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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 did you clear GD-PI of IIM Ahmedabad?
The GD-PI round will not be easy irrespective of whether it’s for IIM A or any other college. There are certain non-negotiables in every GD-PI. These non-negotiables usually depend on the objective of the program and the values of the college. If you fulfill these criteria, the GD-PI round will not be that difficult.
Here are some things that can help you perform well in the GD-PI round.
- Dress appropriately for the interview.
- Try to hit a conversation with the panel. You need to be smart enough to figure out the 3 best things in your CV, about which the other person will be interested in talking.
- Present your answers in a short and concise manner. This will make an impact.
- Try to ask well-thought-out questions during the interview. This will show that you are keen to join the institute.
- Read your profile thoroughly. Many students fail to answer questions regarding their profile, due to the lack of preparation of their own profile.
The two most common questions asked during the GD-PI round are ‘Tell me something about yourself.’ and ‘Why MBA?”. So, prepare for these questions.
Is it clear that because of 78.75% in 12th, I don't have any chances of getting into IIM Ahmedabad or Bangalore?
The admission to IIM Ahmedabad or IIM Bangalore depends on a lot of factors other than just class 12th marks. The tables below will give a breakup of the weightage used by both these institutes during the initial shortlisting and final admission for the batch of 2021-23. You can visit the official websites of both institutes for better clarity.
| Shortlisting | ||
| Categories | IIM Ahmedabad | IIM Bangalore |
| CAT Score | 65% | 40% |
| Academic Profile | 30% | 50% |
| Work Experience | 5% | 8% |
| Gender Diversity | - | 2% |
| Final Admission | ||
| Categories | IIM Ahmedabad | IIM Bangalore |
| CAT Score | 25% | 25% |
| Academics | 15% | 25% |
| Personal Interview (PI) | 50% | 30% |
| Academic Writing Test (AWT) / Writing Ability Test (WAT) | 10% | 10% |
| Work Experience | - | 10% |
As you can see, it depends on a lot of factors, and just because you have only 78.75% in 12th does not mean that you are out of the race. Your class 10th score, graduation score, CAT score along with your performance in PI and AWT/WAT will decide if you will be selected for them or not. It is also seen that IIM Bangalore gives more emphasis on work experience than IIM Ahmedabad.
Do not lose hope and prepare well for the CAT, PI, and AWT/WAT.
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.
How is life in IIM Ahmedabad?
Life at IIM Ahmedabad depends on your course, which year or term you are in, and your personal goals.
Until Summer placement:
- The schedule is pretty hectic until the summer placements (Nov). Apart from the course work, you will need to work on your CV, attend presentations conducted by recruiting companies, prepare for interviews, and complete work for the clubs you joined.
- It will take some time to get used to the rigorous academic routine. Lectures go on from 8:45 am to 1:10 pm. Being late to lectures isn’t an option. The notification for the 2:45 pm surprise quiz comes around 1:45 pm. Also, the deadline for most assignments is 11:59:59 pm.
After Summer Placements:
During this time, you will be considerably relaxed. You can concentrate on your academics and other activities since you will be placed.
2nd Year:
- 2nd year is different for most students. You will choose your course. So, the academic rigor will depend on the courses you are opting for.
- Some students opt for exchange/dual degree programs. Some pickup positions of responsibility within the campus.
- The final placements start from January and go on until February. Most start placement preparation from October/November.
Irrespective of the choices you make, life on IIM A campus will be enriching.
Does everyone in IIM Ahmedabad have writing skills as good as Rohan Jain and Aviral Bhatnagar?
This is certainly not the case. Rohan Jain and Aviral Bhatnagar are some of the most followed writers on various social media platforms.
My cousin is a student from this institute. He once told me a story that was told to all the students by one of the professors. It's about Prof. Nanda, Director at IIM Ahmedabad, speaking at Harvard University. He said that the brightest of students go to Harvard Law School and end up at Harvard Business School. He didn’t say anything about the writing skills but mentioned that not all at HBS are bright students. Similarly, not all the students at HBS would have exceptional writing skills.
The same can be assumed about IIM Ahmedabad. According to the professor, IIM Ahmedabad students are capable of-
- Summarizing a 100-page book into 1 page in just a few hours.
- Writing a 100-page book out of a 1-page article in a few hours.
IIMA graduates are known for their caliber and talent. But here the emphasis is on the diligence that is exercised in academics at IIMA.
