Source: E-mail dt. 11 December 2011
Choosing
the B-School - and implementing your
choice
Mr. Khagesh Agarwal
Analyst
DE Shaw & Co.,
This article is in continuation to the earlier
one, which tried to define management in a layman’s view, and tried to explain
what it really means being an MBA. Having said that, I would now like to put across my thoughts on
choosing the right b-school. As we all know that there is no dearth of
colleges and institutes in the country, offering a PGDM or an MBA, but when it
comes to taking a decision to choose from the list, it becomes a difficult
task. One can have a plethora of constraints while choosing a b-school, ranging
from its location, campus size, faculty resources, corporate interface, and not
to mention the placement scenario which of-course tops the list. However upon
giving a deep thought, I came close to reality when I joined a b-school by
choice, and graduated with a good placement. Let me share my experience…
I joined a b-school in
1.
Before joining an MBA program, be very clear as
to why do you want to pursue this course. Answer questions like, what added
advantage would I have after I complete this course, and whether the said
course will fulfill my goals.
2.
Once you discover the reason for doing an MBA,
then you can go ahead to choose the right b-school. For e.g., if you say that
you want to study finance, then I believe IIM-C would be the right place, for
HR, undoubtedly it’s XLRI. For those who aspire to do something of their own,
IIM-A would be the right place, as they have designated courses for
entrepreneurship and you’ll have a strong network which is much required to
start up something on your own. I agree
most of you would say, not everyone can make it to the colleges they aspire to,
including myself, but if your goal is clear, then the path you’d set for
yourself would ultimately lead you to success. I still feel I could have made
it to the top of the schools, if I had a clear conscience of why I want to do
an MBA then, but, as the saying goes, it’s never too late. I might someday join
a PhD program to further my interest in research.
3.
Most of all MBA is the same, in the sense that
the b-schools which fall under a given category have more or less the same
standard of teaching and similar faculty resources. What matters more is how
much you want to learn, which would come not from the books written by authors
years back, but by being updated with the current happenings around you.
Reading articles from business magazines like the HBR (from the internet, you may wish to read hbrblog
etc.) will help you become an MBA
rather than simply doing an MBA.
4.
When you are taking the decision to start your
career, more importantly, sitting for companies during the placement process,
avoid the herd mentality (seeing others
applying, and applying along with, not knowing what the job is going to be like
and whether you would be able to meet your career aspirations). Research
thoroughly on the job description and job specification from seniors,
colleagues, relatives etc. etc. You may use the social media (facebook, linkedin) to interact with professionals from the
organization and in the process do something which social media was actually
meant for (not merely chatting,
commenting on other’s status et al). Making the right choice if important
because the cost of mistake would be very high as getting a job off-campus is
very tough, given that you are now competing at the national level, with people
who have work-ex and a professional background as well.