[elise]

Hey!

Currently studying at the Solvay Business School (Belgium), I took part in an exchange program at IIMB... In love with India and thinking of doing a full-time MBA at IIMB. No CAT for me but the GMAT to crack...

My question is: Should I try to join IIMB? Is there any real value addition? Or the institute lacks foreign recognition?

Plz answer this question on
http://pub46.bravenet.com/vote/vote....49586947&cpv=2

And feel free to read my blog... My feelings n impressions on your amazing country...
http://erasmus-in-india.blogspot.com/

Take care n good luck for the future CAT-applicants.. We are all potential genius ;-)

Elise

[rahuljain_aset]

No please dont come to IIMB indian campus.
It is all set to go global you can study there.
Its a tough fight for Indian student over here and you people take short cuts like GMAt to get through which is unfair.
I say unfair bcoz the competition is much less that way.
anyway if you want to come to IIMB through CAT you are always welcome.

[DesiGuru]

elise

I dont think its a prolem career wise... Also you could easily get better schools worldwide if you got IIMB.... Though it would be very odd to be the only white there for two years... But then you will get some special treatment:wink:

Also I am not sure if people of foreign origin can do that program... Though i think it might be ok...

Also consider trying for the double degree MBAs with 1 year in Essec Business School France and one year in IIMA...

though i think you might be more interested in being in Bangalore than in IIMB :wink:

K

[elise]

Well...

Unfair short cuts? (rahuljain_aset)
The facts:
-the CAT is only available in India and I am back in my country
-the GMAT is not so easy to crack.
-IIM's have their own GMAT score requirements.
I know IIM's have the lowest admission rate in the world (1 applicant out of 500 get through). Though! No doubt abt it... But if the institutes want to maintain their student quality level, I guess they ask foreign students to score high on the GMAT test.

--> no unfair short cuts!

Special treatment? (DesiGuru)
The facts:
-Most professors dont care about the student nationality
-Some professors are hostile to exchange students
Obviously, exchange students (and in general, foreign students) lack credibility because they dont have to crack the CAT. Well, the CAT is not an option for me... Simply not available here. So, if i make it to one of the IIM's, I expect to work as hard as the others students. Not harder!

--> no special treatment! The opposite might even be true.

Now, take a guess... Why none of the IIM's score high on MBA's international ranking (Only IIMA is in the top 100)? Simple! Because indian institutes lack student diversity! Time to open the IIM's to foreign students...

[DesiGuru]

@elise

I was talking about special treatment from your fellow students
Infact the top IIMs are trying more and more for foreign students. IIM A has
this as a goal since it dreams of being a world top 20 Bschool within 2011...

There is a one year MBA at IIMA which accepts people over 27 and is open to foreign students. The PGP is a subsidised program and hence currently not that accesible for foreign students... Also there is not much economic rationale for studying here since you will find it very difficult to work in an indian environment though its happening more and more now

What will work is a double degree like IIM A has in mind. As i said you can take admission in Essec Business School in Paris and get a double degree spening one year there and one year at IIM A...That way you would be assured of jobs back in Europe and can work here if you desire

Personally I think the situation is not ripe yet for europeans to study in indian business schools unless you are marrying an indian or something and want to settle down here as a citizen...

Good Luck

K

[whatsinaname]

Originally Posted by elise

Hey!

Currently studying at the Solvay Business School (Belgium), I took part in an exchange program at IIMB... In love with India and thinking of doing a full-time MBA at IIMB. No CAT for me but the GMAT to crack...

My question is: Should I try to join IIMB? Is there any real value addition? Or the institute lacks foreign recognition?

Plz answer this question on
http://pub46.bravenet.com/vote/vote....49586947&cpv=2

And feel free to read my blog... My feelings n impressions on your amazing country...
http://erasmus-in-india.blogspot.com/

Take care n good luck for the future CAT-applicants.. We are all potential genius ;-)

Elise

Hmm...good to see international students interested in Indian MBA programmes....it is a personal decision....but i feel you should bear in mind the following

1. Your profile - are you appling straight from your undergraduate degree or do you have significant work ex....i personally feel that you would get much more out of your degree if you have had professional exposure....
2. Cost - as far as i know an MBA from the IIMs cost around 1,000,000 INR for a GMAT candidate...compare it with what is offered in Belgium...other top schools in Europe/ US
3. Diploma/ Degree - the IIMs offer you a diploma in management....not an MBA degree...while this does not matter for Indian nationals as the IIM brand is the top brand in management education, but not sure how much weight a Diploma would carry in Europe...bear this in mind not just with respect to a professional career...but if you wish to do a phd a degree in management would carry more weight than a diploma...
4. On completion of the course you might have work permit issues if you intend to work in India (not sure about this one tho...) But if you get a job in India....your compensation would be in Indian currency and according to Indian standards...might not be compareable to what you might expect in Europe....this raises the issue of where do you want to base yourself after your mba degree/ diploma
5. You mentioned that you really enjoyed your trip to India...if you are attracted to IIMB on that ground...then be warned in first year you will not have any quality free time which would allow you to tour the neighbouring states, etc....2nd year it gets a bit easier but not by much....
6. As you mentioned yourself, international diversity is not the USP for the IIMs...however, this is now changing with candidates such as yourself applying for these prgrammes...but its still a long way to go and by and large GMAT canidates imply Non-Resident Indians looking to get back to India or looking for a affordable quality Management education...

