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How to Select the Right B-School: Selecting the right MBA program is one of the major decisions of a B-school aspirant’s life. With new management institutes coming up every other week, who doesn't need guidance? But how do you select the right B-school? If you are aspiring to take MBA admission based on good CAT percentile, choosing a B-school is not quite tough. Scoring the 95-99 percentile in the CAT exam will help MBA aspirants to get MBA admission at top management colleges like IIMs, IITs, NITs and 1500+ BSchools in India.
This is because there are plenty of promising institutions. But how to choose a B-school on the basis of less or 60+ percentile in CAT or other national level management entrance exams. The answer lies on you and your future plans. It depends on multiple factors like college location, reputation, quality of students and faculty, job profiles and salary offered in placement, alumni network, course fees etc. Let us check the parameters to look into while choosing the right B-school.
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Before proceeding on how to select the right MBA college, lets get familiar with the B school meaning. B-School is a colloquial term that refers to business schools. Programs offered at B-School focus on business and management education only. B-Schools in India provide undergraduate, graduate, and sometimes doctoral programs in fields such as business administration, management, finance, marketing, entrepreneurship, and related disciplines.
A good Business school is characterized by several key factors such as Accreditation, Faculty Quality, Curriculum, Career Services, Reputation and Rankings, Facilities and Resources, Global Opportunities, Alumni Network, Experiential Learning, Entrepreneurship Support, Diversity and Inclusion, Financial Aid and Scholarships, Student Life, and Career Outcomes. Also what makes a good business school also depends on your personal goals, preferences, and the specific resources that a candidate is seeking.
From picking a new dress to buying a new car, ultimately what aspirants invest depends on what factors are most important to them. So why should you compare MBA colleges in India? Check the factors below on why it is important to compare B-schools before taking admission into MBA or PGDM courses.
Most MBA aspirants would say that the selection of B-school depends on the salaries they get after placements. No wonder B-schools do report successful placement reports every year. However are you sure that the starting salaries reflect the key outcomes? So planning an MBA or how to choose the right MBA college is a very crucial step. Let us check below the parameters on the basis of which you can decide how to select a business school.
1. MBA Vs PGDM: Choose Your Program
One of the most common questions among young MBA aspirants is whether to choose MBA or PGDM? Though choosing either MBA degree or PGDM diploma doesnt make any difference except for some of the factors, such as PGDM offers a dynamic course syllabus which gets updated as per needs of the industry. The syllabus is approved by AICTE. So you need to select what degree you want to pursue and accordingly select the right B-school.
Read here more about MBA vs PGDM.
2. Location of the B-school
When it comes to IIMs or other top B-schools, the location hardly matters. The impact of the location on an institute is less for top 20 MBA institutes. However, it becomes more pronounced when you move down the ratings list.
How does the location of B-school matter?
Some of the experts believe that the location of the B-school in any major city has its own perks. This is because the number of companies visiting the campus are much higher with a large number of opportunities. Also the good location helps students in practicing internships and thus being mentored easily. Companies often find it much easier to recruit management graduates from institutes located geographically closer to their own headquarters. This is why B-schools located in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore score better than institutes based in other cities.
3. Return on Investment
This is the most important parameter while selecting any B-school. It must be considered how much money you can expect to make post an MBA from a given institute and how much money will be spent in acquiring the degree. ROI tries to directly measure the amount of return on a particular investment, relative to the investment’s cost. To calculate MBA ROI, the benefit (or return) of an investment is divided by the cost of the investment. The result is expressed as a percentage or a ratio which is :
ROI = (Current Value of Investment - Cost of Investment) / Cost of Investment.
You can also compare an MBA programme’s ROI to others using the average salary-to-debt ratio. For example, if the average starting salary at a B-School is around Rs 17,50,000 and the average debt (bank loan) taken by the aspirant is Rs 12,00,000 then the salary-to-debt ratio of 1.45-to-1.
