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What is the percentile that will ensure a call from IIM Calcutta, Lucknow, Bangalore, and Ahmadabad having 83% in 10th, 83% in 12th and a 6.9 CPGA in graduation, till now having no work experience?
First of all, bear in mind that there is never a 100% certainty of getting a call from a specific interest as there are many factors that determine it.
Considering your profile that lacks work experience and has witnessed a decline in the graduation marks, I don’t consider anything below 99.9 to fetch you a call from institutes like IIM Calcutta, Lucknow, Bangalore, and Ahmedabad. All these institutes only accept the best profiles and high scores. So unless you score a perfect 100, it will be difficult to get admission here.
Is it a better choice for choosing FMS Delhi over IIM A or IIM B when compared to placement salary?
There is no question at all if you are optimising for salary in the short term. On average, you would earn more at IIM Ahmedabad and Bangalore than at FMS. In the long run, it will be much more dependent on you and a little bit on the profile you want to work in. However, ceteris paribus and on average IIM Ahmedabad or IIM Bangalore will earn more or as much as an FMS grad. Choose A or B if you want to maximise your placement salary.
Whether you should optimise for placement salary is a different question, and the answer depends on what you want to do with your life.
What is it like to study at IIM Ahmedabad?
It’s a great experience studying at IIM Ahmedabad. You won’t have a single moment during the 2-year span. One of my friends graduated last year from IIM Ahmedabad. Here is her experience in brief.
- First year at IIM A is a humbling experience. The student crowd is brilliant. You will get to learn a lot through peer interaction.
- The academic system at IIM A tries to build a gap between undergraduate studies and management studies. You will have a learn new subjects, irrespective of your background.
- Other than regular academics, there are other co-curricular activities and surprise quizzes. You will always have to be prepared. Doing the coursework in time will give you a competitive advantage.
- A major part of the 1st year goes into internship prep. Your internship will have major implications on your final placements as well. So, you need to spend a lot of time improving your CV and preparing for the interview.
- Dorm life is an integrating part of IIM A life. Your dorm mates will be a crucial part of your support system for the next 2 years.
- There are various club activities, you can choose one depending on your interest.
- Second-year is a lot different from the first year. While the first year is more about getting used to academics and campus life, the second year is more about making choices. You will have to decide whether you want an exchange program or not. You also need to choose which placement roles you want.
- You will get to choose your subjects for the second year based on your interests. There are also no surprise quizzes in second year.
- You will have to spend a lot of time in placement prep in your second year. The final placement process is much more extensive.
In second year, you will get a lot of free time as well. My friend explored many eateries and also went on trips with her friends. Naturally, everyone has a unique experience on campus.
What is the worst thing to be in IIM Ahmedabad?
If you are joining IIM Ahmedabad, here are some things that you may find difficult to deal with.
- The environment on campus is quite competitive. You will start to realize the academic workload from the first week itself.
- You will be on your own. If you can’t grasp the coursework, you will get help from your seniors and peers but it’s only up to a point.
- In your first year, there is not much freedom. You will have compulsory sessions, placement sessions, etc. But this teaches you to operate within constraints.
Life becomes easier once you settle in.
Is getting into IIM Ahmedabad possible for an average student?
If you are already convinced that an average student cannot make it into IIM Ahmedabad, then you won’t be giving your best. Remember it's your mindset that determines your chances of admission.
I will narrate an anecdote of a friend who took the CAT, a few months ago. He had done a B.E. in electronics and comm. from a top local institute in Bengaluru and worked for 10 months in an IT role. He received a list of colleges he should target from his coaching based on his scores and overall profile.
Nevertheless, he wanted to get into IIM Ahmedabad. He had no one to guide him and his list did not have a single IIM. It seemed almost impossible but he did not give up.
Ultimately, he made it into IIM Ahmedabad and all his friends were shocked. They couldn’t believe someone with an average profile like him.
What are the best courses to take in IIM Ahmedabad?
The best course that I took during my MBA at IIM Ahmedabad, was not at my college.
It was the double degree that I pursued from ESCP Paris. There I had the pleasure of learning Marketing of Innovation under Professor Boris Durischin. The marketing concepts I learnt from him helped me land a well paying job. Sir made learning very pleasurable. He is one of the best teachers that I studied under.
The courses that I learnt at IIMA, and found useful, are-
- Trading Strategies and Managing Financial Institutions- These two courses refreshed my concepts in Finance. MFI prepared me for BFSI and mid office IB roles. These courses are scoring as well.
