Hey Maverick,

I do have a strong KGP connections(see my background)...but mostly with the engineering branches and not with the SOM per se. I am a B-School aspirant and one of the things that I have been doing is try and seek more information about placement details so that I can make a more informed choice. This is not limited to any one B-School but all places that I have applied to.I have absolutely no intention of indulging in any mud-slinging whatsoever.And certainly not against an IIT. Please note, I have repeatedly extended my heartiest congratulations to IIT B for the amazing placements. I have in my post urged upon the IIT's (institutes of national importance) to take a more proactive role in bringing about much needed transparency in the reporting of placement statistics. The fact that this is an area of concern is apparent from Pagalguy's attempts at educating aspirants about the need to read between the lines through the enlightening article that is currently available. Rest assured, I will raise the same doubts and queries in other threads/forums as well when any B-School on my radar is involved.

My main contention is that doing calculations on the basis of a conveniently selected sub-set of offers and passing it on as the average of the batch without appropriate disclaimers is perhaps not ethically correct. Agreed, that many B-Schools do it...but I had higher expectations from IIT's when it comes to such matters. I expect the IIT's to buck the current trend and not to pander to the "prevailing rules of the game". You can accuse me of indulging in romantic idealism but certainly not mud-slinging.

Hi floyd&vodka;,

Infact, we at IIT B, consider a lot of other factors much more important than Placements to give you reasons to join this institute. The IIT brand, the guest lectures, the visiting faculty, the IIT infrastructure, the events and the seminars, the interaction with the IIT PhDs and Btechs, sports, plays, parties .....

Regarding you hiding your identity, I am afraid that is not allowed in PG. This a typical case of a clone on PG ......

Neither were the best n out of 3n offers taken, nor were all the offers taken to calculate the average salary. The methodology used, was the same as that used in any of the Top B schools of the country. I wouldnt get into this in detail. All I can say is that the method used is what is considered as a fair and standard method across bschools.

Cheers
Ramesh


Many thanks for this patient and detailed post. In response, I have a few humble submissions to make:-

1. My brother spent 4 long years at IIT B. A parent was a prof for 17 long years at another IIT. So I have a pretty balanced view about things at IIT's, the level of interaction and exchange (and isolation at times?) , the faculty etc. I know a bit of both the positives and the negatives. My decision to join a B-School will certainly not be based on unsubstantiated statistics that different B-Schools will churn out in the mad-scramble for one-upmanship. Therefore, rest assured that I have taken factors beyond placement figures into my consideration set.
   
2. I have a major issue with the fact that B-Schools refuse to divulge the methodology they used while arriving at the median and average figures. While many a shady institute can be glossed over I expected IIT ~ an institute of national importance to come clean about its practices. Your policy of divulging selective information in a public forum and dogged resistance to any further requests for information is unbecoming of the moral standards to be expected from an IIT. The fact that a convenient selection amongst the '3n' offers were considered is unethical unless proper disclaimers are added (which apparently is not the case). Please, understand that I have nothing against IIT B. Many B-Schools do it and I have done my bit in raising objections to such practices elsewhere as well. I had higher ethical expectations from IIT-B. Sadly, I am disappointed. How can I then differentiate between shady B-Schools and IIT-B
   
3. While it is absolutely true that salaries are not the be-all and end-all of MBA education, the unfortunate reality is that many an aspirant takes a final call based on an utilitarian consideration reduced the the only possible denomination that perhaps is objective ~ compensation. In a gloomy B-School placement season where some seasoned campaigners have registered marginal increases, a stupendous growth of 44% is bound to attract attention. The more introspective will try and fathom any "jugglery of statistics" involved and will seek details. It is the moral responsibility of institutes to substantiate their claims with detailed statistics or else run the risk of being viewed as being frugal with the truth. Shady private B-Schools can get away with murder, but please remember that IIT is "an instrumentality of the state" and therefore is obligated to disclose placement details under the Right to Information Act 2005, if challenged. The mighty IIT's were forced to divulge their admission criteria (a secret they had closely guarded for years) and boy didn't it open up the Pandora's box. Therefore my humble request is either come clean with all requests for details or follow the IIM-B path and stop disclosing placement details in public forums. Your present approach falls between two stools. You are an IIT for God sakes...please stand up and set the trend. Don't adopt the herd mentality of following what other B-Schools are doing. And moreover, what do you mean by "fair and standard method across bschools."....which B-Schools fall into your consideration set? And please, harbour no illusions that your such methods that are your guiding light are fair.
   
4. I see you can get me banned. But that would be a pansy approach to take. I am not abusing anyone. Neither am I indulging in any mudslinging. I don't have a vendetta against any school. I am trying to appeal to your sense of ethics and morality. I am the voice of reason amidst the euphoria and chutzpah of an apparently phenomenal placement. Stifle this voice if you will....but its resonance will only ring out louder on the threads of this message-board.

It was a no-brainer dude....I am a IIT-B aspirant and don't want to reveal my real identity using which I have posted numerous pieces on this forum...hence a new moniker...my intention is simply to ensure that I make the correct choice when I decide upon which B-School to join. So if you are game, here's one more question :-

Q3) You have 'n' students and managed '3n' offers (laudable feat and my sincerest congratulations). But, were the best 'n' offers taken and their average computed or were all offers factored into the equation?

I am relieved to know that the international offers were not converted into INR before arriving at the average. This is a classic tool in the repertoire of placement committees to jack up figures. Good to see that IIT B has not taken recourse to this.

Hope to hear from Placement Committee members on Q2 posted earlier

Firstly, heartiest congratulations for the stupendous placements this time. Registering a 44% Y-o-Y jump in salary is an amazing feat. This particularly assumes significance because an impending recession has dampened many a B-School placement this year. Understandably, there is a lot of skepticism amongst B-School aspirants about the veracity of different claims. Without doubting the figures provided by SJMSOM in any way, I would appreciate if more clarity is added to these figures. Taking a cue from Pagalguys tips on how to read between the lines of placement figures, may I ask the following questions:-

1. Was international offers in dollars (or some other currency) converted to INR while taking the average?
   
2. An impressive median implies a whole host of people getting offers around 15 LPA. Given your batch profile and experience mix, this is indeed a commendable feat. I understand that some companies are reluctant to disclose their figures. However, could some of the star payers be named? I am not asking for a list sorted by salary but just a representative list of top payers.