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4. Programmes offered by an Institute
First and foremost you must be well aware of why you are doing an MBA ( and the answer must not be because of a good package). This is important because if you wish to pursue a specialization in MBA, then you need to choose an institute accordingly. The programmes offered can be classified into two categories:
General Management Programme (GMP)
Specialisation-based Programme (SP)
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A General Management Programme gives a student the flexibility to join any sector and thus affords maximum diversification and placement opportunities as opposed to a specialisation-based programme. All the IIMs and most of the Ivy League schools offer this programme to students.
Some B-Schools offer programmes catering to a specific sector or specialising in a specific area. Institutes like XLRI (PGDHRM), MICA, IRMA, and TISS, are the best in their respective sectors and students should have no reservation while applying to them.
5. Alumni Network
A wide Alumni base is self-explanatory. However, the statistics of the number of alumni offered jobs in reputed companies is worth a consideration. Alumni are the mirror of any institute. Their profile defines the reputation of an institute and hence makes it stand tall. Aspirants must contact the alumni as they can give you invaluable information and suggestions that none can give.
Also Read: IIM Alumni
6. International Exposure
An institute that has a global curriculum in terms of business, marketing, management, sales and operations, etc. is worth going for. You develop leadership from an international perspective that makes you understand business in a different way. You get the confidence to work in any organization in any part of the world. You can also soak yourself in a new culture and take in more rich and varied experiences. Hence you broaden your horizons by studying in an institute that provides you good international exposure.
7. Placement statistics
Almost every MBA college boasts of 100% placement which is a myth. Even IIMs may not provide 100% placements. The MBA placements depend entirely on you and your worth. It is better to look at the detailed placement reports including both summer internships and final placements that every college releases in a year. A successful placement track can be inferred from the number of companies that visit the campus year after year, average salary offered and the number of students selected from the campus each year. However, it should not be the sole criteria to select the right MBA college.
8. MBA Scholarships
While most business schools offer some form of financial assistance by providing MBA scholarships, it would be prudent to check and confirm with data available on the website, or by asking the admissions team. Prioritize this aspect based on the value you assign this criterion in selecting Business Schools.
9. Rankings and accreditation
A consistent rank and UGC, AICTE, NAAC or NBA accreditation speaks volumes about the credibility of the school. Make sure to refer to top international publications to check the rankings of an institute. This is so because some Indian rankings suffer from the perception of being sponsored.
The top five MBA Rankings or B-school Rankings in India are:
Top 3 International Accreditations:
Top 2 National Accreditations:
These rankings and accreditations can help you make an informed choice about how to choose the right B-school.
Check out: NIRF Ranking 2024 for MBA Colleges (OUT): Check NIRF MBA Ranking/Management Colleges
10. Quality of Faculty
The faculty have a massive role to play in your learning experience, and it is important that you read through their profiles and understand how they will shape your understanding of global business. While researching you could check for the following qualities below:
Every good college publishes the details of the faculty members on its official website. However if you don’t find any, think twice before opting that particular college. The core faculty helps in providing adequate mentorship to the students. If there are fewer good faculty members and the ratio does not remain good enough, it may adversely affect the learning experience at the B-school.
Admission into top B-schools in India is a two-way process and not one. You will choose the best management institute but will that institute want to choose you? All the top MBA colleges want the best brains because that is what enhances their college’s reputation in the future. Sometimes these top institutes do not have enough seats to cater MBA admissions. Another factor that comes into play is higher the reputation of the institute, higher the applicants, then higher is the level of selection procedure in top B-schools. Hence choose your MBA college wisely considering all the above parameters mentioned.
Hello Aspirant,
On the CAT form, you should put your name exactly as it is on your class 10 marksheet, as that will be the official educational record. Then during document verification, you can bring a Gazette notification or affidavit for name change so that documents can match your Aadhaar.
Hello aspirant,
The CUSAT CAT 2025 inaugural real-time spot admission will take place at Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) from August 4–6. For admission to a variety of undergraduate (B.Tech) and graduate (MSc) programs, the Common Admission Test, or CUSAT CAT, is an entrance exam. Every year, it features sections in mathematics/biology, chemistry, and physics.
