Despite everything, IIM Calcutta is a much better business school overall than IIM Lucknow, regardless of the field. However, if you do not receive an offer from Calcutta, you may consider Lucknow. Some companies may not shortlist you because there will be candidates with far superior academic credentials. However, this is not a sufficient reason to avoid attending an IIM. You will have numerous opportunities to enhance your CV within the b-school through academic performance, winning b-school competitions (which often leads to a direct PPI), participating in PORs and other extracurricular activities, live projects, and so on.
Regardless of your prior academic performance, you will almost certainly be better off with an MBA from IIM Calcutta or Lucknow than without one, assuming you don't waste the two years in b-school doing nothing.
Having read some reviews online about IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, FMS, and MDI, here are some things I got to know which might be useful to you.
So the order of preference would be IIM Lucknow > IIM Kozhikode > FMS > MDI. This is as per the major rankings including Times B-School categorization. So select the one that matches most of your interests.
The Sustainability Management program is an excellent domain with the capability to gain fame quickly. Although it has been launched several years before it is only now that corporations are finally giving it the attention it deserves. In fact, some companies across the spectrum of industries are establishing formal teams to solve this issue.
The level of expertise in this domain is relatively lacking all across - policy making, policy implementation, regulation, etc. This can be seen as an opportunity as it has led to an increased demand for professionals with a formal background in Sustainability Management.
The curriculum includes the foundation management courses along with complex topics like
So in the current scenario, the Sustainability Management program offers ample opportunities to aspiring managers.
Honestly speaking, your chances of getting into IIM Lucknow Calcutta and Kozhikode are scarce unless you score 100 percentile considering your profile. IIM Ahmedabad, Indore and Shillong won’t give you a call even after 100 as their eligibility criteria focuses majorly on past academics which are below average in your case.
IIM Bangalore is unpredictable in its eligibility criteria. It might take students with poor academic backgrounds but good work experience. So if you have none you can forget this chance also.
FMS does not almost consider past academics at all but for that, you need a CAT percentile of more than 99.5. For the safer side a 99.75 might grant you a conversion.
Don’t get demotivated just because of your past academic performance and ruin your future. Rather make the most out of your present life and opportunities.
You should enroll in NITIE PGDIM because with an SCM background, you will benefit from learning core management. PGDIM at NITIE will focus on marketing, finance, and HR in a more comprehensive manner, giving you a boost due to your SCM background.
Check the following table for a comparative analysis of both programs:
Particulars | PGDIM at NITIE | PGP-SM at IIM Lucknow |
Total Fees | 13.43 Lakhs | 9.20 Lakhs |
Highest CTC | 44 LPA | 27.5 LPA |
Average CTC | 20.85 LPA | 18.79 LPA |
Top 10% Average Salary | 37.38 LPA | 25.60 LPA |
As per the brochure for the IIML-SM course, you will be taught sustainability management, which focuses more on Macro and Microeconomics to sustain business environments. It will not cover core areas of Marketing, Finance, and HR. However, SM is an emerging field in management.
If IIM Lucknow doesn't hire you for positions that are relevant to your experience in a 2-year program, it will be harder for you to land the desired positions (though there are exceptions).
The one-year MBA is designed for students with more than five years of experience and offers many benefits, including a balanced and diverse cohort from which you can learn from their past failures and successes. The placement scene for a 5-year-old male would be highly subjective (depending on your past experience, past brand name, etc.) People with less than six years of experience have been offered AVP positions in reputable MNCs. Therefore, it is dependent upon what you bring to the table.
Furthermore, because the 2-year course is 34/35 years old, industry acceptance is much higher than for the 1-year course, which is now in its 13th year.
Before making a decision, weigh your options and speak with as many alumni as possible.
Not every IIM discloses the placement statistics to the public. But we can definitely say that IIM Ahmedabad has the best placement statistics.
Institute |
Median Salary |
IIM Ahmedabad |
INR 31.49 LPA |
IIM Bangalore |
INR 31.20 LPA |
IIM Kolkata |
INR 31 LPA |
IIM Lucknow |
INR 29 LPA |
IIM Indore |
INR 24.09 LPA |
IIM Kozhikode |
INR 26.5 LPA |
The table above has tabulated the median CTCs of the institutes you asked for.
I think the PGP course is a better option if you are interested in Finance and Economics. This is because the ABM program offers the choice of only one option during the second year. The electives of the first year of both the programs ABM and PGP are the same. They comprise important topics like Micro and Macroeconomics, Financial Reporting and Accounting, Managerial Accounting, and Financial Management.
Most importantly you will be missing out on Finance and Economics courses. Some ABM students are diligent enough to sit through these classes despite everything.
There are no major differences in the placement scenario of ABM and PGP. Though I will recommend you go for the PGP program of a more reputed institute. Through ABM you will have to resort to self-learning more.
If someone does not have their heart set on a particular thing, the matter of selection becomes complicated.
An MBA and career specialization can only be chosen once in a lifetime except for a few extremely rare cases.
You must research and read articles about HR and try to answer the questions about if you would like to work at the place because XLRI offers one of the best HR management courses available in Asia. Top firms and Multinational companies recruit for their coveted HR roles from XLRI and if you get enrolled in a small batch, you would be lucky.If you want to have all the options of consulting, marketing, and finance open, IIM Lucknow is the better choice. But then this would imply that you have to maintain a really good profile to sustain the competition at IIM Lucknow. Keep in mind that not all of the 450 students enrolled at IIM Lucknow end up in a Reputed Company.