SELECTION OF THE RIGHT B-SCHOOL
B-school Selection: The Factors
Management aspirants need to be careful about selection of B schools with an eye on the global benchmarks. The factors that need to be considered are
A. Which location-region/state/city?
B. Which B-school?
C. Which campus?
D. Which programme?
A. Locational Factors :
The location of a B- school in an emerging state or a city with high degree of business or industry concentration promises proximity to reality. Budding managers will then have more opportunities to interact and intervene with practicing managers.
B. B-school Related Factors
Academics:
The key items to be considered to understand the effect of academic support include the following:
AICTE approval
NBA accreditation
Autonomous/university affiliated-what type-in general, autonomous B-schools are superior in the Indian context, with a few exceptions like the IIT B-schools and FMS Delhi
Faculty profile-faculty student ratio, proportion of doctorates, proportion from top Indian B-schools or with overseas doctorate
Eminent Visiting Faculty
Track record of core faculty in research
International tie-ups
Trimester based or semester based programme
Number of electives and mode of specialisation-open/closed
B-school ranking-should be given credence if and only if the concerned B-school gets consistently similar ranks in by different ranking bodies
Placements:
B- Schools with consistent placement records are preferred. The credibility and consistency of the placement data presented need to be verified.
%age of students placed
Average and highest salary
Number of companies and verticals
Overseas placements
“Dream” companies
Return on Capital/Payback period
Selection procedure:
An institution interested in attracting meritorious students across all income classes, will have a strong emphasis on merit based entry criteria. The criteria include
Aptitude test -recognized or own (reputation and consistency)
If recognized test-which one(s)
Cut-off level in aptitude test
Number of applications per student
Number of instruments in the selection process
Student quality:
The quality of the fellow /senior students in terms of diversity in region/language/ education background and the like are to be considered. The factors include
Minimum score in aptitude test required for short listing for the next stage
%age of engineers
%age of students from IITs and other nationally reputed institutions
Performance of students in college fests and other competitions
Track record of alumni in industry
Infrastructure:
The institute which has an infrastructure to facilitate this in terms of technology, equipments and administrative support is essential.
Fully residential?
Library
Digital library
Internet bandwidth
Number of computers + application softwares
Sports and recreational facilities
Fees:
The fee for the course are a major determinant in the choice of a B- School as it influences not only the consumer but also the customer (the parents).The factors to be considered here include
Total fee
What does it include-and exclude?-academics; books and course material; hostel rent; food; placement fee
Capitation fee/ donation
Campus life:
The campus life in a B- School need to be vibrant, lively and independent filled with opportunities and provisions to try and practice the classroom learning. A residential programme will provide ample chances to enhance the interpersonal and time management skills as well.
C. Which Campus?
Certain B-schools have multiple campuses. Due diligence is advisable in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the various campus programmes.
D. Which Programme?
In general, general management programmes have more acceptability than functional programmes, and functional programmes more than sectoral programmes
How and Where to Check?
The following sources can be seriously considered;
Feedback of current students & recent graduates
Rankings (Credibility of the ranking bodies need to be ascertained), as well as consistency of ranking across different bodies
Visit to the campus-physical/virtual
Advice of CAT coaching agencies
Talking to the faculty/admissions team
Perception of faculty/staff of other B-schools in the same state/region
Perception of business executives, particularly from HRM
With the clear and succinct plan, a management aspirant can make the most of the value for the money, time and effort invested in his higher education and come out with flying colours.
The author Prof. Gautam Ghosh is a B.Tech (IITK), PGDM (IIMC) alumnus and is currently the Director of Thiagarajar School of Management, Madurai. He has counselled innumerable students on career planning and B-school selection
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