TOPPERS LEAGUE

The Business Today- MDRA Best B-school survey 2013 ranks the top management institutes in India on learning, living and placement standards. Sonali Acharjee speaks to students to find out what makes the top ten institutes so special

1 IIM, AHMEDABAD

Set up in 1961, IIM Ahmedabad offers students an unparalleled learning experience. From regular international workshops on finance and business to a dedicated management library boasting of over 1.7 lakh books, the institute provides all the resources and activities necessary for students to excel in their chosen field of study.

At present the institute offers courses in management, agri- business management, executive training and a special six month programme in armed forces management. “No matter how many new B- schools come up in the country, at the end of the day it is every student’s dream to study at IIM Ahmedabad,” says Ambika Balraj, 26, a graduate of Delhi University. “I am preparing now to sit for the

CAT this year. If I do not get through, I’ll try again next year,” adds Balraj.

2 IIM, CALCUTTA

Known as the finance hub of B- schools in India, IIM Calcutta has had a long history of producing some of the country’s best leaders and financial experts. This year alumna Nishi Vasudeva became the first woman to head Navratna, while alumni T V Narendran was appointed as Managing Director designate, India and South East Asia, at

TATA Steel. “I got calls from four or five IIMs but decided to join IIM Calcutta because of its standing in the field of finance. Not only does the school offer excellent networking opportunities but you get the chance to study in the same place that has produced so many great names in the field,” says Ankit Garg, 25, who scored a 100 percentile in CAT in 2009. “What I liked the most about the course was the unconditional support and training they gave to budding entrepreneurs. I am very keen to start my own firm someday. So whatever I learned at management school will pay off,” adds Garg. Interestingly, IIM Calcutta was the first IIM to be set up in the country in 1961. However, the school remains committed to frequently renewing its courses and resources in tune with the latest industry requirements.

3 XLRI, JAMSHEDPUR

Having started with only two courses to its credit in 1949, XLRI has quickly grown to become one of the country’s best business schools for programmes in human resource management. Today the school offers courses in executive management, human resources and advanced management. The Virtual Interactive Learning ( VIL) arm of the school offers employed professionals the chance to brush up on their management skills without having to quit their jobs or take leave. VIL offers courses in business management, retail management, human resource management, sales and marketing management and logistics and supply chain management. Each course is completed over a period of 12 months. Graduates are awarded a postgraduate certification. “The best part about these programmes is that you only have to physically visit the school five days in a year for some additional training and inputs. The rest of the time you can study, learn and complete your assignments from wherever you are based. It’s more convenient and feasible to take up such a programme as you don’t need to make any major adjustments to your work or life in order to attend classes,” says Saba Khan, 29, a human resource professional based in Bangalore. “The world of business is constantly changing and sometimes its necessary to return to the classroom to gain new knowledge and a wider perspective,” adds Khan.

4 FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

Last year saw this sixty- year- old business school of Delhi University incorporating many new infrastructural changes to both its campus and admission process. Not only did the institute become the third B- school in the country to set up its own financial lab in partnership with Bloomberg, but the new lab is also credited to be the biggest in the country till date. The 12 special computer terminals let students practice research and analysis on financial markets. 2012 was also the first year that FMS selected candidates based on their results in the Common Admission Test ( CAT). The cut- off for the general category was pegged at 98.73 percentile in the CAT to ensure quality candidates for the interviews. “By joining the CAT we have now been able to benchmark our quality of students better in the placement process. Now companies know that our students also come from the same pool as the IIMs,” says Dean Raj Dhankar.

5 IIM, KOZHIKODE

There’s plenty of good news for those studying at IIM Kozhikode. With the placement having wrapped up last week, the institute has recently announced that there was a 36 per cent increase in salary packages and a 20 per cent increase in job offers. The highest package offered this year was for 2 lakh per month.

` Top recruiters included Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and TATA Administrative Services. Together, they recruited nearly 30 students from the school’s flagship

PGP programme. “At the end of the day no matter how good the teaching, library, infrastructure or your final results are, what really matters is what job you will get and how much will you get paid. I decided to join Kozhikode simply because of the excellent placement support for students,” says Anirudh Saxena, 25. IIM Kozhikode is also one of the few IIMs to offer a course in faculty development management and is recognised by the AICTE as a quality improvement centre.