Some of the graduates from IIM A and IIM B were once told to write a reflection paper on three important learnings in their life. This was a test for them to be selected for Ph.D. under a professor. None of the students produced any satisfactory answers. All of them wrote in a very descriptive way without being critical and analytical. The professor here is high opinionated but very good in articulation and his writing style.
Not everyone has writing skills like Rohan Jain and Aviral Bhatnagar. A student can definitely improve his/her structuring and writing skills while being a part of the IIMA journey. The journey has always been transformative for the students.
Got admits from IIMA PGPX, IIM Bangalore EPGP, and IIM Calcutta PGPEX. Which one should I go for (I'm really confused about the placements, no clarity whatsoever)?
Your selection should be based on your profile, such as your work experience, industry, and, most importantly, what you hope to gain from the program. If you have 4-5 years of work experience, you can look at EPGP because they have gone through ISB and have capped the work experience of the candidates they accept.
The age range for IIMA is 5-20 years, so the learning will be unparalleled in terms of class discussions and peer group learning. If I recall correctly, IIM Calcutta has a lower batch strength, and the batch is slightly on the higher side of work experience.
Placements are good at all institutes, and your previous industry experience is important. This is something you cannot change and should accept, but you can look at how candidates in that sector have performed over time.
In terms of learning, you'll not find the variety you'll find at PGPX anywhere else. Make contact with both alumni and current students. Make an informed decision based on your motivation for enrolling in the program.
How does IIM Indore stand out in comparison with IIM Ahmedabad?
Having known some students of both IIM Indore and Ahmedabad, I can say that both are excellent and well-reputed colleges. Your answer can be segregated into four different categories ranging from peers, academics, faculty and finally, the one everyone is highly interested in – placements:
Your peers:
- The people in your cohort will all be very intelligent and hardworking folks on both campuses.
- The basic numbers are obviously high but that is the requirement of the college every year.
- The talent pool is equally high in IIM Indore as compared to IIM Ahmedabad.
- Many students from the college have won multiple B school competitions while competing directly with IIM A, B, C, and FMS among others.
- This is the main way to judge how good your cohort and peers are across various B-schools.
Academics:
- IIM Indore acquires its inspiration from IIM Ahmedabad.
- A lot of the courses offered at IIM Ahmedabad are also offered at IIM Indore.
- IIM Indore campus also has a finance lab that was inspired by IIM Calcutta.
- The opportunities for learning and exploring various fields have also increased quite a lot.
Faculty:
- As far as IIM Ahmedabad is concerned, the faculty is splendid and well versed since the school is much older.
- It would not exactly be fair to compare the faculty at IIM Indore with IIM A.
- But IIM Indore faculty have also worked with IIM A faculty. Especially the senior faculty.
- In a few years, the same faculty will be in touch with you and you will get to experience learning under their wing.
Placements:
- As far as IIM Ahmedabad is concerned, the college publishes a complete audit by CRISIL where they claim their average placements to be INR 18 to 20 lakhs per annum.
- The placement report generated by IIM Indore is not audited and is generated by the college internally.
- They claim the placements to be INR 14 lakhs per annum but this might not be entirely true.
| Categories | IIM Indore | IIM Ahmedabad |
| Course Fee | 15.01 lakh | 23 LPA |
| Highest CTC | 44 LPA | 50-60 LPA |
| Average CTC | 22 LPA | 24 LPA |
| Recruiting Companies | KPMG, Nerolac, ICICI Bank, Aditya Birla Group, etc. | Mindtree, Loreal, Mercedes, HSBC, etc. |
This comparison is slightly unfair as IIM A has better ROI and is comparable to world B-schools whereas IIM Indore is a good business school in central India.
How are IIM A students different from students of, say, SP Jain, NMIMS, FMS or JB?
Students at IIM-A are similar to those at SP Jain, NMIMS, FMS, and JBIMS. Aptitude and intelligence are roughly comparable. IIM-A students do not have to compete as hard for placements, so they are less concerned, whereas students from other colleges are constantly concerned about placements.
You'll notice that students from other colleges perform better in competitions than IIM-A because they are generally more hardworking during MBA because the struggle is greater for them. However, because of the brand name, IIM-A students receive far more exposure than students from any other college in India, which benefits students greatly in their personal development.
Why is it that most chartered accountants go unplaced at IIM Ahmedabad?
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