For complete information, you can visit our site through following link:
https://www.careers360.com/exams/cusat-cat
Thank you
Hello Aspirant,
Yes, if your caste is listed under Central OBC and you come under the category of Non-Creamy Layer, then you shall be eligible for the OBC-NCL reservation in the CAT exam and IIM admissions, irrespective of its being categorized as OEC in Kerala. Remember to get a valid OBC-NCL certificate obtained as per the format prescribed by the Government of India.
Hey Vijay:)
Thanks for reaching out!
OEC,(Other Eligible Communities) is a state-specific reservation category used in Kerala,and it is not recognised as a separate category in central-level exams like the CAT.
For Central govt exams candidates must choose from the recognised categories: General,SC,ST,OBC-NCL,EWS or PwD.If your community is listed under OEC-SC or OEC-ST in Kerala,you should check whether it falls under SC or ST in the central list and apply accordingly.
Similarly,If your OEC community is in the central OBC list and you meet the non-creamy layer(NCL)rules,you can apply as OBC-NCL, otherwise you need to apply under the general category.
You can verify caste's status in the central list on the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) website.
Hope this clears your doubt!
You can easily get CAT previous year question papers online in PDF format, with solutions too. Websites like CollegeDunia, Careers360, SelfStudys, Cracku, and Aglasem have papers from CAT 2024, 2023, 2022… even back to the 1990s.
A career as Marketing Director is also known as a marketing expert who is responsible for the overall marketing aspect of the company. He or she oversees plans and develops the company's budget. The marketing Director collaborates with the business team to plan and develop the marketing and branding strategies for the company's products or services.
A Business Development Executive identifies and pursues new business opportunities to drive company growth. They generate leads, build client relationships, develop sales strategies, and analyse market trends. Collaborating with internal teams, they aim to meet sales targets. With experience, they can advance to managerial roles, playing a key role in expanding the company’s market presence and revenue.
Content Marketing Specialists are also known as Content Specialists. They are responsible for crafting content, editing and developing it to meet the requirements of digital marketing campaigns. To ensure that the material created is consistent with the overall aims of a digital marketing campaign, content marketing specialists work closely with SEO and digital marketing professionals.
A Sales Manager leads a sales team to meet targets, formulates strategies, analyses performance, and monitors market trends. They typically hold a degree in management or related fields, with an MBA offering added value. The role often demands over 40 hours a week. Strong leadership, planning, and analytical skills are essential for success in this career.
A marketing manager is a person who oversees a company or product marketing. He or she can be in charge of multiple programmes or goods or can be in charge of one product. He or she is enthusiastic, organised, and very diligent in meeting financial constraints. He or she works with other team members to produce advertising campaigns and decides if a new product or service is marketable.
A Marketing manager plans and executes marketing initiatives to create demand for goods and services and increase consumer awareness of them. A marketing manager prevents unauthorised statements and informs the public that the business is doing everything to investigate and fix the line of products. Students can pursue an MBA in Marketing Management courses to become marketing managers.
An SEO Analyst is a web professional who is proficient in the implementation of SEO strategies to target more keywords to improve the reach of the content on search engines. He or she provides support to acquire the goals and success of the client’s campaigns.
Digital marketing is growing, diverse, and is covering a wide variety of career paths. Each job function aids in the development of effective digital marketing strategies and techniques. The aims and objectives of the individuals who opt for a career as a digital marketing executive are similar to those of a marketing professional: to build brand awareness, promote company services or products, and increase conversions. Individuals who opt for a career as Digital Marketing Executives, unlike traditional marketing companies, communicate effectively through suitable technology platforms.
Individuals who opt for a career as a business analyst look at how a company operates. He or she conducts research and analyses data to improve his or her knowledge about the company. This is required so that an individual can suggest the company strategies for improving their operations and processes.
In a business analyst job role a lot of analysis is done, things are learned from past mistakes and the successful strategies are enhanced further. A business analyst goes through real-world data in order to provide the most feasible solutions to an organisation. Students can pursue Business Analytics to become Business Analysts.
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