You cannot determine which institution is better just by looking at data. Figures tend to mislead you. Rather than relying on just statistics, you need to choose what’s best for you. All the top IIMs are top-notch B Schools. But you need to make a choice based on your personal preference. I have mentioned the specifications of some famous B Schools.

• IIM Bangalore: It focuses more on experience. Most of the students here are with 1-2 years of experience. 

• IIM Calcutta: It is rightly called the finance campus of India. If you are interested in Investment Banking, hedge funds, or venture capital firms then IIM Calcutta is the best choice.

• IIM Ahmedabad: Most of the CAT toppers and CAT aspirants dream to get into IIM Ahmedabad. 

• XLRI Jamshedpur: It offers the best MBA HR in Asia. 

• NITIE & SJMSOM(IITB): Go for this if you are interested in operations.

• FMS Delhi: If you want to have the best ROI from MBA then FMS Delhi is the best option.

Choose your college based on your aspirations and not on the basis of placement statistics.

All three are fantastic brands, but that's it. After the first two terms, there isn't much to learn at any of these colleges. If you come from a CA/Commerce background, you won't need to learn much about these two terms. Case study-based instruction is overrated and out of date.

Because the cultures on the campuses differ slightly, it is best to consider where you will fit in the best.

While the set of recruiters is very similar, your ability to get shortlisted is heavily dependent on your relative profile, i.e., your performance in comparison to other students in your batch. It is more important to consider how good your profile is in comparison to the recruiters who come to the college.

IIMB has a much higher average work experience, and IIMC will have more people with extremely high CAT scores but a slightly lower academic performance history. For example, if you don't have stellar academics and aren't from one of the top undergraduate institutions, IIMC is a better option for placement. If you want to work in finance but don't have much experience, IIMA is probably not the best option for you.

A and B have much more professional placement cells, but C has made changes in recent years to move in this direction as well. However, having a professional placement cell does not guarantee a completely fair process, because, in many companies, PPO holders play a significant role in Summer placement shortlists. However, when compared to other colleges, the situation in these three is far superior.

IIM A is a slightly better brand than IIM B and IIM C, but the difference is not significant. You should talk to people at all of these colleges about placement. While much placement-related data is kept confidential, students can still give you an idea of your chances in the field of your choice.

Rather than following the age-old ABC pattern, make an informed decision.

Yes, the academic rigour of IIM Calcutta is more than IIM Bangalore. But to a very little extent. Overall the impact is very little.

The academic rigour at any institute is affected by:

• Batch-size

• Curriculum structure 

• Grading 

IIM Calcutta has the largest batch size. So the academic rigor is higher than other IIMs. Also, it has the fastest academic year. There are no breaks between terms, and midterms are wrapped, in most years, within 3 days with 2–3 exams per day. IIM Calcutta has a Grading scale upto 9 with grades very spaced out within the batch, and competition for superior grades often heats up towards the end of Term 3, with average performance spiking up as everyone wants to score high.

The rest is for you to judge. But keep in mind that the competition vigor at every IIM is the same.

Surely IIM Calcutta is the oldest and yet stands out the most from other IIMs. But trust me it has nothing to do with its campus, alumni, education, placement, extracurriculars or any other features. All the IIMs are equally good in all these aspects.

What makes IIM Calcutta different from them?

In reality, IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore welcome students only who have been toppers throughout their life. Their academic reports are flawless. Be it their 10th or 12th or Undergraduate. They have never seen failure in their lives. 

But in the case of IIM Calcutta, it has both genius students with flawless reports and people who have great CAT scores but below average undergrad or 10th and 12th scores. IIM Calcutta welcomes a mixed crowd and this is what sets it apart from other IIMs.

At IIM Calcutta, you will find peers who have failed or been to the lowest level once. But they have climbed the ladder of success with determination. Studying alongside people with such qualities makes education much more than just learning your subjects. You grow as a person. You don’t find people here, you find profiles. A manager needs to have these qualities in order to excel.

All the IIMs are great but it’s only IIM Calcutta that welcomes a mixed crowd.

I think IIM Calcutta is not as recognized or talked about as IIMA or IIMB because it did not gain fame from Bollywood. Bollywood movies have been shot at IIMA and IIMB. So they are more talked about than IIMC. It has nothing to do with its own facilities. That being said, some amazing features of IIM Calcutta are

1. Top notch alumni base 

2. Beautiful campus: The campus of IIM Bangalore is not an average one. Its beautiful infrastructure and location give it a surreal ambiance.

3. Amazing Placements: IIM Calcutta is the best for finance placements. Reputed banks like Merrill, Credit Suisse, JP Morgan and Chase, Goldman Sachs prefer students of IIM Calcutta over IIMA and IIMB. For consulting IIM Calcutta has all the top 4 Mckinsey, Bain, BCG and AT Kearney.

So nothing about IIM Calcutta is less than other IIMs. It just lacks the general fame, not the works.

IIM Ahmedabad is indeed different from IIM B, C, K, and I in many aspects. Some of these aspects are it’s:

• Discipline: when it comes to discipline, IIMA tops the list. The first year is a real-life challenge for students with hundreds of cases to study, group assignments and projects.

• Case pedagogy: This is the highlight of the IIM Ahmedabad curriculum. IIMAs curriculum aligns with that of Harvard Business School. So it focuses more on problem-solving classes.

• Architecture: IIMs pride lies in its heritage architecture. The red bricks surrounding the semicircular arches enhance the campus’ appearance tenfold.

• Crowd: Without any doubt, the cream of students get into IIMA. This is because it has the highest cutoff.

• Faculty: IIMA has top-notch faculty while some of them are IIM Ahmedabad alumni themselves.

IIM Ahmedabad is different from other IIMs in all these aspects. But what really sets it apart is its director Ravi Matthai and his systems cultivating accountability and autonomy.