hope this helps...at the end of the day a PGP from IIM is very good value for money in terms of academic education...not so sure about the whole international experience if thats what you are looking for....

regards

[saikatg]

@ elise

1> Quality of Education : Though i don't hav hands on experience abt European B Schools, couple of my seniors who went to ESCP-EAP, CBS , EBS on exchange etc told me that quality of education is no less here(IIMs), if not better.

2> Ranking : no IIMs consistently feature in top-100 ranking internationally, but that is mostly attributble to the disparity of parameters( e.g. Avg Sal , Avg WrkEx not comparable)

3> Branding: If u stay in Asia pacific, it's a good brand but i am a bit doubful abt Europe

But i believe IIMs will go international in future ( A & B for the time being) and you might see IIMs commanding a different brand value and recognition in 5-10 yrs...Already international placement accounts for almost 30-35% in older 3 IIMs(A/B/C) and 10% at IIM Lucknow.....There are reasons to believe that all these parameters will undergo a manyfold increase in future ......

regards
Saikat
IIM Lucknow -Class of 2007

[lefty]

elise,
great to meet another india fan! do apply for the IIM's, without limiting yourself to bangalore. i'm pretty sure ahmedabad and calcutta are just as good. indeed, as you have discovered, india is an amazing country and can be a great place to live in.
I'm indian and currently in the UK, but havent lived in india much, was lucky enough to be there during my formative teen years so i am well rooted.
As others have already pointed out, the academics at any of the IIM's will be fiercely competitive. The sifting mechanism is such - CAT and subsequent group discussio/interview ensure that only the creme de la creme get through. Furthermore, the workload and pressure are of a high level. Indian students are used to the rigour since school onwards and can therefore, cope well. But do give it a try and if you're prepared and enthu to take up the challenge, you will be rewarded-the job scene is excellent.
Not to discourage you in any way, but just to give you an idea of how tough it is to get in, even through the GMAT route:
I had applied for the MBA programme at IIM-A, B.
- I had a GMAT of 720, AWA 5.0.
- I'm in the top 2% of my engineering class at my uni here in UK (final year of undergraduation)
- I've grown up in 7 countries and can speak 5 languages.
-I represent my uni in 3 sports and the student council.
-summer internship at siemens corporate research, princeton, US.

and guess what....
I got instant rejections from both IIM-A and B !! :(

[elise]

tks for all ur posts!!!!

Why i should go for it:

-India: country with such a great economic potential

-Students: love the idea of studying in a challenging and competitive environment with talented students. As said someone in a previous post, “la crème de la crème” which, btw, is in French (my mother tongue).

-cost: a lot less expensive than other MBA's (even if the inscription fee for foreigners is twice the one paid by Indians) and no, all foreigners are not crazily wealthy (or have a dad to finance everything)

-personal: someone special is waiting for me in India

Why I shouldn’t go for it:

-international ranking: no international recognition
BUT… the world is changing… India is (re)becoming a powerful global player and it will surely have a positive impact on IIM’s brand name abroad. Just look at the placements at IIMB this year. Amazingly fast and students got really great jobs in India and in UK as well.

-work experience: no experience so far
BUT… IIMB students have few or no work experience neither.

-GMAT: who said the CAT was the tough way to get in one of the IIM’s? According to many people on this forum, the GMAT is even a longer way to get admission
BUT… the IIM’s will quickly understand they want be

-Administration: Already sent a mail to IIMB PGP Adm to ask what was the application process for a foreigner. No reply so far. India is such a slow bureaucratic country.
BUT… I am stubborn. I ll get what I want.

-Workload: Obviously didn’t focus much on my studies at IIMB. Too busy discovering India…
BUT: I can perfectly cope with projects, exams… I m hard working, flexible n ambitious. I learn fast n not afraid of new challenges. (exactly all the crap I gave to mckinsey last week )

Take care!

And for all of you who forgot to vote. Take the survey here!

[The Rock]

Originally Posted by rahuljain_aset

No please dont come to IIMB indian campus.
It is all set to go global you can study there.
Its a tough fight for Indian student over here and you people take short cuts like GMAt to get through which is unfair.
I say unfair bcoz the competition is much less that way.
anyway if you want to come to IIMB through CAT you are always welcome.

Thank you for your wonderful insight. Yeah, didn't realize that we need your permission to enter IIMs.