. While education loans are readily available, it is a smart choice to do a MBA course fee comparison with nearby/ similar colleges offering the same course and specialization and see if it is really worth it? Looking at the placement and evaluating the average salary may be a good way to decide a college.
• Brand recognition: Nobody will ask you a second question if you are an IIM, XLRI, MICA pass out. The name speaks for itself for handing out jobs by the dozens every year and across all fields. Also the faculty that constitutes a particular college’s teaching list can say a lot about the college’s  status. The better and qualified a faculty is, the chances of a high reputation is inevitable.
• Faculty: Faculty should play a very important role in the choice of college.  If you are serious on doing a MBA, then make sure you check the history of the profound faculty at least once before making a final decision.
• Ranking: This makes the selection process of B-School smoother. If a B-School is ranked higher, then it automatically attracts good quality students thereby raising the bar. Also,  by default, the faculty quality gets better and there are chances of collaborating with other colleges/ universities for global exposure.                                                    
• Industry interaction: This is of utmost importance. What good can a management course be to you unless you visit industries, interact with industry people, share ideas, learn about latest techniques understand the ins and outs of a business? Industry interaction is a very important facet to an aspiring MBA student. Visits to various industries like FMCG, Banking, Internet etc., broadens your horizon about product knowledge and who knows, maybe you land yourself an internship (or in the best case, a job) in these companies. Moreover, this also helps you in making presentations/ projects/ case studies during your MBA course.
• Extra-curricular activities: ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. Surely all of you have heard this. Debating, extempore, quizzes, indoor and outdoor games and inter-college and intra-college competitions are a healthy way of exchanging information, being assertive and respecting the other person’s calibre…all of which go a long way to make you the Manager that you want to be at the end of the course and for life, hopefully. So unless an MBA college offers you that avenue to rise to the occasion and explore, what’s the point of doing an MBA that’s just theoretical in nature?

Source: VESIMSR, Mumbai