- Business & Intellectual Property and Legal Aspects of Business- These two courses under Prof. Anurag Agarwal, are a one time experience. Sir’s way of teaching is unmatched. He only teaches important and relevant topics. These two courses groomed me as a business professional.
These are the courses that I found useful as an MBA student at IIM Ahmedabad.
Should I Leave IIM Ahmedabad admission offer for RBI Grade B?
Let’s talk about the advantages and disadvantages of these options before choosing one of them.
RBI Grade B -
- RBI comes only after UPSE. Considering the political pressure of UPSE, RBI can be the best job in India.
- The salary package is similar to the median CTC offered at IIMA.
- RBI has great job security, irrespective of the ruling party. Govt. policies like privatization won’t affect RBI.
- Posting will be always in the state capital.
- RBI jobs have a great work-life balance.
IIMA -
- Batch size of IIMA is over 400. You will have to do exceptionally well to stand out from the crowd and bag offers from top investment banks and consulting firms.
- The course fee for the PGP is INR 23 lakhs. This can be burdensome for some students. Even if you get an INR 25 LPA CTC, after paying education loans, tax, EMI, etc, you will have around INR 1 lakh in hand.
- Many quit investment banking jobs or consulting jobs after a few years due to huge job pressure.
- The Covid-19 recession caused many recruiters to withdraw their offer even for IIM A,B,C. There are a number of things that can affect final placements.
Factor in all these points to make the decision that’s best for you.
How does ISB, Hyderabad compare to IIM Ahmedabad?
ISB Hyderabad and IIM Ahmedabad are among the most reputed B-Schools in India. Contrary to the popular belief that IIMs are the best option, ISB is better than most new IIMs. Here is a brief comparison of the institutes.
IIM Ahmedabad-
- Flagship program for IIMA is Post Graduate Program in Management. The course fee is INR 23 lakhs.
- The faculties of the institute are alumni of reputed universities across the globe. You will get help from the faculty regarding any doubts even outside the classroom.
- The college campus is well equipped with modern instruments to provide quality education. The classrooms are fully air-conditioned. The library stays open 24*7 for students and faculty.
- During the 2021 placement, the average CTC offered was 26.13 LPA. While the highest CTC offered was INR 1.32 Cr PA.
ISB Hyderabad-
- The flagship program for ISB Hydrabad is Post Graduate Program in Management (12 months). The total course fee is INR 36.3 lakhs.
- ISB Hyderabad has a great pool of well-experienced faculty.
- In the 2022 placement drive, the average CTC offered was INR 25 LPA while the highest was INR 42 LPA.
In terms of ROI, IIM A shows better results compared to ISB Hyderabad. The required fee is also less for IIMA. Unlike ISB, you won’t need mandatory work experience to join IIMA.
Which is better: the IIMA or the FMS?
Rather than asking which is better IIMA or FMS you should be asking what is better for you.
My friend is an IIM Ahmedabad pass out. She had got offers from IIM Calcutta, Lucknow, and FMS as well. Yet she chose IIMA because it was her dream college. One year into IIMA she realized some major shortcomings.
- The case pedagogy here is overhyped and not at par with global B Schools.
- The professors don’t teach you much, but rather keep you busy through assignments and quizzes.
- No practical learning of concepts as the curriculum was very obsolete in today’s world of business.
The only significant feature here is its excellent placement. This is also the reason why it attracts so much crowd. But this fantasy is also short-lived. As soon as you land a job, you have to start paying back the excessive loan for years. For instance, you land a package with CTC 20 LPA. The in-hand salary would be around 1 lakh and the EMI standing at the end of every month would be 50000. After reducing EMI and personal expenses you get little for yourself for several years despite your hard work. Despite graduating you will be stuck in the same life for years.
Now considering FMS it has the following merits that make it a tad bit better than IIM Ahmedabad
- Very low fees in comparison to IIM Ahmedabad
- Since you don’t have to take a loan you feel a sense of freedom to take up the course of your choice.
Your batchmates from FMS will be enjoying life, and fulfilling their dreams and you will be still stuck in the same circle of paying back loans. So the brand value is just not enough. I don’t think spending 20 lakhs on any Indian B School is worth it.
How much does an IIM Ahmedabad pass out earn after 12 years of passing out?
IIM Ahmedabad easily ensures a high salary. One of my cousin's brothers was an IIM Ahmedabad pass out. Today he is working abroad for Amazon and earns around 1.8 crore.
Another friend, an IIM Ahmedabad pass out, is making 26 LPA. He was nowhere near 20% or 30% of the batch, neither in academics nor in terms of campus replacement figures.
So we can safely assume that even without much shifting of jobs, an IIM Ahmedabad passout would reach the 1 crore easily.
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