6 IIM, INDORE

The sixth IIM to be set up in the country,

IIM Indore is a hub of constant student activities and interactions. The school has a number of student- led activity clubs that organise events, workshops and field trips over the course of the academic year. These include the consulting club, entrepreneurship cell, finance and investment club, systems and technology club, operations club, merchandising club and marketing club, to name a few. Aside from these official clubs, the institute is also home to a number of extra- curricular or hobby- based clubs such as the social sensitivity cell, dance club, debating society, photography club, corporate social responsibility club, computer gaming club, quiz club, and film and theatre cell. “Whether its organising Durga Puja celebrations or an event to familiarise you with the challenges of living a life as a consultant or a live post- exam rock concert, there is always something to keep you busy here. It’s a great way to make new friends, add new skills to your resume and unwind after a long day of classes,” says Avinash Tyagi, 26. “Unlike most of the other business schools, we really know how to have fun and learn at the same time here,” adds Tyagi.

7 SP JAIN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

Founded in 1981 in Mumbai, SP Jain Institute of Management and Research offers a widely popular postgraduate diploma in management programme which can be completed over a period of one or two years. The family managed business programme is also much sought- after here. “Just because you are born into a business family does not mean you automatically aquire the skills and foresight required to lead the business. I wanted to understand the various challenges of managing a business in which you also have a personal stake. A general MBA degree would not have helped me in this regard as the inputs and training would not have been specific to my requirements,” says Yash Jha, 27. The institute has also recently established international campuses in Dubai, Singapore and Sydney.

8 MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE

Two campuses and a number of awards later, MDI Gurgaon is still going strong. The institute offers over nine different management specialisations and programmes and has some of the most coveted international student exchange programmes in the country. From the BI Norwegian School of Business in Oslo to Frankfurt School of Management, Bocconi University in Milan, Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok and the renowned RSM Erasmus University in Rotterdam, MDI students have the chance to study at a number of different countries and institutes. “I am not really keen to spend two to four years abroad to complete a degree. Instead, the MDI programme, which allows you to spend a semester or a year abroad, is a better option for me. Not only will I get the chance to choose from a wider range of institutes, many of them in countries you wouldn’t normally be thinking of studying in, but it will also cost much less,” says Amit Gupta, 26, a student at the institute.

9 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF FOREIGN TRADE

Established in 1963, the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade ( IIFT) aims to help professions in foreign trade management and develop the country’s human resources. Over the years the institute has undertaken various projects and research studies with a number of international bodies such as the World Bank, World Trade Organisation and the United Nations Conference of Trade and Development. Till date the institute has also trained more than 40,000 business professionals across 30 countries in various fields of international business and trade policy via its management development programmes. Courses here have become so popular that in 2011 it was estimated that over 55,000 candidates appeared for its entrance examination. With only 220 seats available for its MBA programme, the school is often regarded as one of the toughest business schools to secure admission at. “I am interested in the two year residential MBA programme in international business. What impressed me was the quality of faculty, infrastructure and academic discipline of the course,” says Ridhima Shah, 31, from Kolkata.

10 INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE

Set up in 1981 in collaboration with IMI Geneva ( now IMD Lausanne), IMI is India’s first corporate- sponsored business school with ties to the some of the country’s biggest business houses such as Nestle, Tata Chemicals,

ITC and Williamson Magor. With academic and industry partnerships with over 21 international institutes and three state- of- the- art campuses set up in Delhi, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar, the International Management Institute ( IMI) is quickly becoming a popular option for

MBA aspirants. “As I was shortlisting business schools to apply to, I came across IMI and what caught my attention were the many opportunities that the institute gave its students in terms of foreign and industry exposure. The quality of faculty and placements was also impressive. Taking these achievements into account, I decided to apply only to IMI,” says Mitika Khana, 25, from Delhi.